USA manager Mauricio Pochettino has robustly defended the decision to inform players whether they had secured a place in the final 26-man FIFA World Cup squad via an emailed video, during a press conference on Tuesday.
At an event in New York where the squad was formally unveiled, despite having already been leaked days beforehand, Pochettino was swift to support their selected means of communication, notwithstanding criticism from some quarters suggesting it lacked sensitivity.
Nevertheless, Pochettino insisted he and his staff prioritise "very clear" communication, and that their approach to delivering squad news will not alter depending on the magnitude of any specific camp or tournament.
The former Argentina international was also eager to highlight that during his playing career, the last thing he desired was to speak with the manager who had just dropped him. "What are you going to say? Am I going to lie?" he asked. "'You are not in the roster because I believe that another teammate is today, in that period, is a better option.' I don't say that is better player and you cannot make the roster in the future."
He proceeded to question whether he should telephone every player he omitted from the provisional 55-man squad, or perhaps even those from the March or January camps who did not make the cut.
"I think that is not the way. And come on, how I grow up in my country, football is about to do everything to try to be in the roster," Pochettino added. "If I don't make the roster, I need to think in like now, until the one day before, things can happen. They need to be ready because maybe we can call. That is the sport. That is football. That is soccer, and we cannot change the rules."
Pochettino was equally insistent that he genuinely cares for his players, but simply sees no reason to "confuse" them. "I understand the player, that didn't make the roster, they don't want to hear me say, 'Oh, apologise, oh, whatever.' I care. Do you know why I care? Because during [the last] two weeks I didn't sleep. And today, still I cannot enjoy the 26 guys that are in front of me, because I am thinking of players that are out... If I call, it's about myself. I say, 'Oh, I call, I am very human about calling and then giving an explanation.' Come on, that is b-----."
US legend Landon Donovan subsequently waded into the debate over Pochettino's reasoning, conceding that while he could see his point, he would still have preferred to receive a direct phone call. Speaking to The Guardian, Donovan said: "I can understand where he's coming from. To some extent, I was thinking about it this morning – not hearing from him directly might actually be a good thing. It's a s*** situation, it's not gonna change anything. Yes, if I was a part of the team for a long time, I would've wanted a phone call. If I'd not been part of the team for a long time, I wouldn't have cared. Every player is different, though."
Nevertheless, as Pochettino pointed out, even those who missed the cut should remain on standby for now, with the final squads not confirmed until 1st June, and injuries always an unwelcome possibility. In the meantime, the US are due to face Senegal on 31st May before taking on Germany on 6th June, in what will be their last pre-World Cup warm-up fixture.
