USMNT youngster reveals what surprised him most about Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino is casting his eye over the next generation of USMNT as he leads a new-look squad through the January training camp in Miami. The team will take on Venezuela on Saturday with a squad comprised exclusively of players from MLS teams.

With less than 18 months to go until the World Cup, the USMNT’s January training camp offers young stars and fringe players the chance to force their way into the squad going forward. Key among them is 21-year-old forward Brian Gutiérrez, who has been a rare bright spot in a poor Chicago Fire team in recent years.

Gutiérrez, who is also eligible to represent Mexico, has been called up to the senior national team for the first time this month and is relishing the chance to work alongside Pochettino. Appearing at a press conference on Thursday, Gutiérrez told AS USA what has surprised him most about the new head coach.

“He just brings the group together,” Gutiérrez explained. “He’s really intense with everybody but at the same time he’s always there for you and gives you a pat on the back. He’s done a lot for us and I think he’s making us better every day.”

He continued: “He’s showing us that we need to bring that intensity, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Despite having coached some of the biggest teams in the world – Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur – Pochettino is regularly praised for his down-to-earth nature and ability to connect with young players. Gutiérrez is one of ten players in the January squad aged 23 or younger, all of whom will be thinking that they have an outside chance of forcing their way into the squad for next summer’s World Cup on home soil.

Miles Robinson praises the ‘light’ of Pochettino

While Gutiérrez is still waiting for his first senior cap, defender Miles Robinson has already racked up 30 appearances and looks well-placed to compete for a spot in the USMNT starting XI at the World Cup. Robinson was named in Pochettino’s squad for the November internationals last year and has been impressed with the impact that the new boss has had on the team.

“It’s been great so far. He brings energy in training, on and off the pitch, and the type of light that I think the guys feed off,” Robinson said of Pochettino. “A lot of the guys are learning a lot from him and really enjoying ourselves, but also getting better.”

With no overseas players involved, the USMNT side that takes to the field against Venezuela this weekend will be a far cry from the team that will start at the World Cup in 2026. At best, three or four of those involved in the US squad this month will represent the nation at the upcoming tournament. But these games will give a chance for fans to get a greater sense of the team that Pochettino is building and qualities that he will lean on as 2026 approaches.

Although these games are only friendlies Robinson insisted that the team will not be taking it easy this month, treating it like a ‘must-win game’ every time they are called upon.

“I think that a lot of the guys go out and they play like it’s a qualifier, like it’s a must-win game,” he explained. “Because we all have a lot to prove individually and collectively. A lot of these guys are hungry to show what they have, including myself. We’re always trying to push to that next level and show our teammates, our country and ourselves what we can do.”