Here's why USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino's 'mystifying' roster makes sense

The argument against this roster is easy to understand: If you value European experience above all else, a lineup featuring multiple players from the Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union probably doesn't get your pulse racing. But mystifying? An alternate reality? Messing around?

Disagreeing with Pochettino's roster is normal, perhaps even expected. He's a mercurial coach whose decisions often look perplexing at first glance. But to be confused by Pochettino's USMNT roster is to ignore Pochettino's entire managerial history. 

His USMNT call-ups aren't strange. When viewed through the lens of Pochettino's unique values, they make perfect sense.

If anything sets Pochettino apart from his managerial peers, it's his near-maniacal focus on match fitness. Pochettino's former players recounted his hellish three-a-day boot camps involving the dreaded Gacon test, a lung-busting shuttle run that wipes out even the most athletic players. Even USMNT players feel the burn. Despite training under Pochettino just a few times a year, they've been quick to admit that his sessions are more intense than anything they have experienced under previous coaches.

"He was a game changer," said former Pochettino player (and current LAFC starter) Hugo Lloris (h/t: ESPN). "He wanted us to play with intensity. We used to train so hard, then the games would feel easier."

With so little time to bring his players up to snuff, Pochettino must lean on players with excellent fitness levels when selecting his USMNT candidates. At this point in the international soccer calendar, that gives MLS players a big advantage over their Europe-based peers. The European season started three weeks ago; MLS has been in action since February. Its players have had a lot more time to adjust to the rhythm of regular competition.

Even without the seasonal advantage, though, MLS far outpaces European leagues in terms of its athlete fitness. According to Riqui Puig, the former Barcelona man who arrived in MLS in 2022. 

"I came from La Liga, one of the best leagues in Europe, and played in the Champions League," he said, per The Athletic. "When I arrived, I saw the other players’ physique, which was different from the players in La Liga. 

"I did 11 kilometers in the first match [in MLS]. At Barcelona, it was 8, 9 or maybe 10. I realized quickly I needed to improve my physique to perform at the level I wanted to be at, but it was a challenge because I never did gym work in Barcelona. I was young, and, when I trained with the first team, it was always with the ball. We’d never go to the gym after training. Here [in MLS], I need to do that to become a top player."

With reviews like that from the league's top players, it's easy to see why a fitness-obsessed coach like Pochettino values MLS athletes so highly. Are they his "best" players when placed against the likes of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Antonee Robinson? Maybe not on paper, but they're certainly the best players for his specific needs.

Disagree with Pochettino's USMNT selections all you like. But don't let them confuse you. Pochettino has a plan here. It's perhaps not the plan many expected.