Capitalizing on his opportunity, Tanner Tessmann was the surprise winner of Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT camp – so where can the midfielder go from here?

ST. LOUIS – Six months ago, Tanner Tessmann was a young midfielder simply trying to make his way. Alongside U.S. men’s national team teammate Gianluca Busio, he was looking to guide Venezia back to Serie A – with one eye also on the Olympics, where Tessmann would look to represent his country in France.

Much has changed in six months. Promotion, Olympics, transfer, a USMNT chance – Tessmann is now in a very different place than he was just earlier this year. His performances in the USMNT’s quarterfinal victories over Jamaica in the last week provided more evidence of that. After those games, it became pretty clear: Tessmann has arrived.

“I think he’s doing a great job,” U.S. defender Antonee Robinson said of Tessmann. “Obviously, coming off his move and changing environment, he’s getting used to a lot of new things, but, from when he first came into camp to where he is now, I see a big change in him confidence-wise. His quality is showing through.”

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  Shining in midfield

  Tessmann’s path to Pochettino’s trust truly began this summer in France, where the midfielder was among the big standouts for the U.S. in a quarterfinal run at the Paris Olympics. Those performances came at a big time in his life, setting up these whirlwind few months.

  Previously linked with Inter, that deal fell through, leading Tessmann to a transfer to French giants Lyon. He’s started to make his way into the team there, too, having now made nine appearances in all competitions with his new club. But, while his Lyon breakout has been gradual, his USMNT one can be easily pinpointed to this November window.

  In the first leg in Jamaica, Tessmann completed all but three of his 38 passes while winning four of his five duels in midfield. He played 87 good minutes as the team’s anchor, despite having a No. 10 in Malik Tillman next to him in a holding midfield role following Johnny Cardoso’s early injury.

  The second leg was even better. Tessmann completed 73 of his 74 passes, keeping the ball moving particularly in the dominant first half of the 4-2 win. In total, 17 of his passes were into the final third, proving Tessmann wasn’t just passing – he was passing with purpose.

  Pochettino was among those to point that out, with Tessmann clearly catching the attention of his new coach.

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    Impressing Pochettino

    There was no mystery about how Pocehttino felt. There were no cliches to redirect attention back to the group instead of the individual. No, Pochettino wanted to give props to Tessmann.

    “Tess today was fantastic,” Pochettino said after the win in St. Louis. “If you say to me I need to put a number from 0-to-10, it’s nine… eight or nine. He played a fantastic game. I think it was amazing the way he was in two phases, defensive and offensive, with the ball and without the ball. That’s what we expect.”

    At the moment, Tessmann, like every player, is out to impress Pochettino. With just a year-and-a-half until the 2026 World Cup, the fight for spots is on, and every game matters. So, for Pochettino to offer that kind of praise to a player with just six USMNT camps? That means something.

    “It’s good to hear,” Tessmann said of the vote of confidence from Pochettino. “I think the coach is giving confidence to all of the guys who are playing and the guys on the bench as well. I think it creates good competition within the group and ultimately on the field. It shows that we’re hungry to play and hungry to win. I’m, happy to hear that, but, yeah, the work continues.”

    Tessmann’s right: the work will have to continue. This was a breakthrough but, when the USMNT returns in March he’ll need to be at a high level if he wants to assert himself in the midfield.

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    The depth chart

    Tessmann has very much inserted himself into the midfield picture, but its getting more crowded by the minute.

    Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams, when healthy, are written in Sharpie. McKennie thrived this camp, too, playing in a more advanced role than before. Musah has been Pochettino’s Swiss Army Knife, playing in multiple positions centrally and out wide. And Adams, when fit, is a top-level No. 6, one that provides all the cover needed for teammates to thrive.

    That’s the top tier. Tessmann, at the moment, sits just below that, in a group with Busio, Cardoso, Aidan Morris and Luca de la Torre. And then you can’t forget the 10s, either, as Brenden Aaronson, Tillman and Gio Reyna have to figure into the midfield picture, too. Sorting that out won’t be easy. In fact, it’ll be one of Pochettino’s tougher roster challenges.

    “I think we have a really talented midfield,” Tessmann said. “There are guys that are injured now, that got hurt at camp or are in different situations but playing in big, big games. All these guys are very good, and whoever plays in these games will play well. Obviously, this camp was my two starts and I did well, I think but the competition is really deep, and that’s what I enjoy.”

    And he knows that having depth in midfield is, ultimately, a good problem to have for the USMNT.

    “I enjoy good competition,” he said. “It makes everybody better and makes a team push harder and fight harder. I’m looking forward to seeing the competition and being around the guys, hopefully, more. It’s the same situation in my club so it just helps everyone get better.”

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    Heading back to Lyon

    Pochettino offered a caveat with his praise. As good as Tessmann was this camp, he still needs to see more.

    “He’s young, but very good talent,” he said. “I hope he can play more in Lyon.”

    His six league appearances for Lyon have totaled just 203 minutes, with Tessmann starting just twice in those six. He’s played 177 more minutes in the Europa League, though, which is an indication of how Lyon views the 23-year-old midfielder. After spending the last two years in Serie B, Ligue 1 is a big step up, one that requires Tessmann to adjust.

    That’s the focus now, and it’ll remain there until March, when the USMNT returns for the semifinals of the Nations League. Tessmann has made his initial impression but, now the real battle begins as he heads into another whirlwind period on the road to 2026.

    “Heading into 2025 now, yeah… I think that’s just football nowadays,” Tessmann said. “Things can happen really quick, good and bad, so I just have to be prepared for both. At the moment, it’s a good situation. There are a lot of games to play, and a lot of different things could happen. I’m just going to head back to Lyon and focus on the next game and see what happens.”