With Mauricio Pochettino now in charge of the United States Men’s National Team, one can expect the player pool to change slightly. Pochettino will be coming in fresh without any allegiance to regulars on the team. He’ll be able to analyze the pool in a way that best aligns with his managerial philosophies. Pochettino likes to play attractive football geared towards pressing and energy. A general prerequisite of effort and technical ability should be baseline must-haves for any selection. As such, here are six players we could see making an impact for the U.S. sooner than later.
Luca Koleosho
Koleosho is a player with plenty of intrigue. Currently plying his trade for Burnley, the tricky winger has the option of representing four nations internationally: Nigeria, Canada, Italy, and the United States. Of the quartet, Koleosho has played for every country sans Nigeria in some capacity. Most recently, the 20-year-old played for Italy’s u21 side. It remains to be seen as to whether he’ll be good enough to represent Italy’s senior side. The Azzurri have a loaded youth system — and it appears as if the federation is pushing for a younger team collectively speaking. As such, this could end up a North American battle between the United States and Canada. Koleosho would add some much-needed pace and width to the team as a player who can attack from the touchlines and even cut in centrally to head toward goal.
Aidan Morris/Lennard Maloney
We cheated here a bit by including two players in the same position. Though we must be clear, stylistically Maloney and Morris are not congruent to one another. Morris made the jump across the pond to Middlesbrough. Thus far, the transition has gone exceptionally well. The fan base has been united in saying that Morris has arguably been the team’s best player this campaign. Generously listed at 5’10”, the 22-year-old is built low to the ground — offering some real bite when going in on tackles. He’s also been highly accurate with his passing between the lines. From a player comparison standpoint, Morris is somewhat similar to Uruguayan international Lucas Torreira.
Maloney plays for Bundesliga side Heidenheim. At 6’2″, he offers a different profile of player compared to Morris. Maloney will maul you with bone-crunching tackles and physicality. Also capable of playing as a center-back, Maloney is quite good in the air. Each would offer Pochettino something different in comparison. With Tyler Adams struggling to stay healthy, Tanner Tessmann aiming to get his footing with Lyon, and Yunus Musah experiencing some inconsistency, there could be a world in which both Maloney and Morris see some time under Pochettino’s direction.
Griffin Yow
Yow was arguably the most impressive American soccer player at the Olympics this past summer. The 21-year-old is a fast and direct winger not too similar to the way Christian Pulisic plays (though Pulisic is still levels clear of Yow). Yow has proven to be one of the more potent players for Belgian side Westerlo. There had been rumors bigger clubs within the Belgian Pro League were looking at him. If you need some pace and energy towards the latter part of a match versus tired legs, Yow could be a nice fit in this role.
Diego Luna
Luna was the most egregious snub from the Olympic roster. The Real Salt Lake attacker can function in several roles. You play him as an introverted winger, centrally as a No. 10, in a false 9 role, or even as a true winger if need be. Luna plays the game relatively dissimilar to most attackers coming up in the U.S. system. He’s not only aggressive, but he’s creative — and not bashful when it comes to ‘trying things’ on the pitch. Luna plays with plenty of emotion, and to be frank, is the type of player this pool has been lacking. Hopefully from a U.S. perspective, it’s not too late, as Luna does have the option of playing for Mexico.
Anrie Chase
This is the most intriguing member on the list. The centerback position as a whole is not very deep at this point. Tim Ream is on the verge of aging out completely. Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie are probably your best pairing at this point. Behind them, Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers — both Celtic players — don’t inspire a ton of optimism. Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman aren’t good enough for this level moving forward. Josh Wynder (Benfica), Kobi Henry (Reims), and Grayson Dettoni (Bayern Munich) are still a ways away.
As such, Anrie Chase could move up the ranks rather quickly. The 20-year-old plays for Bundesliga side Stuttgart. He’s recently made three opponents for the club and even featured on the team’s CL roster. Chase was born in Japan. However, his father is an American, and he lived in Texas for nearly a decade as a young child before moving back to Japan. There’s no word on whether he’d flip allegiances to the United States. He’s very much entrenched in the Japan set-up, and there would be a real fight to get him onto the USMNT. At the very least, Pochettino should try. Chase’s upside is that of a future starter for the United States one day. He’s truly that gifted as a footballer.
