A warning to Cavan Sullivan? Folarin Balogun support and Olympic ambitions: Five takeaways from USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino's press conference

The U.S. Men's National Team is entering a new era. Mauricio Pochettino said as much when he was rehired as the team's coach, and he reiterated it this week. Things are changing, he says, and they're changing now. By "now", we're talking about the upcoming international break, which features four games over the course of a week and a half. Peru, Chile, Mexico, Canada - all dangerous opponents meant to both build on the World Cup and usher in new faces that could help the U.S. improve for the next one. "Four games is different because there's not too much time," Pochettino told reporters on Monday. "We need to be careful with the players that we are going to call. We need the players that we call to be available to train, but also to play. We consider it, at the moment, to call 26 players with four keepers...I think the players that we are going to have, we want to see and we want to give them the possibility to play and the possibility to compete. That is the idea for the next camp." Before the squad for that camp is selected, Pochettino met with reporters to discuss transfer news, dual national recruitment, the next generation and more. The striker's trasnfer saga was one of the stories of the summer. Unsurprisingly, Pochettino was asked about the big transfer story of the summer: Folarin Balogun's non-move to Everton. The deal collapsed semi-suddenly at the final hour, leaving several of Europe's top clubs reeling as a result. By and large, Pochettino tries to stay out of transfer talks, preferring instead to let players make the choices that fit their own careers. He plans on speaking with Balogun soon, though, to both learn what happened and figure out what's next for his star forward. "It's difficult because you cannot influence the decision, and you only need to support what they are doing with the people making their decisions," he said. "Of course, in some special cases, like you say, Flo, I will call in the next few days because I wanted to give a little bit of space after that. All that happened with his situation with Everton, in Liverpool, I want to know from him what happened, but always offering our support and be with them, and that's it. "I think he's an important player for us, was an important player at the World Cup, and we hope that he can find, being in Monaco or in another place, his best place to perform in the best way." While Banks may not be coming into camp, Pochettino left the door open for other dual nationals. There's another USMNT saga that remains ongoing: Noahkai Banks' national team future . Despite all that's happened since his initial USMNT arrival in the fall, Banks remains in limbo, and that doesn't seem to be changing. Asked about Banks' status, Pochettino said that the defender remained undecided and, as long as that is the case, he is not being considered for a USMNT call-up. "We are in contact with all the potential dual nationals," Pochettino said. "I think it's important for us to see, of course, because it's a connection and the human connection that is so important, even if they, like in the case of Noki [Noahkai], didn't change his mind and is waiting. Still no decision, and of course we cannot consider him for the next camp. That is the case." That statement continues Pochettino's established stance on dual nationals. He isn't going to beg or plead. Instead, he is going to ask a player to be all in and fully committed to the USMNT. However, Pochettino said he is keeping a close watch on all dual nationals and is willing to welcome any of them with open arms if they are ready to commit, Banks included. "We, and the organization, are working with all the dual nationals and players with the possibility of making a decision," he said. "Yes, that human connection is important because if one day they feel that they can defend, that they want to fight and to be part of our national team, and, of course, if they deserve and we consider that they deserve to be involved, of course, we are going to call." So, while Banks may not be involved, keep an eye out for other players with multiple international options to show up with the USMNT at some point, either soon or down the line. Pochetitno seemed to send a message to Sullivan and the other young stars knocking on the door: stay humble. Pochettino didn't mention any names, but it could be inferred that he may have been sending a message to one youngster in particular. Speaking to USMNT icon Alexi Lalas last week on the State of the Union podcast, Philadelphia Union rising star Cavan Sullivan said that he believed he could have helped in the USMNT's loss to Belgium. Zavier Gozo, meanwhile, told GOAL's The Late Run that he believed he should have made the World Cup roster, although he totally understood his coach's decision. Some would see that as the right sort of confidence, and Pochettino may as well. However, the line between confidence and arrogance can be very, very thin, and Pochettino made a point multiple times to tell the media that he is watching that line closely. 'I think respect is the most important thing, and they need to be respectful,' Pochettino said. 'And of course, we want players with talent. We want players who feel brave, feel confident, but not feel things they don't show. I think you are only entitled to talk a little bit out of order if you are Messi. 'If you win eight Ballon d'Ors, okay, you can talk with a certain arrogance, but even then… if you are young and you start to talk that you can play here, you can play there, or you can play. I say, I don't believe that this is the right way to build your career in the best way, no. And that is why we need to be careful.' A warning, then, for Sullivan and anyone else to continue letting their feet do the talking. To Sullivan's credit, he's done exactly that for the last few months, but it's clear that the 16-year-old starlet still has a lot to prove to his national team coach. Pochettino is setting his sights on some bigger-picture changes after being so narrowly focused on the World Cup. One of the big talking points throughout the 2026 World Cup cycle was culture . Pochettino wanted to change it and, by the end, he believes he did. To start 2030, he leaned on another word: habits . He wants to change those now, too. "I think we need to change habits that maybe we could not change," he said. "We changed a lot of habits in the last period until the World Cup, but now we need to really change that habit. We need to create a group of players that is really being professional and competing in the way that we expect. They need to compete with the talented players and young players that we have ahead." Those habits, he says, are throughout the federation. From the youth teams to the offices just outside Atlanta, Pochettino says U.S. Soccer as a whole needs to be rowing in the same direction as all involved look to build on the 2026 World Cup. "We need to be aligned all together in our principles and all the concepts that we need to improve if we want to be competitive in every single moment up to the first team," he said. "I think we are all focused on trying to add our knowledge. There are a lot of people involved who want to improve and care about soccer in our country, and I think we are so happy to be part of that. I think many things, for sure, you will see in the future that are going to improve or change or do in a different way that I think is going to reflect that." As part of that, Pochettino was asked about the vacancy left by Matt Crocker's departure. U.S. Soccer is not planning on replacing Crocker like-for-like, but rather by putting a Director of Men's and Boys soccer and a Director of Women's and Girls soccer. Pochettino and his USWNT counterpart, Emma Hayes, would have control of their respective teams and report directly to U.S. Soccer leadership. Because of that, Pochettino is largely staying out of the hiring process. "I told the federation that I'm always open to being part of the process, but I think they need to feel good," Pochettino said. "No, it cannot be my guy. I cannot bring a sporting director. No, they need to bring a person who knows America, knows U.S. soccer, with the knowledge that wants to help." Steve Cherundolo will be closely involved with the processes leading up to the Olympics in 2028. It's safe to say that the U.S. has underperformed at the U-23 level for much of this century. The team has qualified for the Olympics just three times in the last seven tournaments. None of those three runs resulted in a medal. Looking at more recent results, the team's 2024 Olympic return ended a 16-year absence. To put it lightly, it's been dire. Pochettino and U.S. Soccer are desperate to change that. It's why former USMNT star Steve Cherundolo has been hired to lead that U-23 team into the 2028 Olympics on home soil. An MLS Cup winner in charge of LAFC, Cherundolo has a legitimate track record, both as a coach and a player, that most U-23 coaches don't offer. Pochettino says that one of his early goals is to help prepare that team. He'd like much of that Olympic team to head into that tournament with senior caps, giving them confidence and experience to play at a level that comes with legitimate pressure. Because of that, conversations are ongoing about how to best use players capable of playing for both the senior and U-23 teams. "We are going to be able always, with Steve working with us and always involved in trying to make the best decision for them," he said, "because I think we have a a core of young players that need to play the Olympic game. I think it's an objective for our federation and for the country: to try to be a contender for the gold medal. I think it's important. It's going to be in our country, and we are going to support that. And "We are going to make the best decision altogether always, and to try to put the players in the best condition and to help them to arrive, not only being important for the first team but important in that type of competition that is important for the country."