As October unfolds, autumn is setting in across much of North America – although the US men’s national team discovered that it’s not quite cozy season in sunny Austin just yet.
The USMNT encountered toasty temperatures well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit as they set up camp in the Texas capital this week ahead of Friday’s friendly vs. Ecuador at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium (8:30 pm ET).
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino wants his players to feel that the heat is still on in more ways than one.
“I promise you: No one is sure that he's going to be on the roster in the World Cup 2026,” the Argentine told reporters in his matchday-1 press conference on Thursday afternoon.
“I don't believe before that it was the same way. And today, I promise, all the guys feel that they need to fight to be there. That is priceless.”
Depth & competition
Even with only a scant few full international windows remaining between now and next summer’s big event on home soil, a small and shrinking period in which to hone his squad, ‘Poch’ remains focused on stoking competition and battling the complacency he says he encountered upon his arrival a year ago.
The overarching message, again and again: Get out of your comfort zone, and stay there. To drive home the point, Pochettino pointed to one of the players he didn’t call into the group in central Texas: Sebastian Berhalter and the impressive brace he bagged in the Vancouver Whitecaps’ 4-1 trouncing of San Jose last weekend.
“I think too many things that we still need to see. And it's open; it will be open for everyone. They need to perform,” said Pochettino. “That is how you force the players that are here – seeing that type of behavior, attitude and performance – to improve.”
Towards that end, Pochettino and the Yanks expect a “difficult” test from Ecuador, who surprised many observers by finishing second in Conmebol's World Cup qualifying table, behind only Lionel Messi-led Argentina.
Pacey, creative and aggressive, La Tri are well equipped to exploit even the most fleeting of errors, especially with injury concerns around a couple of key US figures: Pochettino said Christian Pulisic, Alex Zendejas and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson did not train in full on Thursday and thus are availability doubts for this match.
“Players are very good in depth, who interpret very well the open spaces,” said Pochettino in Spanish of the South Americans. “You cannot give them the channels; if you give them that opportunity, they have players who are aggressive, who’ll hit you quickly in attack, and can quickly recover the ball at the moment that they lose it.
“It’s important to play these kinds of opponents.”
Looking ahead
After an unsightly loss to South Korea in the first of last month’s two friendlies, the Yanks utilized a new-look 3-4-2-1 shape to rebound with a solid win over Japan. Naturally, there’s curiosity about whether that system will remain in place for Friday, as well as Tuesday’s meeting with Australia at the Colorado Rapids’ Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
“I think the mentality is focused,” Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Cristian Roldan, one of the September window’s big winners, said on Monday, explaining how the 3-4-2-1 allowed the USMNT to adopt a more assertive posture with their pressing.
“We had a good game against Japan, and how can we build off that, right? How can we establish the formations, the tactics, the ideas that coach Pochettino wants to bring to the team, and then show it on Friday against a tough Ecuador side? Focus, high intensity, aggressive: I think those are the style, the characteristics we want to have on the field come Friday.”
Back in the mix after two years away from the national team, Roldan faces stiff competition for central-midfield minutes this month, with European-based MLS academy alums like Weston McKennie, Aidan Morris and Tanner Tessmann returning to the fold on the strength of quality performances for their clubs.
That, though, is just the storyline for everyone around the USMNT for the foreseeable future.
“It's obviously a very competitive national team,” said Tessmann, an FC Dallas product currently on an excellent run of form at French side Olympique Lyon.
“We want to be the best national team and fight to win the World Cup, and with that comes a lot of competition in the team. So each time you're in camp, you have to make the most of it and try to fight your way into the next one.”
