HOUSTON — The narrative at the start of the Concacaf Gold Cup was the U.S. men’s national soccer team would field a second-rate squad, then come autumn, welcome back its high-end talent for the push to next summer’s World Cup.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s mix of seasoned players and international novices was, it seemed, a placeholder until the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah returned from summer breaks, injuries and club commitments. Most from the current group would have, for all intents and purposes, little hope of getting called back in September.