USMNT coach says star Christian Pulisic ‘need to listen, to stick with our plan'

San Francisco Chronicle​

9 hours ago

The U.S. men's national team has made headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino piled on Saturday.
Star midfielder Christian Pulisic went on a podcast earlier this week to sound off on his reasoning for sitting out of the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup, the last major tournament before the national team takes on the World Cup in 2026. Pulisic cited his need for rest and recovery following a grueling schedule with AC Milan in Serie A. In his absence, the USMNT extended its losing streak to four matches after falling to Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies last week.
Pulisic said he asked Pochettino if he could compete in the aforementioned friendlies but not the Gold Cup, to which Pochettino said no. Pochettino elaborated on his decision in a news conference Saturday at San Jose's PayPal Park on the eve of the USMNT's match against Trinidad and Tobago. He did not mince words.
'Player no need to understand,' said Pochettino, 53, who was hired to be the new USMNT head coach in September. 'Player need to listen and to stick with our plan. He cannot dictate the plan because if not, OK, we swap the position (of coach and player), no?'
Pochettino, with decades of coaching experience that includes stints at prominent European clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, made clear that no single player would determine how he runs the USMNT. His rationale for wanting a fixed roster for the two friendlies leading into the Gold Cup had to do with continuity.
If Pulisic would have played in the two friendlies, Pochettino said it would be at the discretion of his staff to determine Pulisic's readiness for the Gold Cup and whether rest was indeed necessary for the USMNT captain.
'The most important thing is that we explain why we decide (to) not include in the two friendly games, and then if you have some problems, no, that is not my problem to understand,' Pochettino said. 'I think it's so clear that we say we want you to start training with the group, two friendly games ... it's up to us after to assess, to analyze if you need to rest or no need rest, because we have a group of professional performance, doctor and athlete and coaches.
'I respect and I understand him, I understand him, but I don't need that he understand our decision because my position is, I am 53 with a lot of experience in fútbol, in soccer, and I was player before coach.'
One of the questions posed to Pochettino during a presser that lasted more than 30 minutes — and included promising 21-year-old midfielder Diego Luna, who did not receive a question until about 23 minutes in — referenced Pulisic as the best player. In response, Pochettino made sure to emphasize his team-first mentality.
'You say the best player, yes, he's a good player, of course, but he need to perform because I want to judge him like Diego, like another,' Pochettino said. 'If (Pulisic) performed well and he's the best, it's normal he's going to have a place in the national team. … When I signed my contract in the (United States Soccer) Federation, I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin, you know?
'I love to communicate, but at the same time, I want to keep that all the players feel the same respect from the coaching staff and from myself. If someone doesn't like this, OK, but this is we, it's we. We can win. We need to work together. We need to be all together. We, we, we, we, we, we, we. … It's about we, not about I.'