Gladbach's Gio Reyna, Celtic's Auston Trusty, and the five USMNT hopefuls with something to prove this November camp

Let's get the obvious one out of the way. By all of Pochettino's supposed metrics, Reyna should not be here. Pochettino himself admitted that Reyna does not fit his vibe of "only call in guys who are playing consistent minutes." Reyna, he claimed, is a special case. 

And so the rollercoaster ride of Reyna and USMNT will continue. Pochettino has seen, in glimpses, what the Gio Reyna can look like, full of creativity and verve. The manager, then, is probably hoping to use the next two weeks - and, by extension, next summer - to get that version out of him. Of course, this is a coaching job. But it is also a little bit on Reyna. Odds are, he will get his chances here, especially with Christian Pulisic still recovering from injury. 

"Success", in this case, is mightily subjective. But at a bare minimum, Reyna needs to show that some of that maverick quality that made him so good, so young, can be rediscovered on the national team stage. 

This one feels a little like a math equation. Pochettino, we know, is probably going to use three center backs going forward. Two of them seem to be nailed on starters. Chris Richards is entering the too-good-for-Crystal-Palace phase of his career. Tim Ream is old, but incredibly reliable and the closest thing soccer can offer to a "glue guy." That leaves one spot up for grabs.

And right now, there are a slew of options. Mark McKenzie has been solid for Toulouse. Miles Robinson has done his part for FC Cincinnati. Cameron Carter-Vickers, who partners Trusty at Celtic, is certainly in the mix - albeit injured for the next few months. Noahkai Banks might have the highest ceiling of all of them, but this cycle is probably four years too early for the Augsburg man - talent notwithstanding.

With that, we return to Trusty, who might be the kind of seasoned presence to make an impact. He's played in MLS, the Premier League, the EFL Championship, and, now, the Scottish Premier League (albeit for a struggling Celtic). Whether that makes him a starter or not remains to be seen, but a good camp could certainly have him in the mix. 

Tessmann is a puzzling one. He didn't quite hit the ground running at Lyon last season after an encouraging three years at Venezia yo-yoing between Serie A and Serie B. He struggled at times, and was in and out of the lineup. But this season, thus far, he has impressed. The midfielder has added goals to his game, and looks freed in a more attacking Lyon set up. 

But translating his form to the national team has been difficult. Tessmann was arguably the U.S.'s best player against Ecuador in the first of two friendlies in October, but has otherwise been rather inconsistent. And with Pochettino favoring some of his counterparts in MLS, Tessmann finds himself on the bubble - despite having the talent to push for a spot in Pochettino's best XI. The good news? There would seem to be an opportunity here for him to show what he can do. Tyler Adams is out, which leaves Tessmann and Roldan as the most likely midfield pivot. There's a world in which that duo works a charm and propels Tessmann into genuine conversations about sealing a spot for the World Cup. 

This isn't a question of "should Brenden Aaronson make the U.S. squad?" He has proven, consistently, that he deserves to be in the mix on effort alone. It is no secret, either, that managers love him for his work rate and willingness to run with and without the ball. Aaronson is a coach's darling, and even if that doesn't always manifest itself in goals and assists, he will be on the plane. 

Rather, this is more of a depth chart thing. Aaronson is unfortunate, in a sense, that he plays at the U.S.'s deepest position. Pulisic will start on the left, through the middle, or one of the dual 10s that Pochettino seems to like. Malik Tillman probably has the other spot nailed down, while Diego Luna, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie are all in the mix. This depends on tactical tweaks, of course, but the broader point is that there isn't an easy path to minutes for Aaronson. That's not something that can be sorted overnight. It might not even be sealed in a couple of games, either. But Aaronson has stood out for a struggling Leeds side, and shown that, just maybe, there might be a bit of attacking quality creeping into his game. Prove that to his manager, and there could be a pathway to minutes. 

And now for the least sexy one of them all. Sergino Dest is going to be the starting right back - or right wing back - for the USMNT at the World Cup. This is a fact. Alex Freeman has shown enough to suggest that he would be a convincing back up. So, where does that leave Scally, a regular starter for a Bundesliga team who has more appearances than Freeman under his belt? 

Scally is a puzzling case - mostly because he’s good, just not spectacular. He’s solid, reliable, and absolutely capable of doing a job - nothing more, nothing less. His lack of minutes under Pochettino is curious, with rumors suggesting an off-field incident might be part of the reason.

Scally himself called his back-to-back snubs “upsetting,” and he’s right to feel that way. On merit, he probably deserves to be here. But with Pochettino famously reluctant to explain roster decisions, it’s on Scally to make his case. The challenge? Coaches rarely take three right backs (unless you’re the England manager, then you take five). Scally needs to prove he can be the right backup - or versatile enough to fill in centrally.