A new era of the United States men’s national team is upon us.
Yes, Mauricio Pochettino is still the head coach, and many of the familiar faces from the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be in the mix for 2030, but the competition is as stiff as ever, and at positions that were previously viewed as untouchable.
Let’s take a look at where some of the key figures in the U.S. player pool stand ahead of the international window in Alexi Lalas’ U.S. Weekend Stock Watch:
Alexi: You’ve got to be a little happy â and dare I say, proud â of seeing Christian Pulisic, given what’s happened over this past year and even what’s happened recently, starting and not just making an impact, but being voted the best player, being involved in both goals and being associated with a moment of positivity that Christian Pulisic and AC Milan needed.
Alexi: You can make a case that, in this window, even if Christian Pulisic had been involved, there are more poeple excited about seeing Cavan Sullivan than Christian Pulisic. We know who Christian Pulisic is. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve, but he is what he is. America is looking for young talent and new look when it comes to the national team and that’s why there’s so much tension with Cavan Sullivan as he comes into this new camp, and he comes in on fire.
Alexi: We all recognize that many of these players are looking for a foot in the door when it comes to Europe, and in that sense, they’re not just getting there; they’re now actually playing and playing well and scoring goals. It’s fun to see this brigade of young players who are using the Championship for what it is and what it isn’t as this stepping stone.
Alexi: This is great, to be associated with the type of win, but I feel like a broken record with Johnny. This is what he is and what he has done. He gets our hopes up, but ultimately, can he translate it if and when he is with the U.S. men’s national team? You can be a really, really good player, and sometimes it just doesn’t translate, and you can bang your head as to why it doesn’t. You just have to guard against this idea that you’re leaving talent on the sideline; that we are wasting talent.
Alexi: If you’re looking at it for the Pepi fanbase, this sucks because, finally, he gets this opportunity after being second fiddle to Balogun, and fairly so, to come in and claim it for himself, especially in this new-look national team. On the other side, it’s just another opportunity because I think it’s going to be wide-open up top in this camp when it comes to who plays.
Alexi: If you’re Pochettino, do you say I can still get something out of him, even with all of these changes and his obvious inability to adjust under that? There was a time that he was in pen there on that right side, and I wasn’t alone. Times have changed. Yunus Musah is back in the fold and Tim Weah looks to be on the way out.
Alexi: I’m all for supporting your team, I’m all for die-hard fandom out there, but it has to come with some perspective. There’s nothing romantic about this, there’s nothing cool about this, and as far as that purity pest about how much you care about your team, it’s not relevant to what you set on fire, including the bus.
