Pochettino ushers in new USMNT era with debut caps for Sullivan, Hall, and 11 others

It is difficult to fight the post-World Cup lull; the quick transition out of sports' most anticipated event is hard to avoid. The U.S. men's national team have managed to buck the trend at the start of a new four-year cycle, though, thanks to the introduction of a baker's dozen of fresh faces eager to make their opportunities count with the 2030 World Cup in mind.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino embarked on his most future-focused player pool expansion project yet, mixing a group of newcomers with an average age of 19 years old with several World Cup participants as he oversees a generational shift. The results have spoken for themselves so far – the USMNT went four for four in their fall friendlies, a selection of young players impressing nearly every step of the way as the likes of Peru , Chile, Mexico and Canada threw different challenges at them. The head coach has been effusive with his praise of the newcomers for being eager to learn and showcase their talents, while also showering his veterans with compliments for their welcoming nature.

He has refused to single players out, especially the first-timers, championing the collective at this early juncture of the cycle. Take, for example, his response to a question about Cavan Sullivan after the 17-year-old scored his first international goal in a 3-0 win over Mexico on Saturday. He complimented Sullivan – and the rest of the group "like Mathis [Albert], like Justin [Ellis], like Julian [Hall], like Frankie [Westfield], like Neil [Pierre], like Brooklyn [Raines], like Adri [Mehmeti], like Peyton [Miller], like Cole [Campbell] … [Did] I miss some young [players]? Gozo, Zavier Gozo ."

Even as Pochettino retained a focus on the group from start to finish this fall, some inevitably rose above the rest. The head coach has held his cards close to his chest in a variety of ways over the course of the four-game swing, only hinting at the squad turnover that awaits over the next four years. The goalkeeper situation, for example, is something to keep an eye on – Diego Kochen and Brian Schwake played 135 minutes each, more than the other two shot-stoppers in camp who just so happened to be on this year's World Cup roster, Matt Freese and Chris Brady . To say that is a clear indication of Pochettino's plans for the future would be a bridge too far but even as he cloaks his answers, some appear more obvious than others.

Much will be revealed with his roster for November's Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti , for which Pochettino is expected to call in a full-strength version of the team. What exactly that looks like right now, though, is the big question – and a few of the USMNT's newcomers might be ready to answer it.

Julian Hall, Justin Ellis take top marks

The winner of the window is unquestionably Julian Hall , who scored three goals and notched one assist in his first four caps and earned more playing time than his fellow newcomers with 52.25 average minutes per game. Hall snapped a 12-game goalless run just in time for his first reps with the senior national team and has been on a roll ever since, his natural striker's instincts ensuring he would score against Chile and Mexico despite uneven team performances and his own room for improvement. The 18-year-old could still be a lot quicker when it comes to making decisions and can go under the radar in games but those feel like teachable skills for a player who is still in the very early stages of his career. He seems to have Pochettino's admiration, even if the coach will not come out and say it just yet. Hall's minutes tally is likely padded by Ellis' injury on Tuesday, but he won the wide-open race to start against Mexico and come on against Canada despite Damion Downs being available.

Ellis also deserves praise for his two goals this window, his playing time perhaps cut short by the injury he sustained in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Canada that forced a halftime substitution. Ellis has a talent for shot creation that makes him a different type of forward than Hall but an equally useful one, though he did spend the last week and change showing off his ability to score. Both have a reasonable argument to return to the fold as soon as November, especially since the USMNT are not particularly deep there. World Cup goalscorer Folarin Balogun is building match fitness after missing the beginning of the season with Monaco , while Ricardo Pepi withdrew from the fall friendlies with an injury of his own. Pochettino had always planned to evaluate both Hall and Ellis, each of them passing the early tests of their USMNT careers.

"We were sad because of the injury of Ricardo but in football [or] soccer, always when something not good happens, it's an opportunity for another but they need to be ready to take the possibility," Pochettino said Tuesday. "The plan was already [there] with Justin and Julian, give the possibility to play even with Ricardo [in] the camp, like you saw with the 'keepers."

Cavan Sullivan's strong first steps into the limelight

If there is anyone in particular Pochettino seems to be protecting, it's Sullivan. The 17-year-old is already the face of the USMNT's next generation and the head coach has not exactly shied away from that, to the point that Sullivan started against Mexico and averaged 33.5 minutes per game this window, slightly more than Ellis did. Pochettino's management of Sullivan, though, feels like an example in being patient with a player for whom the sky is the limit.

He fielded more questions about Sullivan than any other player this fall and was slow to offer specific praise for him in a way he often is not with more experienced players. Pochettino appeared to take a balanced and subtle approach in press conferences because he recognizes the teenager's potential, not in spite of it. That was apparent in his roster selection, too – Sullivan benefitted from not having to carry the spotlight or the load by himself, a healthy number of newcomers undergoing the same journey with him and several veterans around to show them the way. Pochettino used questions about Sullivan to lay out his non-negotiables because he is the player with the attention focused squarely on him, and therefore the perfect hook by which to set an example for the rest of the group. Pochettino's examples are always laced with compliments, though, which eventually sneak out of him when he runs out of cautious optimism.

"He's a talented player with enormous quality but with a very good balance in possession and out of possession," Pochettino said after the win over Mexico. "He's a fighter. He's a warrior. It's difficult to find these types of players with tremendous quality with the ball in possession. I think Cavan enjoys, in possession with the ball [at] the feet like when he needs to [be] chasing people and recover the ball, no? That is my impression after nearly three weeks together and that is unbelievable, to have a player like this. I think it's fantastic news for USA … Happy for him, happy for the team. I like what he said after the game: the most important [thing] was the result. Learning every day, that is the good thing."

Brooklyn Raines fills a position of need

Midfielder Brooklyn Raines has quietly had a solid window, ranking second of the newcomers with an average of 43 minutes per game but then again, defensive midfielders tend to go under the radar. He will be someone to keep an eye on in the short term because he enters the player pool in a position of need – the USMNT went to the World Cup without a true back-up for Tyler Adams, a decision partly influenced by injuries and partly down to player selection. No one has become Adams' clear back-up since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and it is entirely possible Pochettino will be slow to decide who might be the captain's understudy – he does have time on the clock, after all. Still, his reliance on Raines in the fall friendlies is a signal that the 21-year-old has a chance to stake his claim.

Gio Reyna, a newfound leader

The newcomers were well-positioned to make headlines during the fall friendlies and did just that but joining them were an eclectic mix of experienced players, all of whom were tasked with being role models to their younger teammates and showing them the ropes. A batch of these selections made perfect sense – Adams and Chris Richards had emerged as leaders within the group years ago, while Sebastian Berhalter always seemed to boast the mentality to join the ranks. Pochettino's praise for the veterans was not unwarranted because over the course of the international break, they all seemed to adjust to their responsibilities well, even if someone like Alex Freeman is not that much older than the fresh faces. One person really seemed to rise to the challenge – Gio Reyna.

Christian Pulisic has been the face of the USMNT for a decade now but Reyna was always the most naturally gifted player of his generation, his potential still a leading narrative even at the age of 24. He has not had it easy since making his professional debut in 2020, injuries and a lack of playing time at the club level hindering his progress. How exactly he would transition from being the next big thing to welcoming a whole group of them was a fascinating question, but Reyna has relished the role of mentor. Like the leaders that came before him, Reyna is beginning to position himself as a conduit between the coaching staff and the newer players.

"I think all camp, we've had a very consistent message," he said after the Mexico win. "These games obviously are non-official games but we're not treating them different than any sort of official games, whether it's a qualifying game or a World Cup game or Gold Cup, whatever it is. Our goal is to win every game and so far, we're doing well and today was a very good win against a very good team and we knew it wasn't going to be easy but we dug deep. Credit to the guys for a really well-rounded team performance."

It also helps that things are finally coming up Reyna – he now has eight consecutive starts for club and country, the first time he's managed that streak in his entire career. The skill he's obviously possessed for the better part of a decade is becoming easier to see, too.

"I think it's a good thing that he starts to play the season with Strasbourg and that makes [it] easier, after, to adapt here with the national team and I think to have the continuity in his club helps us a lot," Pochettino said after the win against Canada. "He's a player that we were talking [has] the capacity, the understanding of the game. He's a player that can play in different positions [on] the pitch and I think the quality he has matches what we expect from our team, for the players on the field. That question also with Malik, it's really well because they can swap the positions, they have a very good creative mind. Yes, I think Gio is really mature now. He's still so young but he's one of the leaders of the group, too and he's helping a lot, always positive. All the things that we were seeing [in] him are all so positive. It's why we trust [in] him playing."

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/usmnts-next-generation-arrives-cavan-sullivan-julian-hall-mauricio-pochettino/)._