MLS players have no barrier to U.S. selection, Pochettino says

ST. LOUIS — United States manager Mauricio Pochettino said that American players who play in MLS will have the chance to play for him on the USMNT.

Pochettino was speaking to reporters ahead of Monday’s second leg, quarterfinal clash with Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League. The U.S. currently holds a 1-0 lead from the first leg.

When asked if he treats players differently if they aren’t playing for their club, Pochettino said that he just wants his players playing, and that includes MLS. He also wanted to send a message to those MLS players that will participate in the January training camp that he is keeping an eye on them.

“For me I am going to be happy to have most of them playing here in the MLS because I think after [getting] to know the MLS, it is not easy to play here, it’s very physical,” Pochettino said.

The former Tottenham Hotspur coach added that MLS is “very competitive. They have very good discipline, they train very well and why not? For me they’re going to have the same possibility playing in MLS than if they played in the Premier League or in LaLiga or in Belgium, in France.

“That is important that they need to know in private but also, they need to know in public. But also the players that will be involved in January [camp], they need to know that if they perform and they convince us and they show the quality, they are going to have the possibility to join us on the national team.”

Pochettino was later asked if, when evaluating players, he put more weight on performances in a competitive fixture as opposed to a friendly. The Argentine responded in the affirmative, and added that after being in the U.S. job for the last two months, he’s aware that the expectations are to win, and that is part of the sports culture in the U.S.

That fits with Pochettino’s desire to raise the level of competitiveness in games, something that the U.S. showed more of in the first leg against Jamaica.

“I think we need to build that expectation. I think we need to increase the expectation,” he said. “I think we need to increase the pressure over us because I think that it’s going to be important because I think we are the USA and we need to perform and we need to win games. That is our culture.”