Getty ImagesHow will Pochettino approach his USMNT opener, and what players will feature? GOAL takes a look
When projecting a team's lineup, history is often a guide. Coaches have tendencies, favorites and ideals and, generally, those shed insight into what to expect for a particular match.
This isn't one of those clear scenarios, though, and that's because this is Mauricio Pochettino's first camp in charge of the U.S. men's national team.
Pochettino opted not to rock the boat much with squad selections ahead of matches against Panama (Oct. 12) and Mexico (Oct. 15), but that doesn't mean his team selection won't bring a few surprises. He has already said he plans to build this team around either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, but the players that will be placed in those spots remain a mystery.
It's easy to foresee several of them, with Christian Pulisic, of course, being the best example. However, there are position battles all over the field and, at the moment, it's not clear how Pochettino views them. It's also a question of his approach to these friendlies – is it a win-at-all-costs mentality, or an opportunity to experiment with his new team, or something in between?
"It's clear that the mentality is always to win. And I can't say that I don't want to win the next game," Pochettino told CNN Mexico. "We're going to want to win every game…But it's clear that the long-term approach is the World Cup and the goal is to arrive with the best possible preparation to compete in the best way possible at the World Cup.
"That said, we want to win every game, we want to win against Panama, we want to win against Mexico, with the circumstances we face in these games and obviously knowing that it is our first contact with these players and that time is limited."
Saturday's match against Panama will offer some insight into the new landscape. Will Pochettino give familiar faces a chance to fight for their spots, or will he shake things up by trying something just a little bit different than his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter?
GOAL projects how the USMNT could line up in Pochettino's first match in charge.
