Excited for Mauricio Pochettino‘s second gig for the USMNT? It’s just a matter of hours before the Stars and Stripes return to action as they will be locking horns against neighboring side Mexico at Zapopan-based Akron Stadium. However, just before kick-off, a concerning update came regarding the absence of star player Christian Pulisic. So why exactly Captain America isn’t playing tonight?

Well, playing too much is the reason why we won’t get to see the AC Milan superstar in action tonight. Earlier, a report from CBS Sports Golazo stated that Christian Pulisic had left the USMNT camp due to “load management.” In order to not get caught up with any kind of fatigue, it was in the best interests of the 26-year-old to return to Italy to his domestic side.  

What surprises many is that Pulisic hadn’t even played the whole game against Panama and was subbed off around the 67th minute before making a decent assist to Yunus Musah. However, in reality, that was actually one of the early signs to give the former Borussia Dortmund star some time to catch his breath.

During the September window, while Pulisic played the full game against Canada, he was introduced around the hour mark during the New Zealand clash. On top of that, he had been starting in every game for his domestic side. That explains why he is running his case for becoming the Serie A top scorer, having netted 5 goals in the league so far.

Interestingly, this was something that Pochettino had pointed out earlier before the Panama clash. “He’s playing every single game, every single minute. That is also a thing that we are a little bit worried. Sometimes we need to protect [him]. We’ll see because he arrived a little bit tired,” said the former Tottenham boss, who knows that Pulisic is susceptible to injuries very quickly.

In order to tackle fatigue or potential injury, Pochettino has a solution that may help the forward: “[We need to] build a very good relationship with the club [AC Milan] and try to help. And when we really need him, he needs to be in form, happy, strong and the quality is there, because he has an enormous talent. He’s a fantastic player,” concluded the Argentinian tactician.

Even though sending him back to Italy must have been a hard call to make for Pochettino, the 52-year-old knows how crucial it is to keep the star player in good shape. This way, AC Milan will also be able to get the best out of Pulisic while he makes his name. However, sadly enough, he isn’t to have left the USMNT camp early!

Other stars alongside Christian Pulisic who won’t be playing for USMNT vs Mexico

Aside from Christian Pulisic, midfielder Weston McKennie, forward Ricardo Pepi, defender Marlon Fossey, and goalkeeper Zack Steffen have also exited the camp due to minor injuries. It’s sad, especially for players like McKennie, Fossey, and Steffen who were forced to depart without getting any game time under Mauricio Pochettino.

It was only Pepi who gained some minutes in the previous fixture, having also scored a crucial goal in the previous game. Regardless, this could be an ideal opportunity for other stars to step up and break into the team. It remains to be seen who Pochettino will replace these missing stars with, who will simultaneously be able to step up against Mexico.