USMNT hopefuls feel added urgency ahead of Paraguay friendly with summer’s World Cup ‘knocking on the door’

CHESTER, Pa. – For something that is technically seasonal, there is an omnipresence about the World Cup. It is almost never too early to frame things around the quadrennial tournament for a number of obvious reasons, chief among them the indisputable fact that most players work day in and day out with the World Cup in mind. Four years is a lot of time to accomplish those goals but often it can feel like no time at all, depending on how you look at it.

“It always feels close,” U.S. men’s national team defender Tim Ream said on Friday. “Even when it felt far away, it felt close.”

There is, though, something undeniable about the looming deadline of their opening game at next summer’s tournament, now just under seven months away.

“We have 10 training sessions to go,” Ream said about the next two international windows, “so when you talk about length of time, number of days, probably not, but when you talk about number of games, number of training sessions, number of camps, it’s knocking on our door.”

A new layer of seriousness has naturally seeped into the USMNT’s training sessions, the number now sliding into the single digits. Saturday’s friendly against Paraguay is the fourth-to-last before head coach Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup roster, intending to have his group together as soon as they commence their pre-tournament training camp in late May. There is a sense of finality this month, though — this will be the last time the USMNT convene before March, something Pochettino has emphasized since naming his roster last week. He is intent on getting as many looks at his vast player pool, having called in 71 players in his year-plus in the job, half of his 24 player roster for November’s games made up of players who did not take part in October’s camp.

How to watch the United States vs. Paraguay odds

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 15 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
• Location: Subaru Park — Chester, Pennsylvania
• TV: TNT | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
• Odds: USMNT +130; Draw +230; Paraguay +210

“It’s to give a big boost and motivation and it’s a big opportunity in November because the squad is the squad that we selected,” Pochettino said about the fresh faces, including forward Ricardo Pepi, who returns to the group after an injury-plagued year. “It’s great to [see him] after one year because last game from him in the national team was in November in St. Louis [a 4-2 win over Jamaica] and today, if we [did] not give him the chance today to come, we need to wait four months more, I think March, to see [him] again.”

The turnover from October’s friendlies, a 1-1 draw with Ecuador and a 2-1 win over Australia, is the direct result of several key players being unavailable – midfielder Tyler Adams picked up an injury over the weekend, for example, while Christian Pulisic is only in the early stages of his recovery from a hamstring injury. Cohesion may be an issue as a result on Saturday against Paraguay, though the head coach has chosen a glass half full approach as he continues to embrace a spirit of experimentation.

“I think it’s a good test for us even if for us, it’s maybe the first time that we play with this starting 11,” he said. “I think it’s good because I think we need to translate our capacity to adapt quick, the capacity to be quick in the culture, the philosophy and the idea that we want to play. Even if we don’t know too much, I think we did everything to try to create the chemistry in between the players, even if they didn’t play too much together.”

The specifics of the philosophy are still being worked out, though the foundation seems to be in place. “Intesnity” and “aggressiveness” are words that frequently come up when describing Pochettino’s ethos, a wide-ranging fundamental that carries tangible and intangible demands for players.

“I think there’s definitely a style [of play] andI think it comes down to the work ethic,” midfielder Diego Luna said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for us because the talent is there with whoever we bring in and whatever players we have. At the end of the day, it’s about the determination and the grime, both with the ball and without the ball,that this team has to have good performances.”

Some of Pochettino’s tactical preferences are finally clear to see, too, particularly in a recent switch to a back three. The formation is quickly becoming a constant but the head coach has always insisted this look is one of several the team could break out and as Ream described it, a back three can mean a variety of different things.

“It’s not a full on, stick with it three at the back but it’s important for all the guys to get the reps to understand that sometimes we start with a four, build with a three [or] start with a three and build with a three, sometimes we play five and build with a three,” Ream said. “It’ll be important for all the guys that are here who haven’t gotten as many reps to watch the film, make sure we’re really focused in the meetings because that’s where a lot of the work can really be done and a lot of the understanding can happen and then translate that and then take it out onto the field so we’ve worked a bit on that, a good bit on that in the last couple of training sessions and I think everybody has a pretty good understanding of it.”

Focus has so far been the theme of the week for the USMNT, no matter each player’s relative newness to Pochettino’s approach.

“There’s a little bit more bite in training, there’s intensity, there’s more aggressiveness,” Ream said. “Guys are doing everything they possibly can to be a part of the team and as we’ve gotten closer and closer, I think we’ve seen 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 part of a World Cup on home soil.”

Even if the USMNT seem to be in a constant push-and-pull between experimentation and cohesion, they are attempting to make up the difference in their moments off the pitch.

“There’s not that many trainings we get to have, not that many times you get to connect with guys leading into games,” Luna said. “It’s about more, I think, connecting off the field, building that chemistry and that bond to build to kind of have that trust on the field and stuff like that. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

The ever-changing USMNT roster, though, has one particular perk for Pochettino – it reinforces the idea that “no one is safe” and that they will need to put in the work to earn a spot at the World Cup.

“It’s challenging, but at the same time, it’s super cool,” Luna said about the comings and goings from camp to camp. “You got a bunch of guys coming in that are representing the badge and I think to get their opportunity and stuff shows that we have a bunch of talented players and keeps the competitive nature at the top.”

Gio Reyna’s ‘more focused on the field’

The long list of fresh faces includes midfielder Gio Reyna, who is back with the USMNT for the first time since March’s defeats in the Concacaf Nations League Finals. Pochettino has used club form as the foundation for his roster decisions, which almost automatically ruled Reyna out of the running since last winter. Since moving from Borussia Dortmund to Borussia Monchengladbach, though, Reyna is slowly building some match fitness — but it is not the only noticeable change to the player’s situation.

“He’s not really let the challenges overseas seep into camp, which is great to see,” Ream said. “I’ve had a few conversations with him, nothing crazy, but he’s speaking up a lot more in the trainings in terms of, ‘I’m seeing this, what are you seeing?’ He’s really getting involved in the understanding of the movements and what we’re kind of doing in the buildup and in the defensive shape so I feel like he’s more in tune and more focused on the field than I’ve seen in the past, which is a great thing and I think weather it was injury or other things that were going on, I think his focus is so much greater now and that’s a good thing. I think that’s something that, as young players — he’s not the only one – you see it a lot. I was guilty of it as well. You kind of lose focus a little bit as trainings go on. Like I said, his focus seems so much more intense and greater this time around after missing out for so many camps.”

Reyna is also joined in camp by midfielder Sebasitan Berhalter, the son of ex-USMNT head coach Gregg, the pair on opposite sides of a family feud that included their parents. Days after the U.S.’ elimination at the 2022 World Cup, Gregg spoke at a summit and disclosed that a player was nearly kicked off the roster for his conduct, reports later emerging that Reyna was the player in question. Reyna’s parents, former national team players Claudio and Danielle, had complained to U.S. Soccer about his playing time and Danielle eventually shared a decades-old domestic violence incident involving Gregg and his now-wife Rosalind, which led U.S. Soccer to launch an investigation that eventually cleared Gregg of wrongdoing. The issue seems to well and truly be in the past, though.

“I heard something but for me, it’s not important,” Pochettino said. The most important thing, he added, “is the national team. And if we believe that Sebastian and Gio are important for us — and, because I think these two guys are really intelligent and very clever — if something happens, for sure, they are mature enough to deal with that.”

It was not top of mind for anyone else in camp, either.

“I completely forgot about it until the third or fourth day and I was like, ‘oh wait a minute,’” Ream said. “But no, it’s not really been discussed amongst the team. Their relationship has looked pretty normal to me and to everybody else and I think what happened happened and we’ve all kind of moved on from it and they have as well and that’s a good thing. Like I said, everybody’s trying to make this team. Everybody’s trying to be a part of the home World Cup and those two guys are no different than myself, than Chris [Richards], than Tanner [Tessman], than everybody in the group. It’s good to see that their focus is here and now and hopefully both of those guys can impress over the next couple of months.”