Pochettino’s U.S. team lines up home friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, Canada

U.S. Soccer has set Mauricio Pochettino’s first four-match home window around a clear stress test: Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, all on U.S. soil, as the program tries to define itself before the next World Cup cycle gathers speed. The schedule runs Sept. 26, Sept. 29, Oct. 3 and Oct. 6, and it comes after Pochettino agreed to remain in charge through the 2030 World Cup.

The opening date is the sharpest marker of the reset. Peru will face the United States at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, in a Fan Appreciation Match that is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET. That game will air on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock, giving the federation a high-visibility platform for what amounts to the first public look at Pochettino’s new cycle on home ground.

The rest of the slate broadens the evaluation. Chile will visit Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sept. 29, bringing another South American opponent that should press the U.S. into quicker circulation and cleaner buildup. Mexico follows on Oct. 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina, renewing a rivalry that has long carried more weight than a standard exhibition. Canada closes the run on Oct. 6 at a fourth U.S. venue that U.S. Soccer has not yet named, another useful measuring stick against a North American opponent that has become more competitive in recent years.

That mix matters because home friendlies are where coaching staffs can test combinations without tournament elimination hanging over every possession. Pochettino now has four matches to sort through roles, manage workloads and assess whether the player pool can handle different tactical demands against teams with distinct profiles. Peru and Chile offer technical South American opposition, Mexico brings the pressure of a regional rivalry, and Canada supplies a benchmark against a neighbor the U.S. can no longer treat as a routine assignment.