The U.S. men’s national team still has plenty of key faces from its last World Cup involvement in 2022 but has also added many new faces this time around. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Ream, and Tyler Adams headline the old guard in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, players who were part of Qatar 2022 and have remained important figures for the program both on and off the field. In addition, several surging talents will also be making their World Cup debuts this summer including forwards Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, as well as defender Chris Richards. Many of the players in Pochettino’s final roster have played together since they were kids while their overall connections have stayed strong throughout busy club campaigns spanned across many countries and continents. Pulisic affirmed the sense of comfortability with his teammates, admitting that those relationships are important when fighting for a common goal. “I think it just gives you that extra level of comfort,” Pulisic told reporters Thursday. “I think also you want to fight for guys like that. I’ve played with some of these guys for so long, you don’t want to let them down. You want to give them everything. You want to have their back always. And I think that pushes you through tough times.“I mean it’s like a family,” he added. “Obviously so many of us have known each other for such a long time and played together for a long time. A lot of guys at the last World Cup, and we’ve just been growing together.”The USMNT have looked different in plenty of camps under Pochettino during his close to two years at the helm. Pochettino has not only trusted the European contingent in his squad, but the MLS group as well, consistently reiterating that every player would get an opportunity to be part of this final roster, regardless of their club status or performances. However, in the past few camps, many of the expected leaders were there, helping prepare the program in key friendlies against Portugal, Belgium, Senegal and Germany. As the USMNT now gets set to face off with Paraguay in Friday’s World Cup opener in Los Angeles, Adams wants the team’s connection to stay strong in what will be three exhilarating matches on the West Coast. “You get more fresh faces in, adds a little bit of a different energy and vibe, but the connection hasn’t wavered,” Adams said to reporters. “And I think that’s the most important thing. I’ll say to you guys what I say to the team before that first game: Enjoy the moment. Like, be yourselves. You don’t have to change anything or do anything special except play your game. And ultimately that’s what’s going to carry us through.”