The Rondo: Debating the USMNT roster - Did Mauricio Pochettino get the squad right, is the Christian Pulisic chaos now in the past, and is too late for experimentation?

Tom Hindle: Nope. Experimentation was sort of fun in the early days, but we're a year into the tenure of Mauricio Pochettino, and it's time to stop messing around with debuts. All for giving lads a look, but now would seem to be the time to hunker down with your squad. Is Jonathan Klinsmann making the World Cup squad, for example? No. Get the lads you know in, build a little chemistry, and start thinking about, you know, football.

Ryan Tolmich: Depends on your definition of "right." While most on the outside see these as vital games to prepare for the bigger ones ahead, Pochettino sees them as one final chance to get a look at the fringes against two legitimate opponents. Could there have been a bit more balance there? Surely. The player pool probably shouldn't be at 60-65 players 10 months out from a World Cup. Given Pochettino's insight, though, you can see where his head is at, so we'll just have to see if he's right.

Alex Labidou: Honestly, no. It’s one thing if Pochettino had been on the job since the start of the cycle and wanted to do his due diligence on players he hadn’t seen before. But this is not the case. He hasn’t had a full contingent since he started the job, and, assessing the pool, this was as close as he was to having a full group. Taking fliers on players such as Klinsmann and Sean Zawadzki - no disrespect to either - at this stage, doesn’t make sense. Also, there appear to be some inconsistencies in decision-making. It was mentioned that Johnny Cardoso was held back because of adjusting to transfer, but Tim Weah, who moved to OM just two weeks ago, was called up. There is a lot to be confused about here.

TH: Word is that the likes of Antonee Robinson and Ricardo Pepi are all out due to just coming back for their clubs after injuries. That's fine. But this seems like a big miss for Cardoso, who we're all so high on, yet seemingly have never seen play a single second of productive football for the USMNT.

RT: Pick your midfielder. Looking at that list, it's Tyler Adams and a whole bunch of inexperience, so it's surprising to not see at least one more of the heavy-hitting European-based players involved. Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Tanner Tessmann, Cardoso - each has a point to prove and each could also realistically start game one of a World Cup. All are at there clubs, though, which is Pochettino's most interesting choice. 

AL: It either has to be McKennie or Haji Wright. The two former Schalke academy products were both left off in a surprising fashion, and it all circles back to not maximizing the opportunities on the schedule to get this all right. Unless Pochettino is seriously considering not including either, it doesn’t make sense to not leave them off. Outside of Sargent, Wright is arguably the hottest forward in the Championship right now. Poch, in case you forgot, form matters.

TH: Outside of Klinsmann? Probably Alex Zendejas. He's never really gotten any love under Pochettino, and now seems a bizarre time to give him a look, especially given that the USMNT do not need any more attacking mids or wingers. Unless Zendejas has suddenly decided he is a No. 9, it's hard to justify his appearance here. 

RT: Maybe not a true surprise, but it's good to see Zendejas back. He was excluded earlier this year despite his incredible run of form with Club America, but he's now back in the team amid something of a dry spell. That said, this is well-deserved and could be key for a USMNT lacking wingers. It's just odd timing given how good he was to start 2025.

AL: It would be easy to say Klinsmann, who hasn’t been in this mix for a while, but it appears Pochettino is sending a message to his other goalkeepers. He clearly isn’t completely satisfied with the more established options. So let’s go with Zawadzki. He’s a great cog in Wilfried Nancy’s system at Columbus, but is anyone suggesting he could be in the mix for the World Cup next summer? Especially how deep the central midfield is? That’s why this pick, along with several others, doesn’t necessarily make sense. Everything from this stage forward should be about the World Cup.

TH: About bloody time. 

RT: The questions will come once Pulisic inevitably sits down with media, but Pochettino has done his best to swat this all away. The best way to do that will be for Pulisic to perform well this camp so, until that happens, no amount of media soundbites will really quiet this controversy.

AL: If there’s one area in which Pochettino deserves credit, it's this move. The Argentine ignored some public pressure and quashed what has been unnecessary turmoil over the past three months with one decision. Now the spotlight shifts to Pulisic. He added fuel to the fire with his comments on his self-titled documentary just a few weeks ago. Is he going to double down now or shift the focus to the World Cup? The country is waiting.

TH: Well, neither game is going to be particularly easy. South Korea and Japan are both good sides, who probably have as much right to a successful World Cup showing as the U.S.. Given the last 12 months, wins would be a real surprise. Let's go for 1-1 with Korea, and a 2-1 loss to Japan.

RT: It's going to be tough, and while it likely won't be Switzerland-friendly tough, it will likely be Turkey-friendly tough. The midfield is a big concern, and the absence of Antonee Robinson is always felt. If the U.S. can get a win in either game, that would be a pretty good window. But doing so will be hard against two experienced, World Cup quality teams.

AL: South Korea and Japan are very good sides, who will be hungry to show why they are among Asia’s elite. Based on the players Pochettino has called up, the U.S. are underdogs in both contests. Let’s go with a loss against South Korea and a draw against Japan.