The Kids Are Alright: Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT 2.0 Era Gets Off to a Fantastic Start

The United States men's national team went a perfect 4-0 to kick off the 2030 cycle. A new era has brought new faces and, more importantly, there are real objectives for Mauricio Pochettino's side on the horizon.

When the final whistle sounded in the United States men's national team's sluggish 1-0 win over Canada, it marked the end of the first camp of the 2030 cycle, and for Mauricio Pochettino , it could not have gone much better.

The USMNT won all four of its games, scoring 12 goals, allowing just three, and recording two consecutive shutouts. Oh, and one of those wins was a 3-0 dismantling of Mexico.

The biggest takeaway from the camp is that the young faces Pochettino brought into the squad came to play. All of the main names of the camp had strong performances: Cavan Sullivan , Julian Hall , Justin Ellis , Mathis Albert , Neil Pierre , Diego Kochen , and Brian Schwake all passed their first major test with flying colors.

It was exactly what Pochettino needed to kick off his new era: new faces, big wins, and, most importantly, some calm before his next true competitive test of the new cycle in the CONCACAF Nations League .

Here are some important assessments from the first big camp of the 2030 USMNT cycle.

The future Manchester City player and current Philadelphia Union star came to play. Cavan Sullivan was all over the field in the games he played and scored his first senior team goal against Mexico to truly announce his arrival on the USMNT.

While there are huge expectations surrounding the 17-year-old Sullivan, calm and patience should be the number one priority. He showed no fear and a drive that really impressed. Now, the thought of seeing him and Christian Pulisic on the same field can only spark more excitement for USMNT fans.

Pochettino will have a lot to think about for his next camp, as Julian Hall and Justin Ellis were both really impressive during the four-game stretch. Both found ways to score and impact games through their best attributes.

While Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are still the country's top two strikers, both Hall and Ellis will surely have them looking over their shoulders.

Philadelphia Union defender Neil Pierre has all the tools to become a future star for the USMNT and in Europe. Tall and comfortable on the ball, the big man is still going through a learning curve, but has everything necessary to be playing in a top European league sooner rather than later.

Aside from the aforementioned names, other players who upped their stocks were Diego Kochen, Auston Trusty , Sebastian Berhalter , and Mathis Albert.

Gio Reyna's camp was overall solid as well, despite his on-again, off-again style of play, but Pochettino can rest easy knowing he has plenty of players capable of challenging some of the core names on this team.

Zavier Gozo . A lot was expected from the new Crystal Palace winger, and for a long time, he was the standout player among the young crop. But Gozo saw action in just one game, a mixed-bag performance against Peru.

Still young and with plenty of talent, Gozo not playing in three straight games was very surprising.

Alex Freeman has looked better and better with every game he plays for the USMNT. Still just 22, he seems to have cemented his starting spot with Villarreal , who continue to bring the Baltimore native along slowly.

At times, that may frustrate USMNT fans, but Freeman has the makings of a very special player. Now playing in La Liga and continuing to hone his skills, Freeman is looking more and more like the definitive starting right back for the USMNT.

If there is one thing this camp has shown us, it is that there is some serious material for growth within the USMNT. There are still questions to be answered regarding the goalkeeping situation and what Pochettino believes his strongest XI looks like when factoring in his "kids," but the team clearly needs to internally, at the very least, outline its objectives.

First of all, the Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti won't be a cakewalk, but the U.S. can go into that match with plenty of confidence following a strong set of performances.

In addition, Pochettino is basically coaching the team we could very well see in its entirety at the Summer Olympics in 2028. Given the talent available, the U.S. should contend for a medal, and winning one would be a major success.

The CONCACAF Nations League is also there to be won, especially after victories over Mexico and Canada. Reestablishing regional dominance must be on the to-do list, and that will be the first major assignment for Pochettino and his team in the 2030 cycle.

The new-look USMNT got the Pochettino 2.0 era off to a bang. And for the first time in a long time, there is real optimism about what this team can build, now in the hands of a very capable manager.