U.S. men's national team manager Maurico Pochettino is approaching one year on the job, and opinions are split. The Argentine is a confusing character - he has strong support from some quarters, but others have called his performance into question. And some of the criticism is fair.
Soccer is a results-based business, and Pochettino hasn't been delivering them with any consistency, winning just nine of his first 16 games in charge. But there are reasons for praise. Every manager makes the right noises about "developing the youth" and "letting the kids play" when they take up a new position.
It's rare that they live up to it. Thus far, the former Chelsea and Spurs coach has handed 14 debuts in his 11 months in charge. The U.S. player pool is admittedly shallow, but Pochettino has done an admirable job of surveying it in full.
MLS has been a focus, with the coach insisting from day one that the league will be a focus. The actual results have been somewhat mixed. Only a few have truly impressed, while a whole lot of guys have showed why they are not quite ready for international football - at least for the time being.
GOAL US breaks it all down in the USMNT Debutant Tier Rankings.





