‘Different approach, a different message, different ideas’ - Folarin Balogun, Diego Luna and the biggest winners and losers of Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT return

Several USMNT stars really raised their profiles this summer. Folarin Balogun became a household name, mostly for soccer reasons. Malik Tillman dazzled with his set pieces. Alex Freeman completed his meteoric rise with a goal while showcasing himself as an elite prospect in a complicated role.

Those three are 25, 24 and 21 years old, respectively. They will make up the foundation of the 2030 World Cup, and they all took their game to the next level under Pochettino, who surely sees them as players to build around.

No spots are guaranteed, of course, as Pochettino has said repeatedly. However, there is a backbone there, and that backbone has potential to get better, which will only help the players on the club and international level.

While those rising stars will be entering their prime, the main members of "The Golden Generation" will be on the back end of theirs. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie will be 31 at the next World Cup. Tim Weah will be 30. Sergino Dest will be 29.

All of the above have been backbones of this team through two World Cup cycles, and they'll continue to be that going forward. However, at the very least, it is time to start making contingency plans. Their spots are no longer secure and there's no more build-up to 2026 to fall back on. Everything is now forward-thinking and, simply due to age profiles, there is a world where Pochettino could be thinking beyond some key players.

That's not a given, of course. The USMNT's most famous faces could continue to thrive in Europe and even take things further over these next few years. There is now more pressure on them to do so, though. For international coaches, there is a need to be ruthless when it comes to turning over generations. Pochettino is a coach with both the mentality and the reputation to do so. Moving on from stars is very, very hard, both on the field and off of it, but Pochettino has the profile to actually do it if he deems it necessary.

The 2026 World Cup was the culmination of an eight-year cycle and a new one is beginning now. The fight is on now to be a part of it, and that fight includes everyone.

During his first discussions with the media after his rehiring, Pochettino spoke extensively about the next generation. There are so many players he's excited to work with over the next few years. He wanted to introduce a few of them this past cycle, but simply ran out of time, as is natural when a World Cup is so close.

So don't be surprised to see names like Julian Hall, Zavier Gozo and Adri Mehmeti in the mix soon. Don't be surprised to see Cavan Sullivan and Mathis Albert popping in at some point this cycle. Keep your eye out for the next Alex Freeman to rise from nowhere, too. There is no shortage of pathways to the USMNT, and Pochettino now has the time and freedom to explore all the different ways to add talent.

Meanwhile, those players will look at Pochettino's track record with excitement. Look at Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Cole Palmer. Look at Freeman, Balogun and Tillman. Few coaches have this sort of resume with young talent, so for American soccer's most promising stars, Pochettino's return could be career-altering.

While no player's spot is safe, the page hasn't been turned on anyone, either. Yet, for some players, there are some very awkward moments ahead if they want to rejoin the USMNT.

Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris were all World Cup contenders. None of them made the squad. Yet, they all have the talent and profile to really help this team going forward. It will be odd, though, walking back into the team and working with the same coach that did not pick them this summer. Ultimately, it will come down to how everyone handles that awkwardness, because there will be no avoiding it.

Same for someone like Yunus Musah, who has been out of the picture for the better part of a year. John Tolkin, Jack McGlynn, Patrick Schulte - the list goes on. During his initial tenure, Pochettino worked with dozens of players, but only 26 went to the World Cup. One of the hardest parts of a coach taking on a second cycle is managing those non-26, and one of the hardest parts for players is getting back to work with a coach that, at the end of the day, didn't take them to their dream tournament.

While the way the World Cup run ended certainly put a dent in the positive vibe, there is no denying that there was momentum built in the weeks leading up to that. U.S. Soccer's next big task was to find a way to build on that momentum while also addressing the deficiencies currently plaguing American soccer as a whole.

Is Pochettino the right guy to do that? Only time will tell. He has obvious benefits, though. He knows the system and the landscape, and he is, objectively, a top-level coach. He's someone that continues to excite donors and fans and a coach that players generally want to play for. There aren't many people out there that check all those boxes. There are few that are willing and able to do this particular job.

So U.S. Soccer gets their figurehead, someone who can both represent American soccer and change it. Now, it's up to Pochettino, his staff, and the federation to make it all work, but there's no denying that the ingredients are there to make something better than what we've seen.

If a U.S. international was over the age of, say, 25 and wasn't really in the World Cup picture, it's hard to imagine that will change.

It probably wouldn't have anyway. Whoever was hired for this job was going to quite obviously bring in new faces, many of whom will be young. However, there was always room for a difference of opinion. Maybe a different coach would love the things a certain veteran does. Maybe his system would call for a different profile. Maybe there would be room to rise to the occasion and become one of the new coach's guys that he can trust.

Instead, Pochettino returns, and he'll return with opinions about most people in that age range. He's worked with guys like Josh Sargent, James Sands, Gianluca Busio and Kristoffer Lund, and while each of those guys could get better, they'll have that extra step to take now because they'll have to change an opinion. It's a fresh start, Pochettino said, but it's impossible to be totally fresh, particularly for guys who didn't seem particularly close to being in his World Cup team.