Takeaways from U.S. Men's National Team's Nations League roster

But Adams isn't the only star returning from a long absence. Attacker Gio Reyna made this squad, too. 

Reyna, once the great hope of the USMNT program, has struggled to find his footing at Borussia Dortmund. (A short and unsuccessful loan spell at Nottingham Forest before the team got good didn't help things.) 

Reyna's return is something of a surprise. USMNT fans will welcome Adams back into the fold, but they'll want to see serious progress and commitment from Reyna to justify his inclusion.

MLS players continue to catch Pochettino's attention

The January USMNT camp isn't particularly serious; it's jokingly called the "cupcake" camp for its lack of heavy competition. But its spot outside the FIFA calendar provides a rare opportunity for MLS players to show their stuff for the USMNT.

Pochettino seems to have enjoyed watching those MLS players, because he has included several in his Nations League roster. Charlotte FC's Patrick Agyemang and Tim Ream, Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna and the Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White made the cut.

Goalkeepers Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew) and Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids) were called back too. That's six MLS players on a 23-man squad. By contrast, then-HC Gregg Berhalter had just two to the Copa America last summer.

Christian Pulisic is present, but will he be available?

Pulisic is having a fabulous season with AC Milan, but he has struggled to maintain his fitness during a stacked winter schedule. A calf injury in January begat an ankle injury in February; a quick turnaround back into Serie A play left him benched with what Milan coach Sergio Conceicao called “a small physical problem” in March ( h/t CBS Sports). There's a chance Pochettino will reduce his minutes to help him recover.

Out-of-position selections prove Pochettino knows best

Scrolling through this roster's selection of forwards makes for fascinating reading. You'll find the regular heavy hitters (Josh Sargent, Pulisic), but you'll also see names that look a bit out of place (AC Milan's Yunus Musah and Juventus' Tim Weah).

Musah and Weah started out as forwards, but they've since taken on new positions with their club teams (Musah is a midfielder and Weah is a wingback.) Seeing them listed as forwards here proves that Pochettino isn't about to be swayed by the opinions of others. He's deploying them in the offense regardless.

If the Americans beat Panama, they'll face either Mexico or Canada in the Nations League final on March 23.