22 players in 90 minutes: The story behind the USMNT's heavy rotation in advance of the World Cup

The United States Men's National Team beat Senegal 3-2 in a pre-World Cup friendly on Saturday, May 31. It was a frantic and dynamic game, made more so by both team's interest in getting as many players on the field as possible. The USMNT played 22 members of its 26-man roster over the course of 90 minutes; Senegal played 19.

That's rotation — the process of spreading minutes across as many players as possible to reduce risk and gather more data — in action. It's a valuable pre-tournament tool for national teams but one that isn't always well-received by the general public. (There was much confusion and consternation amongst casual fans, for instance, when USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino subbed out starting goalkeeper Matt Turner at halftime against Senegal to replace him with uncapped backup keeper Chris Brady. Goalkeeper subs are not common to begin with, and they're nearly unheard of in situations where there are no injuries or crises.)

Well-received or no, rotation is a key part of the USMNT's World Cup preparations. Here's a breakdown of the big questions surrounding it to add some context to all the chaos.

Why would Mauricio Pochettino leverage rotation in advance of the World Cup?

Load management and data collection. Rotation keeps important players on the field but removes them before they get tired, injured or worse. It also opens up a window for lesser-leveraged players at the bottom of the roster to play for the USMNT, and that gives Pochettino and his staff the ability to evaluate them in a competitive setting.

Shouldn't a team like the USMNT aim for consistency with its best players instead of frequent in-game lineup changes?

There are fans and pundits who believe that, yes — but it's a much riskier strategy. Focus on just your "best" 11 players and an injury or suspension to one of them could cause the unit to fall apart in a tournament setting. By rotating through his cast of players and giving them all opportunities to stretch their legs, Pochettino is ensuring that no one will be surprised, unprepared or overawed if they're asked to participate in World Cup play.

Goalkeeper Chris Brady is a great example of this. He's the third-ranked goalkeeper in the squad, and that means he probably won't play in the World Cup unless both Matt Turner and Matt Freese are unavailable. But "probably" is not "definitely," and Brady entered these pre-World Cup friendlies without a single USMNT appearance to his name. Pochettino played him in the second half against Senegal so that his first USMNT cap would come in a lower-pressure setting...and it's a good thing he did, because Brady committed an error that allowed a Senegal goal: