Full article : U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said he will integrate new, young faces into the program in the upcoming international window, but also sent out a warning to young players to approach their careers with humility. “We are watching everything, we are seeing everything,” Pochettino said. Speaking with a small group of reporters Monday, Pochettino was asked about how he feels seeing so many young players thriving in MLS this season and a lot of them saying they want to be a part of the national team. While the U.S. coach did not mention Cavan Sullivan’s name, Pochettino’s response felt pointed toward a recent interview the Philadelphia Union’s 16-year-old winger gave on Alexi Lalas’ “State of the Union” podcast in which he said could have made an impact at the 2026 World Cup. “We are very happy to have all these potential good players,” Pochettino said. “Being young, and with a possibility to perform and to play. Only we need to be careful, no? We need to be careful because when you are young, of course you need to be confident. You need to have the trust in yourself and believe that you can perform and you can do well. But I think there is a limit. “The balance is the most important. And one of our responsibilities is to protect these guys because sometimes, if you play well and you are 17, 16, or 18, and you play well and people start to talk (like) you are (Leo) Messi, or you are a big star in the world because you do a few good things, if after you are confused and you don’t manage (it) well, that can be dangerous for your career and that is what we don’t want. We don’t want that (for) the young guys with potential of being top players. “(We want) to provide the platform for them to evolve and to be professional, to build their career in the best way, improving every day, being humble, being careful when they talk in the media, when they talk with their teammates, when they talk with the opponent. I think respect is the most important thing, and they need to be respectful. “And of course, we want players with talent, players that feel brave, feel confident, but not (that) feel things that they still don’t show or they (haven’t) earned. I think you only are entitled to talk a little bit out of order if you are Messi. If you’ve won eight Ballon d’Ors, OK, you can talk with a certain arrogance. But even Messi, never are you going to hear him talking in this way. But if you are young and you start to talk that you can play here, you can play there, or you can play, I don’t believe that these are in a right way to build your career in the best way. “And that is why we need to be careful.” Sullivan, 16, has been fantastic in MLS this season. With a goal in a 2-0 win over Montreal on Saturday, the winger became the first teenager in MLS history to register a goal contribution in five consecutive games. He also passed Freddy Adu for most goal contributions by a player 16 or younger. But he has also been put front and center across multiple marketing campaigns and has been referenced by MLS commissioner Don Garber, among others, as one of the best teenagers in the world when he signed a deal that will see him join Manchester City when he turns 18. In the podcast interview with Lalas, Sullivan was asked if while watching the World Cup he dreamed of performing in 2030. “That’s for sure my first thought,” Sullivan said. “I’m watching a U.S. game and I’m being honest with myself, but thinking of that Belgium game, I think I can come into that game on the right side and make a difference, right? You have to believe in yourself, you have to think you can help your team win. Obviously it’s not my team yet, but I’m obviously always dreaming and hoping for call-ups.” The hype around a top young player is nothing new in American soccer. Adu may be the best example of how a young player can be pushed beyond realistic expectation. Top prospects are tracked from their youth days and projected into pro careers. There are YouTube cut-ups of every touch they take on the field. Their abilities can be exaggerated and overhyped. New York Red Bulls midfielder Adri Mehmeti, for example, has been compared by some to Sergio Busquets, a player who redefined his position. Many of those top young players have been asked recently if they hope for call-ups in the future, including Philadelphia Union youngster Neil Pierre, Red Bull New York teens Julian Hall and Mehmeti and Orlando City’s Justin Ellis, among others. Pochettino’s call for humility was unmistakably a message being sent to those who will be integrated into the program in the coming months and years. He seemed to want to push back on the marketing machines working around the young players, but also the players themselves. Pochettino said he was at a recent Fulham-Crystal Palace game, two teams that feature Americans in Antonee Robinson (Fulham) and Chris Richards and Zavier Gozo (Palace), but that their scouting goes beyond what they see happening on the field. “We are creating a very good link with all the coaching staffs, and the coaches in the MLS,” he said. “And I think it’s important not only seeing them or watching the games, their performance, but also what they are (saying) in the media, how they behave with the opponent, how they behave with their teammates. I think it’s so important. If we want to be a very good team, we want to build something different and be competitive, I think we need to be careful in all these aspects — in all the interviews that the kids are doing. The players that we are considering, we are following the way that they talk with the coaches, in the way that they behave, how they arrive on the training session, if they arrive late or early, if they are professional, if they care about what we expect. “We have all the information. That is why it is good to send also the message to them through (the media) that are so important, not only to the fans, if not to the players, that we are watching everything. And it’s so important to have respect, to be professional. How you treat your teammates, how you treat your opponent. Even if you are young and you are good, you are confident. You need to use your confidence and your arrogance to score goals and to perform every day and improve every day and be much better.” The warning comes at a time when Pochettino said the national team will begin to integrate those young players into the group. Pochettino said it was critical that he and his staff consider not just the short-term results and competitions, but more importantly keep the goal set on the 2030 World Cup, which meant calling in and, “assessing different players.” He also wanted to make sure the program is working to get the best possible team for the upcoming Olympic Games and said he is collaborating closely with men’s U-23 Olympic coach Steve Cherundolo. The upcoming camp with four friendlies in September and October is thus “going to be a mix in between players that were involved in the World Cup and players maybe with the possibility to make their first call for the national team,” Pochettino said.   submitted by   /u/Shroft [link]   [comments]