Mauricio Pochettino has defended his decision to inform players left out of the United States men's national team squad for this summer's World Cup via email, rather than by phone. The Argentinian manager said he would not want to speak to a player he had just cut, as he would be forced to lie or offer empty apologies. 'What are you going to say? Am I going to lie? I understand the player, that didn't make the roster, they don't want to hear me say: Oh, apologise, oh, whatever,' Pochettino said.
Notable omissions from the 26-man squad include Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna, Lyon's Tanner Tessmann, and Middlesbrough's Aidan Morris. The 24-year-old Morris, who plays for the Championship side, will hope for a late reprieve due to injury. Pochettino acknowledged the difficulty of the selection process, saying he could not enjoy the chosen players because he was still thinking of those left out.
Gio Reyna, the Sunderland-born Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder, was a conspicuous inclusion despite limited playing time this year. Reyna was a disruptive influence at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but has since apologised for his behaviour. Pochettino is expected to manage the situation firmly, with Reyna's parents, Claudio and Danielle, known for being protective of their son.
In other news, Italian football legends Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi have been criticised for appearing at a football event in Moscow organised by Russia's largest betting company, Fonbet. Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych called them 'moral bankrupts' for supporting the Kremlin's policies. Pirlo defended the visit, saying they came 'exclusively for sport and for the children.'
