Christian Pulisic and Cavan Sullivan to join forces? Projecting Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT roster for CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals

Matt Freese, Diego Kochen, Brian Schwake

In the mix: Chris Brady, Patrick, Matt Turner

There were four in camp for these four friendlies, but it’ll be three for Nations League. Who misses out?

Freese is the returning World Cup starter. Brady, too, has World Cup experience. Schwake looked good, particularly against Canada. And then there’s Kochen, who seemingly made the leap from prospect to senior national team player with his performance against Mexico. It'll be tough to choose an odd one out but, just based on performance this camp, it would likely be Brady at the minute, but things could change over the next month.

The question then becomes “ who starts?” We’ll find out in November, but that choice will be a big one for Pochettino and his staff.

Max Arfsten, George Campbell, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Auston Trusty

In the mix: Luca Bombino, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Justin Che, Peyton Miller, Neil Pierre, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, John Tolkin, Frankie Westfield

A veteran-heavy group, but there are reasons for it. The first is that these aren't friendlies, of course, or, as Pochettino would prefer to say it, these are official games. The other is that some of the MLS-based standouts will be in the playoffs. For those that are vital, the U.S. can navigate it. For the youngsters who were just in this most recent camp and still need more seasoning, it's fine to let them play for their clubs.

That's why you'll largely see the Euro-based heavy-hitters here. Freeman and Dest handle the right side while Robinson and Arfsten handle the left. Then there are plenty of options at centerback. Who will start alongside Richards, though? That remains a talking point, perhaps even more so after this most recent camp.

Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman

In the mix: Brenden Aaronson, Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn, Adri Mehmeti, Aidan Morris, Rokas Pukstas, Brooklyn Raines, Tanner Tessmann, Niko Tsakiris

The big names are here, but there are some decisions to make, for sure.

It seems five of these spots are likely pretty locked in: Adams, Berhalter, McKennie, Reyna and Tillman. That leaves two more that can be spread in multiple ways. If someone like McGlynn, for example, keeps thriving in the Championship, one could go to him. Maybe Morris' connection with Berhalter gets him a USMNT return. Perhaps one of the MLS guys is deemed necessary after impressing Pochettino in this camp.

Meanwhile, we'll go with the two more intriguing options. Cardoso is a player the USMNT is still desperate to unlock, largely because doing so would raise the team's ceiling a bit. And then there's Musah, who didn't stand out in this most recent camp, but could if asked to play a more central position.

Folarin Balogun, Julian Hall, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Cavan Sullivan

In the mix: Mathis Albert, Cole Campbell, Justin Ellis, Timothy Weah, Haji Wright, Alejandro Zendejas

Let's get the obvious out of the way: the USMNT aren't "moving past" Pulisic. There are critics aplenty following this summer's World Cup, and the criticism is fair. However, it's silly to think that Pulisic's days leading the USMNT are done. He will remain a key figure this cycle. He's too good not to.

With that out of the way, how do you build the team around him? Balogun is an obvious one, and his club situation makes the USMNT more important than ever for the striker. Behind him, Pepi is established while Hall got pretty close to establishing himself with his three-goal window.

And then there's the other big name: Sullivan. Again, it's not ideal to pull MLS players away from their clubs, but depending on the Union's situation in the playoffs, Sullivan might be worth pulling. He's much closer to being USMNT-ready than most, so if the timing works out, let's see what the kid's got in a real game.