The coach called in veterans like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie alongside young players such as Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall ahead of a quarterfinal against Haiti.
Mauricio Pochettino has settled on a roster mixing experience and youth for the USMNT's Nations League quarterfinals, the first official matches since the World Cup. Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie return to the fold, joined by a wave of young players who impressed enough in September and October friendlies to earn their way back in.
Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Justin Ellis, Mathis Albert, Adri Mehmeti, Neil Pierre and Diego Kochen all picked up invitations for the first time alongside the senior group, with the average age of that newer contingent sitting at 18.1. The call-ups came even with most veterans available and a separate youth-focused Olympic camp running at the same time, a sign Pochettino is not treating the youth movement as a side project.
Pochettino said the priority remains the first team, but that involvement with it is what opens the door for young players to push their way into the picture. The Americans face Haiti in the quarterfinal round, giving fans an early look at how Pulisic and Sullivan might eventually share the field together in a competitive setting.