Pochettino reveals why star striker Pepi was left off USMNT roster

Mauricio Pochettino announced his USMNT roster on Wednesday for the two-game CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal series against Haiti.

Several young players who impressed during the fall friendlies retained their places.

A number of familiar faces earned recalls.

The attacking portion of Pochettino’s squad features a mix of returning veterans and emerging talent.

Teenage trio Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall and Justin Ellis earned another call-up.

Star duo Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun return after recovering from recent injuries.

Many fans had also expected to see Ricardo Pepi’s name on the roster.

The PSV Eindhoven striker was among several notable omissions.

Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Matt Turner and Johnny Cardoso were also left out.

Pochettino explained the reasoning behind Pepi’s absence in his press conference.

Pepi finds himself in a similar situation to Cardoso.

Cardoso, the Atlético Madrid midfielder, missed the 2026 World Cup because of an ankle injury.

He has only just returned to training after a thigh problem.

He could feature in Sunday’s high-profile LaLiga showdown with Barcelona.

However, his lack of recent playing time has effectively ruled him out of a USMNT recall this time around.

Pepi has played just 51 minutes for PSV Eindhoven since recovering from an unspecified fitness issue.

That limited game time made it difficult for Pochettino to justify a call-up.

The added complication for Pepi is that Balogun is also still working his way back to full match fitness.

The Monaco striker has yet to start a game in the 2026-27 season.

He did play the second half of his team’s most recent fixture against Paris FC.

He scored his first goal of the campaign in that match.

Pochettino said he is looking forward to seeing how the returning veterans combine with the teenagers he introduced during the fall international window.

He also explained his center forward call-ups — Balogun’s return and Pepi’s omission.

In contrast to the September-October window, when he called up 28 players, Pochettino has gone with three fewer representatives this time around.

The squad will be whittled down to 23.

Two players on the roster have never played for the USMNT before.

They will be looking to make their debuts in the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals.

The first leg is in Cincinnati.

The second leg is in Miami.

“Haiti is going to be tough; we already played them in Dallas in the Gold Cup and it was a really tough game,” Pochettino said.

“CONCACAF teams are improving a lot because of the good coaches and the players who have the facilities to improve and be more professional.

“It’s going to be a tough two games; we know Haiti’s physicality and quality, and it’s important to show them respect.”

While the previous window prioritized experimenting with young talents, Pochettino shifted his focus in November.