Let’s be real—the buzz around Pochettino’s arrival has been nothing short of electric. It wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that fans have heightened expectations of him, akin to what was anticipated from Emma Hayes when she took over as head coach of the USWNT. Given his extensive experience and European credentials, there is hope that the 52-year-old could become a pivotal figure for USMNT, much like Hayes did. However, one unexpected move from him has set him apart from other coaches.

To start with, Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t reached out to any players on the USMNT roster yet. Yes, that’s right, surprisingly, nearly a month after joining the team, he still hasn’t made direct contact with any players. Well, to be fair he did have one brief encounter with Antonee Robinson but even this meeting wasn’t intentional on the Argentine’s part.

So why this unusual approach? Well, it seems USMNT legend Alexi Lalas has some answers to this strange decision. Lalas firmly believes that there are no negative motives behind this behavior. On his podcast, he shared: “Now, it wasn’t like in a mean, ‘I’m the man, I don’t want to do that’ way.” He added, “But I do think there is some strategy in having them come in and meet him for the first time in this controlled environment to kind of plant his flag if you will.”

Lalas asserts that by making this choice, Mauricio Pochettino is addressing a significant weakness that emerged during Gregg Berhalter’s tenure. He emphasized, “The message it sends to everyone is, ‘I’m not here to be your friend.'”

Remember when Tyler Adams said, “We need a coach that is ruthless.” And it looks like that ‘ruthless’ head coach is finally here in the form of Mauricio Pochettino. Despite all these different approaches, there is still one thing that the USMNT boss has kept the same in the USMNT team.

Mauricio Pochettino taking inspiration from Gregg Berhalter!

Before unveiling his inaugural roster for the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino participated in a press conference to discuss his strategies and various topics. One significant insight he shared was regarding the formations he intends to use. He stated, “I think we are going to plan to play two systems—4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3.”

True supporters of USMNT will recall that these formations were also employed by Gregg Berhalter. This approach seems logical! The ex-PSG boss has emphasized his desire for instructions to be straightforward and accessible, avoiding overwhelming players with too much information.

For him in his words, “I think soccer needs to be an exciting game to the USA citizen.” Fans can look forward to witnessing Mauricio Pochettino’s tactical vision in action on October 12th. This is a match that’s certainly one not to miss following such promising declarations.