U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino was full of compliments again for a group of young players who are with the senior squad for the first time, describing them as both confident and cocky on the pitch but humble off it.

The 28-player roster for the USMNT's first post-World Cup friendlies includes 12 players who are newcomers to the senior national team, boasting an average age of 19 years and six months. Another 12 were members of this year's World Cup team as Pochettino goes for a balanced approach to start a new four-year cycle; the mixed group already off to a strong start with Saturday's 4-1 win over Peru.

Though Pochettino always had a healthy blend of veterans and newcomers on the pitch over the course of Saturday's game, the USMNT's first-timers ultimately made headlines – forwards Justin Ellis and Julian Hall each scored in their debuts, while Hall also added an assist to his record against Peru. The head coach heaped praise on the first-timers after Saturday's match, oftentimes mentioning the "massive talent" they have as individuals and as a collective and continued to compliment the players' ability to settle into the senior national team seamlessly.

"When we announced the starting 11 one day before Peru, they were so relaxed and calm," he said Monday when asked if he sensed any nerves before the Peru game from the first-timers "I think we have a group of players, young players but very confident, very, very cocky. Very confident in their qualities and I think we have a good balance in between this arrogance that we pretend that they have, that helps [them] to perform on the pitch and outside. They are very humble outside but in the training or when the competition [arrives], they are very confident in themselves and I think that's a good thing. I didn't notice that they were nervous."

Pochettino added that he and his coaching staff have enjoyed working with the USMNT's next generation, previously describing their youthful energy as "contagious."

"I think it's very natural in the way that we are living," he added. "I think it's a great atmosphere and yes, it's fantastic. We were talking with [assistant] Jesus [Perez] today after training, in the way we were enjoying players that allowed us to coach, [are] coachable players. That is a joy. That is priceless for us but I think it's amazing. It's amazing because we are enjoying a lot with the whole group, no? The 28 players are fantastic."

How to watch USMNT vs. Chile, odds

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Energize Park -- St. Louis
TV: TNT | Live stream: HBO Max
Odds: USMNT -250; Draw +350; Chile +550

USMNT experimentation continues against Chile

Pochettino named a brand-new starting lineup against Peru on Saturday and will likely do so again against Chile on Tuesday, both in the service of his new player pool expansion project and also down to the schedule. Tuesday's friendly is the second of four games in the span of 11 days, which will force the coaching staff to rotate through their options for the sake of load management.

"Some players that maybe played more than 60 minutes the other day, maybe they need to rest a little bit because after, we have Mexico and we have Canada," Pochettino said. "I think all these types of things are very, very difficult. It's true that sometimes, the problem is how we are going to plan the future. I think it's good to play four games. It's good for broadcast, it's good for fans, it's good for everything, yes, but the players are competing in Europe, are competing in MLS for the playoffs. It's really tough. That is why sometimes we need to think a little bit more [about] the player. That is why we have 28 players and we try to manage the gameplan."

Whether or not that calls for wholesale changes to Saturday's lineup, which included Ellis, Peyton Miller and Cavan Sullivan, is something to keep an eye on for Tuesday. A wide range of newcomers earned their first caps off the bench against Peru – Hall, Diego Kochen, Mathis Albert and Zavier Gozo each played around a half hour or more, while Frankie Westfield, Brooklyn Raines, Neil Pierre and Adri Mehmeti each played less than 15 minutes.

Goalkeeper Brian Schwake and forward Cole Campbell are the only uncapped players left on the roster and in Campbell's case specifically, it is unclear if he will play against Chile. He and defender Chris Richards, a starter at the World Cup, arrived to camp with small fitness issues and may be forced into limited roles against Chile.

"I think [with] players like Cole or Chris, we cannot take a risk," Pochettino said. "Be careful because all the information we have sometimes, we cannot force players to play more because we cannot take risk of injuries but of course, we are going to manage in the best way to be competitive, to give game time to players that need and because we want to see [them] competing and [it's a] great opportunity."

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