Mauricio Pochettino names USA squad for October international break; Christian Pulisic included

The Stars and Stripes will face Mexico & Panama in the October games.

United States men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to oversee his first game as head coach in October matches.

The former Chelsea manager has called up many familiar faces for the upcoming matches as he hopes to start his reign as USMNT head coach in a winning way.

Pochettino was named USA men’s team coach in September. His first game as their manager will be against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on October 12. Three days later, it will be followed by a game against fiercest rivals Mexico at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.

The USA endured a dismal campaign in Copa America 2024. They failed to progress past the group stages. Now they will hope that the Argentine manager will change the situation of the national team in competitive matches.

USA are favourites to prevail in both October matches. They also have better head-to-head records against Panama and Mexico. The Stars and Stripes have won 17 encounters, drawn six and lost three against Panama, while against Mexico they have not lost since 2021.

Pochettino will hope to continue this excellent form for the 2026 World Cup host. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager has already implemented his principles and now it will be interesting to see how the USA will fare under him.

USA announce squad for upcoming October matches

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)

DEFENDERS (8): Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)

FORWARDS (6): Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City)

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