‘We Make Players Better:’ Pochettino’s Plan to Grow the World Cup Talent Base

Mauricio Pochettino’s assistants have been busy racking up some airline miles lately.

Over two weekends in late October and early November, they fanned out across the U.S. to watch a half-dozen World Cup hopefuls perform for their club teams in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Jesus Perez, the top lieutenant for the U.S. men’s national team coach, was in Texas for FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps and Austin FC vs. LAFC. Miguel D’Agostino saw games in New York and Seattle before wrapping up in Columbus, Ohio. 

And later this month, it’ll be off to Europe. D’Agostino, Perez and goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez will spend the next several months crisscrossing the continent to keep track of the Americans’ overseas-based stars.

It’s all part of the process of making sure nothing is overlooked, no stone left unturned before May, when Pochettino must name the country’s final 26-man roster for the biggest World Cup in history.

The lineup for the Americans’ World Cup opener on June 12 in Los Angeles is likely to have familiar names. The midfield duo of Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. Star forwards Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah up top. 

But the last few decisions won’t be easy, as the player pool is significantly deeper than it was even a year ago. Last November, the likes of left-back Max Arfsten, right-back Alex Freeman and goalkeeper Matt Freese didn’t have a single cap. Now, all of three are projected to comfortably make the World Cup cut and, in Freese’s case, be a starter when the curtain goes up on the biggest stage in sports next summer.

“Not being arrogant, I think we are a coaching staff that has the capacity to improve players,” Pochettino told me this week. “Not only young players who are between 18 and 21, but even someone like [38-year-old U.S. captain] Tim Ream. 

“Because you can always improve. I think that is our talent: we like to — and we are able to — make players better.”

‘A world of opportunities, but you need to be ready’

Pochettino’s track record speaks for itself. 

During a 16-year coaching career that included stints managing some of the world’s biggest clubs, Pochettino earned a reputation for development. He fielded more than 50 academy graduates during spells at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Seventeen players that he managed at club level debuted for England’s national team. His 2017-18 Tottenham side had nine representatives reach at least the semis of the 2018 World Cup, more than any other team. The last two World Cup-winning captains (Hugo Lloris and Lionel Messi) and the leading scorer at both events (Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe) worked under Pochettino at the time.

But helping players reach new heights as an international boss is significantly more challenging.

“We spent every single day with guys at the clubs we worked at,” Pochettino told me. “Here, it’s about how you have influence in a very short period. At some point, we have to help them in an emotional way. The important thing is to connect them with their talent, for them to feel free, and when they arrive in the national team it’s an environment where they’re going to be happy.”

Pochettino hasn’t been able to spend more than a few days at a time on the training field with European-based standouts like Pulisic and McKennie. Injuries to other regulars, including Adams, striker Ricardo Pepi – along with full-back duo Sergino Dest and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson – have further reduced those opportunities.

Their absences also opened the door for others.

Take Freeman. The son of Super Bowl winner Antonio Freeman wasn’t even invited to January camp. But then the 21-year-old strung together a number of fine performances in his first season as a starter for Orlando City. He earned a look and took his chance, logging every minute of the Gold Cup. He also went the full 90 minutes in the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Australia last month. 

“Everything could be different if Sergiño arrived in a better condition in June, and we don’t send him back [home],” Perez told me. “If Sergiño was there, maybe Alex Freeman doesn’t play. This is a world of opportunities. But you need to be ready.”

Freeman didn’t land on Pochettino’s radar by accident. He and his assistants visited more than 50 clubs during their first year at the helm. They leaned on people like former U.S. assistants B.J. Callaghan and Nico Estévez, now the head coaches with MLS teams Nashville SC and Austin FC, respectively, who knew intimately both the domestic league and USMNT pool. 

Every time Pochettino or his assistants spoke to a coach or sporting director, they wanted to know the same thing: Which players in your group do you think can reach the next level?

“If we go back 13 months,” Perez told me, “That question helped some guys to be in the national team today.”

‘Obvious that they’re now at the same level’

Discussions with officials at top European clubs are just as important. Possibly more, such as the case with Pulisic.

“I remember one conversation in Milan,” Perez told me. “The [AC Milan] coach at that time said to me, ‘I feel Christian shines if he’s in this space, doing this role.’ For me, it was important to translate to Mauricio. 

“I’m not saying we take 100 percent of what they say,” Perez added. “But these guys are professionals like us. It’s super valuable that our colleagues give us their opinion. Then we consider it and evaluate it. I think in soccer, like in life, you have to be humble enough to listen to everyone and then make your own choices.”

When a player is given a chance, he must perform to keep his place.

“We identified in these guys that there was the potential to improve,” Pochettino told me in reference to Arfsten, Freeman, Freese and others. “When you compare players that were in the last World Cup to Freeman or Max, who started to play with us less than one year ago, now they match the quality of the players in Europe. That is evident. It’s obvious that they’re now at the same level.”

Freese might be the best example. The Harvard graduate didn’t appear in the January wins over Venezuela and Costa Rica. But he won the Gold Cup job over 2022 World Cup starter Matt Turner and has now been in the lineup for 10 consecutive matches. In just a few months, he progressed from international novice to Pochettino’s clear No. 1 keeper. 

“It allows me to kind of play like myself,” Freese said during availability on Monday when asked how much the confidence shown by Jimenez and Pochettino has helped his game. “I consistently just want to repay that trust.”

With Jedi sidelined indefinitely with his knee injury, Arfsten is all but certain to add to the 14 U.S. caps he’s already won in 2025. 

“I do think I’ve improved this year, just in all aspects of the game,” Arfsten said in a group on Tuesday. “Being involved in these camps and having our coaching staff here express belief in me, and give me advice on certain things, has definitely helped me become more confident. I think it’s helped me grow as a player a lot.”

Room for more growth remains. Plenty of work does, too. The USMNT won’t gather for another four months when the year’s final camp breaks on Nov. 20. When they convene again in late March, the World Cup will be just around the corner.

“That is a massive challenge for us,” Pochettino told me. “But after one year, we know all the players. And they have started to understand what we want. So we’re very excited, and we’re convinced that we are going to arrive at the World Cup in a very good place.”

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.