“The language of football is universal. You don’t need to speak the local lingo in order to be able to communicate with a ball,” once said one of the greatest footballers of his time, Robinho, and he couldn’t be more right. Consider any typical club, where no matter where the players come from, irrespective of religion, race, ethnicity, or the language they speak, a team understands only one tongue: the beautiful game. So, when Mauricio Pochettino, being an Argentinian, decided to coach the US men’s national team, did he really need to learn the American way to settle in?

Of course not. Sure, each country has its own philosophy when it comes to playing. For the US, though they may call the beautiful game “soccer,” unlike the rest of the world that calls it “football,” that doesn’t make it any different. And that’s exactly what Pochettino is trying to instill in the American boys while also preparing them for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that they’re hosting alongside neighbors Canada and Mexico.

“You find some coaches that say, ‘Oh, you know, you need to know the culture of the American player,'” began the 53-year-old tactician ahead of releasing the USMNT roster for this month’s friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay. “I say, ‘No, I know the most important thing – the culture of football and soccer.’ We need to translate the culture of football to the American player.”

To cite Robinho’s football has no language theory, Mauricio Pochettino also lives by this philosophy. And that’s exactly what he has been trying to instill in this Golden Generation. In fact, frankly speaking, the team has even made some improvements on this front. No matter where the players play or hail from, they just talk football.

“I think after one year, we are making great progress. We are building [ideas] with people that the language of football is only one, and it doesn’t care if you are American, Brazilian, or English. Our football is [to] compete in the way that you need to compete, if you want to win,” added the former Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Classic Mauricio Pochettino for you, ladies and gentlemen. It’s only good for the USMNT to have such values instilled in them, considering how they’re often viewed differently from the rest of the world when it comes to soccer. And that’s exactly what the former PSG boss wants to change within their system, especially if they wish to stand out like the rest of their counterparts.

The only thing that would be remaining to see is whether the results would speak for themselves or not, especially during the big summer tournament. Being a host nation and how they have made significant changes around, expectations are only on the rise to see this Golden Generation pull up with some positive outcome. Then again, baby steps for now, as they prepare for yet another World Cup-deciding window.

Mauricio Pochettino has a message for USMNT players!

Once again, the Golden Generation of American soccer will be coming into action for the November window, putting their domestic duties on hold from this week. Facing Paraguay on Nov. 15 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa, they will then travel to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, marking their return to the city for the first time since 2018. This is yet another chance for the players to prove they are World Cup-worthy and give their all to make the final roster.

And while those who have made the cut for this window, Pochettino had a special message for them: “It’s important that they come into this camp prepared to show their qualities on the field and their commitment to being a good teammate,” he said, insisting that the training before facing either of these South American giants would also feature working on some special competitive tactics.

Speaking of which, we might as well take a look at the lucky 25 players who have been called up by Poch for these crucial challenges.

GOALKEEPERS (4): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 11/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 14/1), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 35/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 11/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse FC/FRA; 24/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 78/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 37/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 21/0), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel/GER; 4/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 4/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 52/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 7/0), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 11/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 32/8), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 41/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 10/0), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)

FORWARDS (5): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 54/9), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 27/7), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 16/3), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/13), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 19/7)

The last window saw the USMNT endure decent results: a 1-1 draw against Ecuador before a 2-1 win over Australia. This only means they are expected to perform well in this window as well, and further justify their talk of football on the pitch that Mauricio Pochettino has been talking about so much.