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The U.S. men's national team will reconvene in the coming days for the November international window, looking to build on the momentum of last month when the squad swept four consecutive victories to launch the post-World Cup era on a perfect note.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino summoned 25 players to press forward, facing a two-legged tie against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals with a spot in the 2027 Gold Cup squarely on the line.
Wednesday's squad announcement reflected Pochettino's vision for the team. While he recalled many experienced veterans, the Argentine manager still included a healthy number of young, emerging talents. Regardless of what his current crop of players has achieved, he understands the team's future holds even greater promise.
Pochettino has shown faith in certain young players over others, while leaving several USMNT regulars at home. It's the beginning of a new chapter, and Pochettino hasn't shied away from making difficult calls.
Here is Sports Illustrated's weekly stock up, stock down analysis for USMNT players.
USMNT Stock Up
Mathis Albert
Mathis Albert has every reason to be thankful for Pochettino's open-minded approach.
Much like the strong belief the Argentine holds in fellow USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna, Pochettino sees something distinctly special in Albert, even though the 17-year-old is seeing very little playing time at the club level.
Pochettino named Reyna to his 2026 World Cup squad even after the 23-year-old spent much of the 2025–26 season warming Borussia Mönchengladbach's bench, starting just four Bundesliga matches. It made no difference to Pochettino because Reyna possessed an undeniable gift that others struggled to see at the time. Pochettino described him as "a very special talent," and Reyna delivered with a stunning trivela goal in the World Cup opener and has since enjoyed the finest stretch of his career at Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, where he is now a regular starter for the USMNT as well.
Similarly, Albert has appeared in just two matches for club side Borussia Dortmund over the past three months of the new European season. He actually accumulated more minutes during his debut USMNT camp last month (111 total) than across all 12 competitive Dortmund fixtures he's been available for (110).
That reality hasn't discouraged Pochettino, who remains committed to giving Albert opportunities and called the teenager up to a second-straight senior camp. "He's a player with a quality that isn't easy to find," Pochettino said following his roster announcement. "He's one of the U.S.'s most talented players, and even if he isn't playing too much at Dortmund, if he's fully fit, he's capable of bringing something different to the national team.
"We are convinced that giving him the opportunity to be with us will help him recover his confidence and have the possibility to play more in the future. He's young, and he's going to be one of the important players for our future, and it's the moment to trust and believe in him."
All eyes will be on Albert to see whether he can live up to the lofty expectations Pochettino has placed on him, just as Reyna has done.
Justin Ellis
A wave of relief, rather than pure joy, washed over Justin Ellis's face when he found the net in the 29th minute against Canada last month.
It was in that instant the 19-year-old sensed he might have locked down another USMNT call-up. The goal was crucial. Not only did it serve as the winner in the final match of the September-October international window, completing the Stars and Stripes' flawless camp, but it embodied everything Pochettino had been demanding.
Less than 10 minutes earlier, the young forward had gone down on the turf, grabbing his leg in obvious pain. He had picked up an ankle injury after a sharp kick to the leg from Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustaquio.
Following medical attention, Ellis managed to get back on his feet and move, though with a pronounced limp. Still, he refused to come off. He was determined to score, regardless of the pain.
"I'm thinking to myself, 'I don't know if I can continue. This is crazy,'" Ellis tells Sports Illustrated. "Then I can hear Pochettino screaming my name like 10 times ... You know what he's going to ask you: 'Are you good?' I do not want to look at him and answer that question.
"I was just thinking about the camp that I'd had. While that's all going on, I'm thinking, 'I started the camp well, but ever since that first game, I haven't really proved enough.' ... I'm thinking, 'I can't end the camp on this note. I need to do something before the half ends.'"
So when a chance presented itself just seven minutes later, he wasn't about to let it slip. He sprinted — or rather, hobbled — into Canada's penalty area to turn a cross into the net.
That moment captured the kind of heart and determination Pochettino has been working to instill as the defining character of the USMNT, qualities that flickered at last summer's World Cup. It was likely that very play that helped Ellis edge out World Cup striker and PSV Eindhoven star Ricardo Pepi for a spot on Pochettino's November roster.
USMNT Stock Down
Ricardo Pepi
Ellis's rise has come directly at Pepi's expense.
The 23-year-old PSV striker picked up an injury just one day before the September-October international window, forcing him to withdraw from camp at the last moment and opening the door for debutant Ellis to rack up significant playing time.
Now, despite returning to full fitness and scoring at the club level, Pepi will miss a second straight international camp, making him one of the most notable omissions from the November roster.
Pochettino went with Ellis, Julian Hall and Folarin Balogun as his three options at the No. 9 position. "It's a great opportunity to keep helping Balo[gun] evolve after a tough summer," Pochettino said on Wednesday. "Justin [Ellis] and Julian [Hall] are fit, so that's why I didn't call up Ricardo Pepi, even though he played a few minutes last week. We decided it was much better for him to keep training and establish himself and be more fit and confident."
Ellis and Hall combined for five goals last month, leaving Pepi — who hasn't scored internationally since 2024 — as a genuine afterthought.
Yunus Musah
Just as Yunus Musah felt he was rebuilding his international standing, he too was left out of the November roster.
The 23-year-old earned a recall last month, returning to the Stars and Stripes for the first time in over a year. The 2022 World Cup standout had finally reclaimed his footing domestically — re-establishing himself as a regular starter for AC Milan — and was rewarded by Pochettino with a central role in the USMNT's midfield across three of the four friendlies.
Although Musah failed to make a strong impression in his return in red, white and blue, he has consistently delivered for the Rossoneri, cementing himself as a key component of the European giant's midfield.
In fact, Musah had been optimistic about earning a November call-up, feeling he was performing at the peak of his abilities. "[Concacaf Nations League] is another trophy that we want," Musah told Sports Illustrated before the roster announcement. "We didn't win the last one, so we want to win it again now. So I hope I'm part of [the roster], and I've love to win another one."
The USMNT last claimed the Concacaf Nations League title in 2024, beating Mexico 2–0 in the final — a match in which Musah featured and made significant contributions.