CHESTER, Pa. — U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino reaffirmed his stance that roster spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are not guaranteed. Pochettino took to the podium on Friday ahead of the USMNT’s penultimate match of 2025, a home friendly vs. Paraguay on Saturday night at Subaru Park. The Argentine head coach is preparing his squad for the final two matches of the year before the calendar flips to five months until the World Cup schedule begins. Many of the USMNT’s star players are not available this month including attacker Christian Pulisic, defenders Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards, and midfielders Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman. Their absences have opened the door for players like Haji Wright, Folarin Balogun, Max Arfsten, Auston Trusty, and Tanner Tessmann to boost their stocks heading into the new year. Pochettino shared his beliefs on giving every player a chance to prove themselves while also admitting that the program itself is bigger than just the stars. “For me these are the players that today, they deserve to be here, and are the players that we want to see, are the players that are our choice, our selection,” Pochettino said Friday during his prematch press conference. “And then no one can feel safe or no one can feel that it’s going to be [on the roster], even the names that you say; Pulisic or Tyler Adams. I think the federation is bigger than the names that is [in] the national team.“It’s a great opportunity in the moment that we decide to pick another player to choose for another player,” he added. “That player needs to show up and step up and say, ‘Yes we have also the opportunity to be part of the roster for the next World Cup.'”The USMNT’s final two opponents of 2025 have already booked their spots to next summer’s competition while their schedule after that is unknown. After Tuesday’s showdown with Uruguay in Tampa, Florida, Pochettino’s squad will not reconvene until the March FIFA window before their final window in June, two weeks before the World Cup schedule begins. Veteran defender Tim Ream, who is the oldest member of the squad, is one of several players aiming to make it back to the World Cup after featuring in 2022. While many star players may not be in camp, Ream believes that their absences don’t change too much in terms of each players’ individual goals and the added energy in training sessions. “Each player has their own goals in mind, but those goals have to fit in with what Mauricio wants and what the staff wants and guys have opportunities to come in and impress and potentially help their case to be part of the team that goes to the World Cup,” Ream said. “There’s a little bit more bite in trainings,” he added. “There’s intensity, there’s more aggressiveness. Guys are doing everything they possibly can to be a part of the team, and I think as we’ve gotten closer and closer, you see that more and more, and that’s a good thing. Guys are desperate to be a part of the group and be a part of the team and be a part of a World Cup at home.”