USMNT January camp is important as Mauricio Pochettino aims for stability in first full year in charge

The roster for January camp has been named and as the first full calendar year of Mauricio Pochettino managing the United States men’s national team begins, the list is an important one. It’s an intriguing time for this team and 2025 will bring these January friendlies against Costa Rica and Venezuela, and it’s  Concacaf Nations League, and the Gold Cup over the summer as the road to 2026 gets truly underway.

Unlike the past few years, all of these competitions are set to be led by the same manager as well, instead of the rotating cast of interim and permanent managers overseeing the USMNT. This will give players an opportunity to impress Pochettino as he also gains an understanding of depth options within his squad. With injuries to key players in the senior side, this is a chance for domestic players to make their mark under Pochettino, while also learning from experienced squad members.

Having Tim Ream in the side will be a boon for young defenders like Jalen Neal, as center back is one of the positions that could be up for grabs at the 2026 World Cup. Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Benjamin Cremaschi, and Brian Gutierrez are other talented young attackers to keep an eye on. Pochetitno has stressed that no matter if someone is in Major League Soccer or abroad, young or old, they’ll have a chance to make his squad if they deserve a place based on their play.

That’s what makes this camp so important. It takes place outside of a standard FIFA international break, so this is a domestic based squad without the usual attackers like Christian Pulisic. Historically, the USMNT hasn’t performed well without their stars but that’s why this is an intriguing time. It could be very easy to see a player from this squad then go on to make the Nations League squad when things kick back up in march.

Previously, January camp felt like a time that had a hard ceiling of finding players who may make a Gold Cup roster, but not go any further, but with the appointment of Pochettnio and the level of synergy from top to bottom in U.S. Soccer, things feel a bit different. The expectations and quality of the coaching setup have risen and with Pochettno’s experience in developing youth players. This is also a time during which he can show some of these guys what needs to be done to take the next step in their careers.

Even Jesus Ferreria, who was a USMNT regular under Gregg Berhalter, has been largely absent from Pochettino’s setup so far. Good performances in these friendlies along with injuries to Josh Sargent and Folarin Balogun could see him right back in the picture as the starting nine for the USMNT. 

It’s an exciting time and while these players need to show Pochettino that they are ready to take the next step, there’s opportunity abound in this camp. Even the opposition of Costa Rica and Venezuela will provide ample tests since each of those squads has domestic talent that can challenge the USMNT. When playing European nations, the USMNT may be getting their third tier squads at best but that won’t be the case facing sides from the Americas. That gives a few more reasons than usual to keep an eye on things this January.