Football Daily | To all USMNT rejects, Mauricio Pochettino hopes this email finds you well

As a football newsletter whose entire raison d’etre is sending people emails they are desperate to receive and read, Football Daily is fully behind Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinian has taken a leaf out of our tried-and-trusted playbook by electing to use the medium of email to let assorted soccerball players around the world know whether or not they’d been selected to play for Team USA USA USA at this summer’s Geopolitics World Cup. His method of communication has been criticised in some quarters due to its lack of a personal touch for those who have not made the cut, with some American hacks saying those left out were at least owed an explanatory phone call from the Argentinian. Defending himself, Pochettino pointed out that as a player, he wouldn’t have wanted to converse with a manager who had just cut him from an international squad because ... well, why would you bother?

“What are you going to say?” he parped. “Am I going to lie? I understand the player, that didn’t make the roster, they don’t want to hear me say: ‘Oh, apologise, oh, whatever.’ I care. Do you know why I care? Because during [the last] two weeks I didn’t sleep. And today, still I cannot enjoy the 26 guys that are in front of me, because I am thinking of players that are out.” While Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann are among the notable players currently sifting in vain through their spam folders, desperate to see if a call-up has been lost among the literary flotsam and jetsam of craven pleas from foreign royalty, betting firms and the Chelsea Flower Show, Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris has also capped a rollercoaster fortnight with far more downs than ups by being omitted. Like the club he plays for, the 24-year-old midfielder will be hoping for a late reprieve, even if it means a teammate has to succumb to knack for him to get one. Meanwhile at the White House, Donald Trump is presumably wondering why his email inbox hasn’t pinged, given he has finally shaken off the effects of the troublesome heel-knack that ruled him out of participating in a previous cauldron of conflict in which his country was heavily involved.

While there were no major surprises in Poch’s squad, Gio Reyna was a conspicuous inclusion. While many thought the Sunderland-born, Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder might have been left in Germany, he has been named among the 26. The son of a well-connected soccer mom and dad who are not averse to going Full Maguire Family in the face of what they view as snubs against their entitled son, Reyna proved quite the disruptive influence in the Team USA USA USA camp at Qatar 2022 but subsequently apologised for his “emotional” response that affected his behaviour in training. Football Daily suspects that up with that kind of petulance Poch simply would not put, so it is to be presumed Reyna has seen the error of his ways and is now ready to give his all for the American dream, despite the 23-year-old playing fewer than 150 minutes for his club this year. Whether his considerably older parents, Claudio and Danielle, have learned how to behave remains to be seen but we reckon Poch will more than have their measure.

Join Dominic Booth for piping hot MBM coverage of Crystal Palace 3-0 Rayo Vallecano in the Tin Pot final.

“Italian football legend Andrea Pirlo was spotted in Moscow next to Russian footballer Dzyuba, who openly supports the Kremlin’s policy and the killing of Ukrainians. It’s sad to see childhood legends turn into moral bankrupts for whom nothing is more valuable than Russian roubles. Shame” – Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was banned from racing in the Winter Olympics earlier this year after wearing a helmet honouring his country’s war dead, took an understandably dim view of Italian legends Pirlo and Marco Materazzi appearing at a football event in Moscow organised by Fonbet, Russia’s largest betting company. Pirlo’s defence? “We came here exclusively for sport and for the children. Football has the unique power to bring people together.”

“In Como, Cesc Fàbregas has quietly built a formidable team who will be playing in Bigger Cup next season after leapfrogging Milan, Juventus and Atalanta. His logical next step is to get hired by Chelsea mid-season, walk through the Door Marked Do One by April and become the US men’s national coach next summer” – Krishna Moorthy.

“Far be it from me to be pedantic, but when Big Website says there are ‘zero Real Madrid players in Spain’s World Cup squad’, that is not entirely true. Víctor Muñoz is in there, and although he plays for Osasuna, he is still 50% owned by Real Madrid – so technically, they have 0.5 players in the squad” – Noble Francis.

“Right so, Signore Pirlo, off you go to Kyiv next and visit the fans there who have always supported you throughout your career. I’m sure Fonbet will back you, once you explain that it’s to bring people together, to overcome borders, to offer joy etc” –Justin Kavanagh.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Noble Francis. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

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