‘Put all your eggs in one basket’ - Former USMNT star Charlie Davies backs Mauricio Pochettino gamble, believes Christian Pulisic will bounce back

GOAL: We are now three months out from a World Cup, where do you stand on the USMNT right now?

DAVIES: I still think that Pochettino finally has a handle on this group. Because it was clear as day from the Nations League, up until maybe a couple months ago, that there were more questions than answers...I certainly don't see what every national team has to have if you want to win anything, which is the intangibles...

A big neutralizer for us as U.S. Men's National Team players in the past was that we knew we had to work harder than other teams. We had to capitalize on the limited amount of chances we'll get in front of goal to beat the better teams. That was always the blueprint. 

To say that the team has potentially progressed in terms of talent and quality, but not bring the initial fight and understanding of how to win matches against, in a lot of cases, superior teams? That was puzzling for a lot of former players... 

I've always tried to be measured in the way that I've seen things. I knew this was going to take time. I just didn't think it would take that much time. After Portugal and Belgium, we could say the house is on fire. It can flip that quickly...

Players are progressing in a lot of ways, like Weston McKennie this year has been a sensation at Juventus. I think that gives me a lot of confidence, because he's a gamer. I have zero doubts about McKennie playing in a World Cup. I have zero doubts about Christian Pulisic playing in a World Cup. I have zero doubts about Timothy Weah playing in a World Cup. Sergio Dest for the up and down moments he's had with the national team and as well as PSV, I have zero doubts about him. So now we're starting to look at those core pieces. Chris Richards is another player who's grown magnificently over the past 18 months. A lot of those players, I'm feeling really good about the national team. 

We're on the right track.

GOAL: What are you hoping to see in March?

DAVIES: Attacking moments that are consistent throughout the game...

 I'm talking about the first half, early second half, the game is tight, and you're dictating the tempo. You're dictating play. That's something that I think fans would want to see, because that's something you can see and go, "Wow, they're actually playing well. They're connecting passes, they're generating chances," and you're not relying on a corner kick or a set piece. 

GOAL: But that's modern football, no?

DAVIES: True, but it can come back to haunt you. 

I go back to the 2009 Confederations Cup, because for me, we played Spain on that day. On paper, they blow us out of the water. But that's just paper. In reality, it's what's the tactical game plan? [Former USMNT] Bob Bradley had a masterful tactical game plan. We use our speed and our athleticism to beat them in the counter. We clog up the middle, and we force them out wide. It sounds much easier than it actually is. But we're able to do it, which then gave us confidence as a country, as a locker room, that we can beat anybody in the World Cup.

Now, fast forward to the last World Cup, I think for a lot of these guys, was great in terms of experience. And, you know, if Christian Pulisic finishes that early chance against the Netherlands, that game's different. They exposed us on the counter...You have to learn from that. But in all honesty, I just think fans want to see some good attacking moments, some dynamic moments, and then a group that's cohesive. 

 So I'm just hoping that we are left with a positive taste in our mouths.

GOAL: Christian Pulisic decided to sit out the Gold Cup last summer. People had all manner of opinions about that. Here we are in now February, and he's picked up a couple of knocks. He's missed time here and there. He had a great start to the season, but what do you make of him now? Because injury is injury, but it also looked like his form's dropped off a little bit when he has been fit. Would that be fair?

DAVIES: I don't think that's quite fair. As much as it is physically, I think for a player, I think that the mental aspect is just as important. As much as he needed physically, I think mentally, he was a little burnt out. And whether that's okay for players to be like, "Hey guys, I need a mental break too," which probably wouldn't go over as smoothly to a coach like Mauricio Pochettino, where he needs guys that are willing to sacrifice their body for the game, for this national team, for the country. Maybe the messaging didn't come out as cleanly as it needed to be. 

Christian, he's proving it, and has proved it in Serie A with his club. It's one of those things where I don't think anything would have changed it necessarily. I think it was more for the mind than the body, even though the body probably needed a break. He also needed a mental break. 

There are a lot of former players who have said "If that was me, there's no way I'm taking a break," or "our generation was built different, and the generation before us was built different." But I just think that's where these generations differ in terms of what players need and what players are exposed to, and the things that they have at their disposal. 

So I think it's a little bit unfair to say, because this summer took off, now it's coming back to haunt him more. It didn't really matter. For me, it's "how does the season end?" This might be a little lull for Christian, but if he comes back and is in his best form when the season ends, that's all that matters. 

He's the best attacking player we have. He's the best creative player we have. He's committed to the national team, and everyone knows it - especially in that locker room. I'm seeing it. I'm aware of that too. So for me, it's just have them be 100 percent healthy and particularly in form at the end of the year. 

GOAL: Speaking of players that are in form... Weston McKennie, did anyone know that he had this kind of run in him? Because we've seen a talented footballer who's kind of put it together for short spells, but being played all over the pitch. Here he is, playing properly as an attacking mid, or maybe just off the right, playing his best football...

DAVIES: He's matured both on and off the field. It's not a surprise to me in terms of his quality, because he was playing with Cristiano Ronaldo and scoring important goals in the Champions League. But more importantly, him being counted out at a trophy hunting club and finding a way to get minutes on the pitch and become an integral part of the team. That, to me, year after year, is so impressive. 

And it takes so much mental fortitude to be able to put himself in that position and succeed and survive. If you have that, how can you count a player out at that type of level? He's had Max Allegri. He's had Igor Tudor. He's had Luciano Spalletti. 

He's had difficult managers, but they all come to see the importance and the quality of Weston McKennie. So I love where Weston is right now, and I'm not surprised in terms of his importance to the team.

GOAL: Where does the striker battle for the U.S. sit at this moment in time?

DAVIES: I don't think there is much of a battle to be honest for Balogun or Pepi. Pepi's...He's not an issue for me. He actually hasn't really performed under Pochettino, whether it's timing, injuries, whatever. But for me, he's locked in as the No. 2 striker at the moment.

And Balogun, he's locked as the No. 1. He's the most talented striker of the bunch. He makes great runs in the box, holds up play, has definitely gotten better, and he's finding opportunities. I think those two are locked. The question in terms of the battle for third. Now, Haji Wright is scoring goals. And then you look at Patrick Agyemang,  seeing his appearances and how he's done. Pochettino has maybe a bit of a soft spot for Patrick Agyemang, helping him grow, and then that's kind of led to a move to the Championship for Derby County. So when I'm seeing those two start to kind of perform at their best, that might be where the competition is.

GOAL: What do you make of Pochettino's future? You've seen Tuchel sign a new contract with England, Ancelotti extend with Brazil. This generation has committed. What do you think Poch does?

DAVIES: Well, Pochettino is still living in London. I don't think that's a coincidence. He brings up how much he loves the Premier League. He wants to be back in the Premier League and compete. He has club manager on his mind. I see him completing the World Cup with the U.S. and then taking on a new project. So I don't see a long term future with him. Now, things could change, but I see him as a short-term stint with the U.S. Men's National Team.

GOAL: Is that a good thing? Is there a sense that you may lose a cycle, or is it a question of "it's a home World Cup, we've just got to get a result here?"

DAVIES: You've got a year and a half. The coach you had in mind did not fit the bill. Now you have to get the best coach you can, regardless of experience, within the U.S. So you're saying, 'OK big picture, we need to get somebody who can, who has done it on the big stage, that can command respect. I firmly thought that was the right choice in getting a European manager, because a lot of these guys are playing in Europe. Not that they should disrespect or not take seriously an American manager at the moment, who hasn't coached at the highest level. 

But I think that was going to be something in the short term to get this group playing at their best, and maybe come up with some new ideas. Whether he's going to extend past this World Cup or not, you need to get the best man for the job with the best pedigree, and that was Pochettino. You put all your eggs in the basket.

GOAL: And to round things off, give me a World Cup prediction. How far do the USMNT go?

DAVIES: They make it to the quarterfinals.

GOAL: And how would that be perceived, do you think?

DAVIES: Let's say losing penalties to Belgium as a scenario. In March, let's say it's a tight game and you say "hey that was a respectable performance. That was Belgium's best team," and you felt pretty good. Now we get them in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. What I would hope for is that you get to a semifinal. That's the ultimate dream. And anything can happen. But if you get to a quarterfinals and you put in a fantastic performance, and you lose in pens or something like that, then I think everyone could hold their heads up and say, "You know what that was, that was respectable," and the country got behind the team, and that felt pretty good. But it could also be, you know, the opposite.