Christian Pulisic's goal was the difference Sunday in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Inter Milan at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. (Image Photo Agency via Getty Images)Days after completing the most successful U.S. camp of his 13-month tenure as head coach — two impressive victories against World Cup-bound South American opponents to run the unbeaten streak to five — Mauricio Pochettino scanned the European leagues and Major League Soccer playoffs this weekend.
Until the U.S. men’s national team regathers for the next international window in March, the Argentine-bred boss will spend four months monitoring players with their clubs performing, recovering and, in some grim situations, sitting on the bench.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFrom a distance, he will hope players hit top form and avoid injuries before the expected nine-day assembly in greater Atlanta and soon-to-be-announced heavyweight friendlies against Portugal and Belgium.
Aside from the 24 players from the recent camp in suburban Philadelphia and Tampa, Pochettino’s player pool features about 20 others. In late May, he will name 26 to his World Cup squad.
So what did he see this weekend?
Italy
Held out of this month’s U.S. camp after recovering from a hamstring injury, Christian Pulisic scored Sunday in the 54th minute as AC Milan defeated archrival Inter Milan, 1-0. Pulisic cleaned up a rebound from close range for his first goal since Sept. 28, fifth in Serie A and seventh overall this season.
Pulisic played 78 minutes, his longest stint in any competition since the U.S. friendly against South Korea in early September. Milan (7-1-4) is second in Serie A, two points behind Roma.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMeantime, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who was also left off the U.S. roster this month to concentrate on impressing his new club coach, played 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina. Midfielder Yunus Musah didn’t play in Atalanta’s 3-1 loss at Napoli, leaving him with 31 minutes of action over all competitions since Oct. 1.
England
We shall start with two U.S. regulars who weren’t in this month’s camp. (Yeah, yeah, we know from his postgame tantrum Tuesday that Pochettino hates the word “regulars,” but come on, Tyler Adams and Chris Richards, when healthy, are common call-ups and usual starters. Hence, they are regulars.)
Adams withdrew from the recent camp because of a head injury suffered in Bournemouth’s last match before the international break. Otherwise, he would have started at least one U.S. match. With two weeks to recover, he returned to the Cherries’ lineup for an 80-minute run during a 2-2 comeback draw.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRichards logged 83 minutes in Crystal Palace’s 2-0 victory at Wolverhampton before limping off. Afterward, manager Oliver Glasner said Richards told him “he was cramping. Maybe we gave him too long off because he wasn’t called up for the United States and had the first week of the international break off. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
That’s rich. Last month, Glasner had complained Richards, nursing a minor calf ailment, was overused by Pochettino. This month, to avoid further physical issues, Pochettino did Glasner a favor by letting Richards skip camp. So now Glasner would’ve preferred a Richards call-up?
Hampered by lingering knee issues, left back Antonee Robinson remains sidelined for Fulham, an absence approaching two months. He hasn’t started a Premier League match since May and hasn’t played for the national team in a year. There remains time to get back up to speed in time for the U.S. camp in March, but at the moment, his World Cup prospects are dimming.
Forward Haji Wright, who started the Uruguay match, was not in uniform for Coventry City’s 3-2 victory over West Brom because of an apparent quadriceps injury that’s expected to sideline him a few matches. Coventry is the runaway leader in the English Championship and on pace for promotion to the Premier League.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMidfielder Aidan Morris started for Middlesbrough, which is second to Coventry City; forward Patrick Agyemang started for Derby County; and forward Josh Sargent went scoreless again for struggling Norwich City. Midfielder Brendan Aaronson started for Leeds in the Premier League.
Scotland
With 2022 U.S. World Cup alum Cameron Carter-Vickers sidelined for months with an Achilles’ injury, Auston Trusty is getting his chance to shine at center back for Celtic, the four-time reigning Scottish champion. Four days after going 90 minutes against Uruguay, Trusty made his fifth Celtic start in the past four weeks across all competitions as he helped secure a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at St. Mirren.
Bayer Leverkusen's Malik Tillman celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match against VfL Wolfsburg at Volkswagen Arena on Nov. 22, 2025 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Sebastian El-Saqqa - firo sportphoto via Getty Images)Germany
In his first start for Bayer Leverkusen since Oct. 4, midfielder Malik Tillman scored in the 33rd minute — his third Bundesliga goal of the season — and dished an assist in a 3-1 victory at Wolfsburg. A hamstring injury ruled him out of U.S. camp this month.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDespite his national team resurgence against Paraguay, attacker Gio Reyna remains a substitute for Mönchengladbach, coming on in the 72nd minute of a 3-0 victory at Heidenheim. His club and country teammate, right back Joe Scally, who started against Paraguay, played 90 minutes.
Midfielder James Sands (St. Pauli) and left wing John Tolkin (second-tier Holstein Kiel) were in their usual starting assignments.
Here’s a player to keep an eye on: Augsburg defender Noahkai Banks. Called into, but inactive for, the September friendlies, the 18-year-old center back has started six Bundesliga matches since Oct. 1. Pochettino’s depth chart in central defense features Richards, Trusty, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie, but Banks’ regular starts in a major league should keep him under consideration for the March camp.
France
Winger Tim Weah, who missed this month’s camp with a leg injury, scored in the 58th minute of Olympique Marseille’s 5-1 victory at Nice. It was his first Ligue 1 goal since moving from Juventus over the summer and his second overall after scoring against Real Madrid in the Champions League in September.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTanner Tessmann, who started against Paraguay and scored as a sub against Uruguay, retained his starting job at Olympique Lyonnais and logged 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw at Auxerre. McKenzie, a starter vs. Uruguay, played 83 in Toulouse’s 1-0 loss to Angers.
Netherlands
Questions about Sergiño Dest’s endurance after recovering from ACL surgery should probably be cast aside. After starting both U.S. friendlies, the right back/winger stepped right back into PSV Eindhoven’s lineup for a 1-0 victory at NAC Breda.
Forward Ricardo Pepi, the only U.S. outfield player not to start in this month’s camp, resumed his substitute’s role for the first-place side by entering in the 70th minute.
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Robinson and goalkeeper Roman Celentano were no match for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in FC Cincinnati’s 4-0 home loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Sebastian Berhalter’s stock is soaring. Four days after a sensational performance against Uruguay, the Vancouver midfielder was the emotional leader over 120 minutes in the nine-man Whitecaps’ shootout victory over Los Angeles FC in a Western Conference semifinal.
Center back Tristan Blackmon, who’s on the U.S. periphery, was sent off in stoppage time after a second yellow card. Midfielder Timmy Tillman played 88 minutes for LAFC.
Matt Freese made two superb saves in the second half against his former club as visiting New York City FC upset Supporters’ Shield winner Philadelphia 1-0 to set up the Eastern Conference final at Inter Miami.
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Atletico Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso continues to earn a place on the matchday roster after recovering from injuries but has not played in La Liga since Aug. 30. … Club America’s Alex Zendejas, a tricky winger who withdrew from the October camp with a knee injury, is preparing for the first leg of the Liga MX quarterfinals at Monterrey on Wednesday.
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