Brenden Aaronson could have a lot to gain from new USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino

When Mauricio Pochettino unveiled his first roster as U.S. men’s soccer team manager last week, he had quite a bit to say about Brenden Aaronson.

In fairness, Pochettino said what he did because he was asked. But there was so much detail in the answer that it was clear he had done his homework on the Medford native.

It was even more significant because for all the games Pochettino has coached with European clubs that featured Americans, whether on his side or the opponent’s, none had Aaronson involved. Pochettino seemed to allude to that in his remarks.

“When you watch, you feel something, but then when you create a relationship and you start to work with them, you start to feel if it is exactly what you thought before or if it’s completely different when you’ve met and you know the player,” he said.

They have met now, as Pochettino’s first training camp in charge is underway in Austin, Texas. The Americans will play Panama there on Saturday (9 p.m., TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, Peacock) in a friendly before facing old rival Mexico on Tuesday in Guadalajara (10:30 p.m., TNT, Max, Spanish telecast TBA).

How have things gone so far? Aaronson gave some insight in a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

» READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino’s first U.S. men’s soccer team roster as manager has a lot of Philly-area flavor

“The last couple days, getting to know him, getting know the whole staff around him, it’s been really good,” he said. “I feel like we’ve already learned a lot. We learned about the style of play that we want to play today at training. ... I think everybody’s really ready to learn from him, and you can just see the buzz and excitement.”

Asked what that style looks like, Pochettino has talked plenty already about wanting intensity, and Aaronson said the message has gotten through.

“We want to play at a high intensity,” Aaronson said. “We want to play in the other team’s half. We want to have possession of the ball. I think what he wants is just a confident team, and that’s what we’re going to be.”

Aaronson’s versatility has always been one of his assets, whether for the Union back in the day or for the three European clubs he has played for since moving abroad at the start of 2021.

It’s served the national team, too, earning him 44 caps including all four games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The then-22-year-old (he turns 24 later this month) was the first player from the Philadelphia area to make a U.S. men’s World Cup squad in 16 years, and the next wait will be much shorter.

“I think he can play on the right or the left, No. 8, 10,” Pochettino said. “He looks very professional; his standards are very high. He’s a player that always gives the best to the team. Excellent work ethic, and the quality also to score and run in behind the defensive line, also to play in half-spaces in between the lines.”

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While versatility helps you make a squad, it doesn’t always solidify a starting spot. If you’re too much of a utility player, you can end up being the super sub that Aaronson often has been.

It’s hard to crack a U.S. starting lineup where Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Gio Reyna usually are written in ink when they’re healthy. Weah and Reyna aren’t right now, so whatever Aaronson does this month might not last.

But Pochettino said he thinks Aaronson is “playing in too many different positions” and wants to help the player find his best one.

“We need to help him to discover where is his real position and [where] he’s going to perform his best,” Pochettino said, “and we are going to be there to try to help.”

Aaronson was happy to hear that.

“I know I’ve played all over the place with the national team, maybe with the club [teams], but I’ve always been a midfielder, and I always see myself as that,” he said. “I’m always a guy that can play different positions, but I think where I’m playing at my club right now, the No. 10 and in between the lines — maybe as an 8, too — is my best position. So, yeah, just try to keep playing there and get better and better.”

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That current club, England’s Leeds United, is Aaronson’s home for a second time. He spent the 2022-23 season there and started red-hot before his form dipped as part of the club’s fall into relegation. That led him to spend last season on loan to Germany’s Union Berlin, where he got to play in the Champions League.

It was Union’s debut in the Champions League, and its burden left the club in a relegation fight that it only escaped on the season’s last day. But that was enough to create a sense that Aaronson wouldn’t go back to Leeds, which is in England’s second-tier Championship for a second straight season.

It also didn’t help that many Leeds fans disliked Aaronson because of how his season there had ended. They disliked him even more for wanting out.

Surprisingly, Leeds wanted Aaronson back, and Aaronson decided he wanted to return. He has started the season well, with two goals, an assist, and a lot of good work overall in 10 games. That has helped win some fans back over in a way that Philadelphians might find familiar.

» READ MORE: A look back at Brenden Aaronson's hot start to his first season at Leeds United

“I think for me it was I had unfinished business at Leeds, and so a lot of things pointed me [toward] going back to Leeds,” Aaronson said. “I think that was the biggest thing for me: a feeling and wanting to go back and prove myself again.”

He admitted it “took decisions” to make the commitment and that “the first couple weeks were pretty difficult, mentally,” with some hostility from fans.

“It’s not easy when you come back, and it’s tough because you might see some fans getting upset with you,” he said. “You’ve got to prove yourself again. But I’m proud of myself. I’ve come back and done really well. … Now I just want to keep building and keep scoring and assisting and just keep getting better.”