U.S. men’s soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino said he decides when stars like Christian Pulisic enter the national team’s lineup, not players. The coach leveled criticism at Pulisic and other players on Saturday ahead of the Gold Cup.
“I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin,” Pochettino said after Pulisic offered to play in a pair of friendlies before skipping the Gold Cup.
The Pulisic-less Americans lost both friendlies — a 4-0 defeat against Switzerland and a 2-1 loss to Turkey.
“Players do not need to understand or not understand,” Pochettino said. “Players need to listen and to stick with our plan. They cannot dictate the plan. Because if not, OK, we invert — we swap the position, no? That is obvious.”
According to multiple reports, Pulisic decided to sit out the Gold Cup after playing 120 matches in two years between his commitments with the national team and AC Milan.
“I had to make the best decision for myself, and also in the long run, for my team,” Pulisic said on CBS Sports’ “Call It What You Want” podcast. “Even though clearly some people haven’t seen it that way.”
The criticism rolled in from former players like Landon Donovan — who said players skipping tournaments was “pissing me off” — and Pochettino, who said Pulisic wasn’t the best American player.
“You say the best player. Yes, is a good player, of course, but he needs to perform,” the coach said. “If he performs well, and he’s the best, it is normal he is going to have a place in the national team … But it’s not because … I want to be, I want to play, I want to do this, I want to do that.”
The Americans open Gold Cup play on Sunday evening against Trinidad and Tobago.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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