Opinion: Do not overreact to the United States Men's National Team 2025 Gold Cup squad

You may have seen the squad United States Men's National Team manager Mauricio Pochettino picked for the 2025 Gold Cup, and chances are, you don't like it.

European-based players Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Auston Trusty are nowhere to be found. Instead, Major League Soccer standouts like Quinn Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, Brian White, Sebastian Berhalter, and Max Arfsten have gotten called up.

Pulisic, who is by far the most talented and productive player in the USMNT's selection pool, is a big miss. He just had his second straight season with 20 goals plus assists in the Italian top flight. The other guys? Not as much.

Musah, Pulisic's teammate at AC Milan, hasn't meaningfully improved since his first professional season with Valencia in 2020/21. McKennie, like many of his Juventus teammates, wasn't as effective in 2024/25 as he was last season. Carter-Vickers and Trusty are solid center backs for Celtic in Scotland and have experience in continental competition, but their domestic league doesn't see them challenged much.

While the MLS call-ups perhaps aren't quite as talented — yet — as their Europe-based counterparts, they've all been effective for their teams this season.

Sullivan and Luna are the prime examples. In 15 games, Sullivan, age 21, has two goals and six assists, which is close to matching his total of five goals and eight assists in 34 appearances last season. Luna's following a similar trajectory at 21 years old with eight goals and one assist in 14 games, having posted eight goals and eight assists in 2024.

The Vancouver Whitecaps duo of White and Berhalter — son of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter — have played key roles for arguably the best team in North America in 2025. Berhalter has four goals and six assists from midfield in all competitions, White has 15 goals in 19 games, and the 'Caps are in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final.

Then there are the likes of McGlynn and Arfsten. McGlynn has two goals and three assists for the Houston Dynamo and ranks in the top 10 in MLS in key passes, passes into the penalty area, progressive passes, crosses into the penalty area, shot-creating actions, corner kicks, and total crosses. Arfsten has three goals and three assists from left wing-back.

At this point, we haven't even talked about the Europe-based talents who were called up by Poch.

Striker Damion Downs scored in every other game for Koln in Germany's second tier. Malik Tillman had 15 goals and four assists in the league and UEFA Champions League for Dutch champions PSV. Chris Richards just helped Crystal Palace win the FA Cup, the club's first-ever major trophy. Tyler Adams played 28 league games while helping Bournemouth to its joint-best Premier League finish in club history. Johnny Cardoso raised his defensive abilities while helping Real Betis finish sixth in Spain's La Liga and qualify for the Europa League.

At the end of the day, Poch called up a team full of confident players who haven't been overburdened by their teams. The headline absentees, most of all Pulisic, have played heavy minutes over the past couple of seasons. McKennie is set to play in the Club World Cup beginning in mid-June.

Considering the level of competition — the US plays Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia, and Haiti in the Gold Cup group stage — this squad should have enough ability to make a deep run in the tournament.

Sure, games aren't played on paper, Saudi Arabia beat eventual champions Argentina in the last World Cup's group stage, and Trinidad & Tobago ruined the USMNT's chances of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. But Luna, Sullivan, Berhalter, White, and many more will be motivated to shine for their country on a high-profile stage.

The worst-case scenario in the Gold Cup is that this group falls below its already limited expectations, at least based on the reaction to the squad. The best-case scenario? Pochettino has a lot more depth — and selection headaches — entering the 2026 World Cup on home soil.