The Fox Sports analyst admits Pochettino is ultimately going to be judged by the World Cup, not not international friendlies
Lalas says roster fails to address concerns about qualitySkeptics remain unconvinced by Pochettino's approachFinal judgment will come after summer tournament Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED
Alexi Lalas took aim at the USMNT roster announced by Mauricio Pochettino for the upcoming September friendlies. The former national team defender said the selections did little to address growing concerns about the team's quality and readiness for the 2026 World Cup.
“I don't think that this roster is going to do anything to allay fears for those out there that are fearful that this team is not good enough, and that this team is not going to do the things that we want and that we hope and pray for next summer,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. “I also don't think that this is going to do anything to change people who still are not sold on Mauricio Pochettino. We all know that he kind of, you know, marches to his own drummer…
"If Pochettino didn't have the cachet of being Mauricio Pochettino and everything that he has done – although he's never done it at the international level- think it would be even louder. The calls for 'What the hell is he doing?' when this type of roster drops, and the players that are there and the players that that aren't there."
The FOX Sports analyst said that Pochettino recognizes he’s going to be judged by what happens at the World Cup, not in the friendlies. Still, he said there were some head-scratching decisions on this roster.
“I do think that Mauricio Pochettino recognizes that he's going to be like, this is my way or the highway and I can respect that,” Lalas explained. “And we all know that ultimately he's going to be judged solely on what happens next summer. But we're not at next summer. This is this is where we are. We have all of the different narratives and all of the different drama that has happened over this summer and since he since he took over.
“And he is being charged and paid a tremendous amount of money to bring this team to the promised land to do things that we haven't seen before. And when you see this type of roster and some of the head-scratching decisions out there, you know, you can certainly react the way that we and I'm sure others are reacting. That's kind of what we do. And that's kind of the fun of a roster drop."
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The former USMNT defender said this could be Pochettino’s way of trying to manufacture internal competition. The USMNT will play a pair of top-25 ranked clubs in the friendlies – South Korea and Japan.
“But ultimately they're going to get on the field and individually and collectively, this new group that's going to come together for a very short period of time is going to face two quality World Cup level opponents,” Lalas added. “Certainly the quality that you would face in that group come next summer. And Pochettino's going to add it to the count and he's going to put it all into his little calculator and it's going to spit out 26 names – not just this window, but then the next four windows that come. But there's not a lot of time. There's no competitive games…
“Maybe that competition is going to be manufactured relative to actual spots on the roster. You're not playing in tournaments and you're not playing games that 'mean anything.' There's no qualification for this team. So interesting. Interesting times.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The USMNT continues its transition under Pochettino with fewer than 10 months remaining before a home World Cup.
Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?
Pochettino's selections will face immediate scrutiny when the USMNT plays South Korea on Sept. 6 and Japan on Sept. 9.