One thing was clear after United States Men's National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino's press conference on Thursday: the slate has been wiped clean.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the rearview mirror, all focus is now on the 2030 edition of the tournament and the cycle that will precede it.

"Football is about today. Soccer is about today. And that is the way that we want to build the process and (the 2030) cycle.”

The players Poch has chosen is a clear representation that the future is now. The roster features 13 uncapped players. Mathis Albert, Cole Campbell, Justin Ellis, Neil Pierre, and Frankie Westfield could get their first senior national team minutes, as well as Peyton Miller, Brooklyn Raines, Cavan Sullivan, Adri Mehmeti, Julian Hall, Zavier Gozo, Brian Schwake, and Diego Kochen.

While there is a focus on youth, he has also brought back veteran players such as Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, and Ricardo Pepi. But the names that aren't there speak volumes, whether it is a one-off or not, with Christian Pulisic being the main one.

There seem to frequently be calls for club sides to "play the kids". It happened during Bruce Arena and Caleb Porter's tenure in New England.

Sometimes these movements can be short-lived. A player will earn their first start and then fail to secure a starting spot.

But Miller is a great example of a young player coming in and earning a starting spot. Pochettino believes that there needs to be a perspective shift when it comes to calling up young players. If they perform, they can earn a spot, even if that means a player who is more well known by fans loses out.

The head coach made a quip about how Lamine Yamal is regarded. The young player is still a teenager but has won a World Cup and played a key role in Spain winning the Euros. No one is concerned about him being on the roster over experienced players.

No matter the age of a player, their performance determines their spot. As Marko Mitrovic has put it when discussing young players in New England, the coaching staff doesn't look at passports to figure out players ages before coming up with a starting XI.

“I think that is an open system,” Pochettino said. “It’s about giving the opportunity, and taking the opportunity. And now it’s a great opportunity for everyone that is going to be involved to keep their place. And that is the mentality that we want to build in this process, in these four years. If I come, I need to feel that if I perform, I give to the team what the team expects from me, and the coaches expect from me, I’m going to have a high-percentage (chance) to come back. But if I don’t provide what they expect from me, then sometimes you need to keep working in your (club) to get to the level you need if you want to show in the national team.

“Everyone says, ‘Oh, that name need(s) to be here because in the past, he performed and scored goals.’ No no. Now is a fresh start, it’s a new start," Pochettino added. "Of course all have the door open. But now, it’s not what I did in the past. No. If I am Balogun and score lots of goals; or Malik Tillman, I play and was one of the best in the World Cup — yeah, but now, it’s about today."