NEW YORK — The U.S. Men’s National Team will face Venezuela and Costa Rica in friendlies this month, but will be without several key European-based players due to the matches falling outside the FIFA international window.
The U.S. will play Venezuela on Jan. 18 and Costa Rica on Jan. 22.
With clubs not obligated to release players for these matches, new coach Mauricio Pochettino will be without a number of regulars. Among those absent are AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah, PSV Eindhoven defender Sergiño Dest, and Borussia Dortmund attacker Gio Reyna.
The absences create an opportunity for Major League Soccer players to showcase their talents and for Pochettino to assess the depth of the domestic league.
Among the MLS players who could feature are FC Dallas forward Jesús Ferreira, Groningen striker Ricardo Pepi, and New York Red Bulls left-back John Tolkin.
These friendlies will be less about results and more about evaluation and experimentation for Pochettino, who is looking to implement his tactical ideas and assess the player pool.
“These matches provide an opportunity to build camaraderie and a winning mentality,” a team spokesperson said.
While the absence of established stars is notable, the friendlies still hold significance as Pochettino begins his tenure and evaluates his options.
