The buzz of drones and the smell of fresh-cut grass greeted the U.S. men's national team as it gathered outside Atlanta for its first camp since the 2026 World Cup. At the $250 million Arthur M. Blank National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, a mix of World Cup veterans and wide-eyed newcomers walked out for rondos under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, whistle-sharp instructions from assistant Jesus Perez cutting through the morning air.
The novelty of the Pochettino era has worn off. The 54-year-old Argentine has signed through 2030, and the honeymoon phase is over. Now comes the harder task: building on a World Cup campaign that started with promise and ended in disappointment, a 4-1 round-of-16 loss to Belgium in Seattle on July 6.
Pochettino isn't just coaching anymore. He's shaping a program with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and a Copa America that may be held in the U.S. that same year both on the horizon. Whether he stays that long depends on whether a European club comes calling, but for now, the focus is on refreshing a squad that showed plenty of promise and plenty of room to grow.
Eight Teenagers Get the Call
The squad named for September and October friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada includes eight teenagers, headlined by Philadelphia Union winger Cavan Sullivan, who turns 17 next week. Sullivan arrives in red-hot form, six goals and eight assists in his last eight MLS matches, and is already ticketed to join Manchester City once he turns 18. But senior international football is a different test, one he hasn't faced yet.
He's joined by Union teammate Neil Pierre (18), Peyton Miller (18, New England Revolution), Justin Hall (18) and Adri Mehmeti (17), both of Red Bull New York, Mathis Albert (17, Borussia Dortmund), Justin Ellis (18, Orlando City) and Zavier Gozo (19, Crystal Palace). U.S. Olympic coach Steve Cherundolo, a three-time World Cup veteran, is also on hand assisting Pochettino, a sign of how closely the senior and Olympic pathways are now linked.
Pierre, a towering, ball-playing center back having a breakout MLS season with four goals and an assist, admitted the environment took some adjusting to.
"I was a little nervous coming in here," Pierre told reporters. "These players I have kind of watched growing up a little bit in the World Cup. I think the expectation they kind of gave me was to enjoy, compete and obviously it's an honor to represent the crest."
His arrival is timely. The U.S. backline just lost German-American defender Noahkai Banks, 19, who will represent Germany internationally instead. Veteran defender Miles Robinson, who played all 90 minutes in the U.S.'s 3-2 group-stage loss to Turkey at the World Cup, was quick to praise the teenager.
"He's a great player," Robinson said. "Just to be here in the first place. But what I've seen so far he's obviously strong, a big force. He's calm on the ball, technical. Just to see him at 18 years old, in this camp, really proving himself day-by-day. It's something to definitely admire and appreciate."
Veterans Bridging the Gap
Robinson's 41 senior caps make him one of the most experienced players in this camp, behind only Tyler Adams (58), Antonee Robinson (58) and Yunus Musah (45). Pochettino recalled 12 players from the World Cup squad overall to steady a young group, though Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun were left out this time. World Cup captain Tim Ream is also absent from the squad list, though his career will be honored in his hometown of St. Louis when the U.S. plays there next Tuesday in the second match of this four-game window.
The friendlies themselves carry some regional weight. Canada and Mexico are longtime Concacaf rivals, while Peru and Chile, both described as struggling South American sides, will be looking to prove something of their own.
Gio Reyna, still just 23, laughed off being called a veteran by a reporter.
"It makes me feel a little bit old," Reyna said. "But I'm looking forward to getting to know [the young players] better on and off the field. Just try to help them and show them what we've built and what we're striving to build, showing them how we train, how we act on and off the pitch. Obviously all of them are very talented."
No Points, But No Free Pass Either
Friendlies rarely carry the tension of competitive fixtures, but for a program still processing a World Cup that flattered to deceive, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said the standard doesn't drop just because there's nothing on the line.
"For us it's about our individual performances," Berhalter said. "And making sure we're keeping the standard and showing everyone around us what it means to be part of this country and what it takes to play for the badge."
Robinson, when asked what returning to the national team meant to him, was similarly candid.
"There's so much good [in our country], but there's also so much bad," he said. "So we're trying to represent the good and push forward."
Pierre's ambitions for this camp are more modest, but no less telling of where his head is at.
"Just do well in the camp," he said. "Get to know everyone. I feel like that's the most important thing. Get to know the staff well, get to know the players, and then just compete and do the best I can."
Whatever happens over these four matches, Robinson framed it as part of something bigger than the results on the field.
"It's always an honor," he said. "I think for me personally, it's just about understanding what you're really representing when you're playing. And I think in this day and age, it can be tough sometimes, truly ... it's about what can I really represent when I'm wearing the badge? And I think that's what I also want to instill in a lot of the young players."
