U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the media after unveiling his 26-man roster on Tuesday.

Here's what stuck out to me.

Communication Drama

Soon after the USMNT roster leaked, it was revealed that Pochettino didn't make individual calls to those who weren't on the roster, instead opting for an email.

When asked about this, Pochettino said:

"I was a player. When I didn't make the roster, I didn't want my coach [to] call me. [As] the coach of the national team, [they'd] say, 'Which is the reason that I am not in the roster?' What [am] I going to say? I'm going to lie? '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 he's a better player and you cannot make the roster in the future. That is why I don't really believe – if I communicate, because how we work, 55 players in the provisional roster. I need to call now the rest of players but I should [have] called in March, I should have called in January camp. I think that is not the way. Come on."

Fair play to Pochettino for defending his decision. There is some truth to what he said, as it can be time-consuming to contact all members of the pool to have a conversation that could fall on deaf ears.

That said, this does feel a bit cold. Players, especially those on the bubble, deserve to hear their coach's voice. Not only does this validate their hard work and commitment to the program, but it can serve as motivation.

Pochettino also said, "It wasn't the moment to inspire, it was the moment to communicate the roster. The most difficult thing [is that] it is painful. It is painful because I really know what it means to be out of the roster."

If he cares about the development of these players, I hope Pochettino has – or will – offer time to provide meaningful feedback.

Options at Center Mid

One of the most glaring aspects of the roster was the lack of central midfielders. Tyler Adams is a classic holding mid, with Sebastian Berhalter, Weston McKennie, and Cristian Roldan being options to play in the middle.

Pochettino suggested that Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Sergino Dest, and Alex Freeman could also play centrally. He explained:

"Plenty of possibilities. What we wanted to provide the team is the opportunity have the best players possible, the right players to make the roster that we believed could make the roster with flexibility for different players to play different in different situations. To be flexible in a tactical way. And I think this roster provides us the possibility to play with a back four, back three, to play with one holding midfielder, to play with no holding midfielders, to play with three more offensive players in front of the back three. I’ve been thinking of all this in the last two weeks.”

I'm fine with Adams and McKennie starting, but I do wish there was more depth (namely Tanner Tessman or Aidan Morris), especially given Adams' injury history. The extended World Cup will allow for extra rest, which should help.

Playing with three center backs elevates some concerns, as one will likely step into the midfield to win the ball.

I will say that I don't necessarily like the idea of Reyna playing as a defensive midfielder.

Open Competition at Goalkeeper?

Matt Freese has been first-choice for the bulk of Pochettino's run, but starting Matt Turner against Belgium in the last international window showed that the head coach's mind might not be set.

On Tuesday, Pochettino said:

"Goalkeeper is open. It’s also seeing what they show, the form they’re in, the emotional state of each one and then making decisions."

Time will tell how open the competition is, but Turner will certainly be happy that the door is open.