After struggling in its first nine months under coach Mauricio Pochettino, the United States headed into a World Cup year with a five-game unbeaten streak and its most one-sided win over an opponent from South America's confederation.

Mauricio Pochettino dismissed the idea of the United States having "regular players" after an alternate starting lineup thrashed Uruguay 5-1 on Tuesday in Tampa.

The last time the United States men's national team met Uruguay, the Americans had their backs against the wall. The pressure was on, and the U.S. couldn't cope. The South Americans controlled nearly every aspect of the Copa América group stage final,

That defeat was essentially the origin story of Pochettino's project, if informally. U.S. Soccer decided a drastic change was needed ahead of a World Cup on home soil, forcing the federation to change the captain of their ship "in the middle of your travels."

From Aaronson to Zendejas, here's our in-depth look at the leaders and contenders at every position. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has just two games left, in March, before the World Cup team is set.

The USMNT's player pool seems to be getting even bigger as Pochettino has more quality than ever at his disposal