'You have to have this F-you mentality' - Turner, Apple TV analyst Brian Dunseth on Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and USMNT's future under Mauricio Pochettino

GOAL: As a broadcaster, you get to see a lot more behind the scenes then most. You’ve been able to see Pochettino from Day 1. What are your impressions of him so far?

DUNSETH: It’s just not him, it's his staff. We were down in Austin and it was the first time we were getting the chance as a group to meet with Pochettino and it was funny. He was apologetic because he was so busy. He's like, "Hey, is it OK if we eat really fast and I'll give you as much time as you want?" And remember, Poch has never done something like this where it's more insight and thought from a broadcast perspective, because you always have to have your guard up for the characters that cover teams over in Europe. So, Poch comes over and he's like, "I have an idea." He's like, "I want you guys to meet my staff and we'll have this conversation together. You guys meet us."

So, we kind of went around and we introduced ourselves, but he pushed all the tables together. So all of a sudden it became like this boardroom type of feel and we went down the row and talked about ourselves. They did the same thing. So I jump in and he goes, "Hold on a second. Here's my starting XI" and he gives us the starting lineup and goes, "What's your question?" I was like, "Get the riff-raff out of the way. Let's dig into tactics. Let's get into philosophy, shape, all these things."

GOAL: What has he brought to the team?

DUNSETH: To see the looseness of the vibe… and there’s such a level of respect for who he is, who his coaching is, there’s an accountability of focus and attention. That has been a part of the things that's been really impressive - with Yunus [Musah] playing as a right midfielder, the tweak of Antonee Robinson instead of underlapping Christian overlapping, on that left hand. All of these little things, we’re starting to see the growth in this group and how they are being tactically utilized. Like for example Tim Weah being used on the left as opposed to the right… All of these little details might have gone unseen under Gregg [Berhalter] but certainly are being pointed out by this group.

GOAL: It’s transfer season, so you know what that means - what does Gio Reyna need to do about his future?

DUNSETH: It doesn’t matter what anyone says. I've heard Landon [Donovan's] perspective, which I don't disagree with to a certain extent. I've heard Alexi Lalas shout out with Riqui Puig going down, what an unbelievable spring addition that could be for the LA Galaxy for a short-term loan. Take away what the best place for him could be. I just want to see him healthy. Because when I watch Reyna play, he's extraordinarily talented. He's kind of got this mixture of a Zinedine Zidane and a Paul Pogba-type gait because of his size and his ability with the ball. He's superb, his balance and all of those things - we just want to see him healthy.

One thing I will point out is I did ask Christian about health after the move to Milan last year. I think it was like sometime in the fall. And he said, "I have a manager that believes in me. If I'm starting all these games, I'm going to have minimal injuries." Obviously, he just picked up a knock and he's going to be out for a couple of weeks, but literally his health has been extraordinary when you compare and contrast what it was at Chelsea.

So, it almost feels like Gio needs to find a situation like this where you're almost - I don't want to say an undisputed starter because that's unfair to the collective team - but that a manager believes in the role that you can provide for him. Having a consistency of starts maybe could be the determining factor that overcomes what the injury concerns have been.

GOAL: Speaking of Christian, are you surprised about what he’s done so far at Milan?

DUNSETH: Not surprised at all because I think it's the caliber of player he is. I think since the start of the 2022 World Cup, Christian's been extraordinary. The level of accountability that he put on his shoulders - I think in coinciding with Gregg Berhalter bringing Tim Ream back in, the connectivity that they had with Antonee Robinson, allowing Christian to fall in the pocket, Antonee to overlap, Weston and Yunus finding great positions with Tyler Adams. I think that position allowed Christian to shine with those group of players. He made them better. And since then, he has this monster mentality. Every time he steps on the field, there's very few moments where you could look and say Christian was average today. On a whole, you're looking at Christian between a seven and a nine performer out of 10 every single time. So sky's the limit.

GOAL: So now that Pulisic has entered this new level of standard, the rumor mill has also been churning, saying AC Milan isn’t big enough for him anymore - that he needs to return to Premier League, with a Manchester United or Liverpool. What’s your thoughts there?

DUNSETH: I think there would be a portion of the American general public that would want to see him rewrite his story in the Premier League if that makes sense. And I mean that from the most open and honest perspective because it's almost like I don't want to say he got screwed at Chelsea, but because it was so turbulent. But it feels like when he was at his highest level [at the club], something was always happening behind the scenes. And so you almost wish that at some point there's a chance for him to rewrite that Premier League story and have it very similar to what we're seeing at AC Milan right now.

That said, however long his story lasts at AC Milan, I think its important for American players like he, Yunus, Weah and McKennie, to continue to lift the conversation for American players. Make it easier for Americans to step through the door and be identified. Look at what Ademola Lookman has done since leaving Everton. These are all important moments because it breaks the threshold. It shatters the glass ceiling of what players are “known” for. So the more that he does that, the more that players can get over there.

GOAL: Final one on Pulisic, you’ve seen Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey up close, where does Christian rank among them?

DUNSETH: Having played with Landon and for a small amount of time, having seen the monster mentality up close of what Clint can do, those two for me are just the upper echelon of more recent generations right? The 2000s generation. But without a shadow of a doubt, what Christian is doing is taking on what they've done and taking it and hopefully to that next level. And I think ultimately 2026 World Cup will effectively be the everlasting legacy of what is the reputation of a lot of these players.

GOAL: Ricardo Pepi is scoring internationally, he’s scoring on the club level. The USMNT striker job has to be his, right? Even when Folarin Balogun comes back, you’d have to assume Pepi is No. 1, right?

DUNSETH: I think it's his job to lose… what I love about Pepi is that the adversity of his childhood, with everything that's happened with him as a young man, working his way through North Texas and working his way into FC Dallas. Then getting the opportunity over in Germany for that not to work out, then going on loan to getting this move to PSV to have nothing given to you whatsoever… You have to have this F-you mentality constantly... "I'm going to show you that I'm the guy because I have played with guys like that where they almost have to invent something that's gone against them to motivate themselves."

Right now, Pepi is the absolute No. 9 starter. I'd be shocked if he isn't, but it's up to everybody else first off scoring for domestic clubs and then proving that they can unseat what he’s done so well these past couple of months.

GOAL: With a role that continues to be uncertain at PSV, is it time for him to move on?

DUNSETH: The moment that I saw Fabrizio Romano put Pepi’s name in a tweet that suggested to me that the interest was significant enough that there's a potential for a move for PSV.. If they can, especially being in Holland, if you can double or maybe triple the value of this player in the better part of a year to 18 months, you got to cash in immediately because that's just the nature of the business in Holland.

So I could see it… What does the realistic opportunity look like? Because what you don't want to see is maybe the situation that Matt Turner finds himself in where you go to a club, you being told you're the number one at Nottingham Forest, things go sideways and then in the last moments you're kind of scattering for an opportunity and you end up being a backup at another club like Crystal Palace. So it's not easy.

GOAL: It feels as if most of the positions on the U.S. are already decided, but what are your feelings on goalkeeper?

DUNSETH: Matt Turner is undisputed No. 1 as of right now. I would say Patrick Schulte is probably the No. 2. No. 3 becomes a little bit more interesting with Ethan Horvath not being called into this last camp. Think about Diego Kochen at Barcelona getting a new deal. Watching him up close and personal, his ceiling is outrageous for a 19-year-old. I'm really excited to see what his future holds..

For Matt, having spoken to him, I think it's very clear that he knows he needs to play games and hopefully that opportunity comes sooner rather than later. But I think until that happens, there's going to be an ongoing debate about the value of playing for certain clubs versus playing for certain clubs and the importance of having game rhythm heading into what the last 16 months before a World Cup starts.

GOAL: You reside in Salt Lake City and still have ties to RSL - what do you make of the rumors that have Diego Luna heading to Leeds in the Championship as a player? Is it time for a step up for him?

DUNSETH: As soon as I saw that I sent a text to someone [within the organization] and they're like, "No." And its not because he's not good enough to play at that level… Luna, I think first off, it's mindboggling to me that he wasn't over in France [with the U.S. U23 team for the Olympics]. I don't understand in what world it makes any sense whatsoever for him not to be a part of the best group. There's no one that will ever convince me that Diego Luna not being at the Olympics was a good idea, especially when Berhalter gave him his first cap in January down in San Antonio last year.

Diego's a dual threat No. 10 and all of a sudden he's moving and creating. So his ceiling is outrageous. He's got like the tats and the look and the mentality - like he checks a lot of boxes and I keep trying to tell people this. You have so many kids out there that don't financially have viable solutions to play at the highest level or play at club [academies] or, have the $300 cleats or the silky white US men's national team jerseys. He's the shining light for a background of kids, an ethnicity of kids that say that guy looks like me, he talks like me, I want to be him.

And I think that that can't be any more important in recognizing what he's doing in real time. So sky's is the limit. He's a fantastic character of a kid. Really excited to see what the future holds. And much like Obed Vargas up in Seattle, I think the summer is going to be a big test of resolve for both Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake to keep these guys in the U.S. By the way, I'll just point this out because I really feel strongly about this - the loss of Obed Vargas in the one time switch for Mexico might not hurt the US men's national team now, but I think this next generation, it was a big loss for what his ceiling is.

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