The race to be the USMNT’s top striker is – once again – an open competition

The window to impress on Mauricio Pochettino is waning, and the pressure is on for the No 9s on the bubble

In past points of his managerial career, Mauricio Pochettino could upgrade his squad via the transfer market. When Tottenham sold striker Roberto Soldado in 2015, his replacement came two weeks later: Son Heung-min. It's a facet of the job completely absent in his role with the US national team, though he'd be forgiven for wishing a similar market was available ahead of this summer's World Cup.

With provisional World Cup squads due 11 May and Pochettino wanting to avoid a cruel" scenario of bringing players over for the final friendlies in May and June only to leave them off of his tournament squad, the window for hopefuls to make an impression is nearly closed. There are positional battles across the pitch; there's no ironclad starting goalkeeper, a likely opening (or two) at center back beside Chris Richards, and multiple midfield places.