Is the Christian Pulisic Era Over for the USMNT? Mauricio Pochettino Opens the Door to a New Cycle

Christian Pulisic’s absence from the latest U.S. roster raises a major question: Is Mauricio Pochettino closing one chapter to build around Cavan Sullivan and a much younger generation heading into 2030?

The USMNT Changes Its Face

The latest call-up for the United States Men’s National Team featured one absence that was impossible to ignore: Christian Pulisic was not included in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the upcoming international window.

According to Doug McIntyre of Fox Sports, multiple sources told him that Pochettino had decided not to include Pulisic in this first call-up following the World Cup. The AC Milan forward has already recovered from his latest injury and returned to action for his club last weekend, which makes his omission from the first squad after the 2026 FIFA World Cup one of the most intriguing decisions of this new era.

Pochettino Opens the Door to a Generational Change

The latest squad features a significant overhaul and clearly points toward a younger roster. The 28-player squad has an average age of 22 years, more than four years younger than the squad Pochettino used during the World Cup.

Additionally, 13 players had never previously appeared for the United States senior national team, showing that the manager is using this window to explore new options and expand the pool of players available to him.

Among those left out are also established names such as Folarin Balogun, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson, while only 13 members of the World Cup squad return to this new roster.

Cavan Sullivan Enters the Spotlight

While Pulisic is left out of the squad, the attention now turns to Cavan Sullivan. At just 16 years old, the Philadelphia Union forward received his first call-up to the senior national team and became one of the biggest focal points of this renewal.

His inclusion is not entirely surprising given his recent production. Sullivan has scored six goals in MLS this season and has recorded nine goals and nine assists across all competitions in 2026. Those numbers help explain why his arrival with the senior national team has generated so much excitement despite his young age.

Temporary Absence or the Beginning of a New Era?

The decision to leave out Christian Pulisic is not yet confirmation of his retirement from the USMNT. The structure of the squad leaves open the possibility that this is a temporary decision as part of a renewal process, particularly during a window featuring four friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada.

However, Pulisic is available, has just returned to action with AC Milan, and was still left out, raising plenty of questions. In addition, the new roster is clearly focused on younger players and features an unusually high number of first-time call-ups.