A new chapter has officially begun for the USMNT under Mauricio Pochettino. Just hours ago, the 25-player roster gathered for their first training session as they prepare for this month’s international fixtures against Panama on October 12 and Mexico on October 15. And if the early buzz is any indication, much has already unfolded on the very first day of training.

“I don’t want to be nice with the players,” said an optimistic Pochettino during his first presser as the USMNT manager. Recalling this, it seems the Argentinian tactician wasn’t joking at all as the players themselves stepped up to share their experience of the first training session under their new manager. Mind you, things are pretty tough under the new USA manager.

As compiled by journalist Brian Sciaretta on X, the defender duo of Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson addressed the press from the USMNT camp just after their first training session ended. Interestingly, neither of the stars was shy about sharing their experience under Pochettino as they agreed about the intensity of training. The former Tottenham manager’s signature style has already left its mark, with players accepting the high-demanding, high-energy atmosphere has quickly become the norm.

In fact, the squad is adjusting to the 52-year-old tactician’s methods really well even though it has been just Day 1 at the office. Moreover, both Ream and Robinson further acknowledged that multiple individual meetings were held between players and the new staff. This was conducted in order to forge a better connection with each other and get a good grasp of strong communication from scratch.

Of course, it’s impossible for Pochettino to individually have a word with all the 25 players he called for the upcoming friendlies. Hence, the former Chelsea boss made things efficient by flaring his tasks to other assistant coaches while he focused on other important aspects of the game. Regardless, such revelation from Ream and Robinson is enough to indicate that Pochettino is a real deal.

The former Paris Saint-Germain boss isn’t taking things lightly and wants his team to just talk soccer on the pitch. But from the looks of it, the players have even learned what they shall do on their part!

Not everything is on the shoulders of Mauricio Pochettino!

Earlier, Antonee Robinson asserted that all responsibility does not lie at the feet of Mauricio Pochettino. He rather called out his teammates to rise on the occasion and share some responsibility for their own fortunes. “He’s not going to see us every day. He’s not got a lot of time to drill into us how he wants to play. But that’s where we’ve got to step up and take responsibility and say it’s not all just on him,” said the Fulham defender.

In addition to Robinson, established stars like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams—longtime pillars of the USMNT—must now rise to the occasion. Similarly, emerging talents such as Folarin Balogun, Tim Weah, and Yunus Musah should also feel the weight of their moral responsibility to step up. The rest lies in the hands of Pochettino, and the first training session indicates that he’s giving it everything he’s got!