A callup that is not coming
Mauricio Pochettino answered the question on Monday without dressing it up. Noahkai Banks will not be in the United States squad for the camp that opens the autumn programme. The 19-year-old Augsburg defender has still not decided which federation he wants to represent, and nothing has moved on that front since before the World Cup.
“The organization is working with all the dual nationals and players with the possibility to make a decision,” Pochettino told reporters. “That human connection is important because if one day they feel that they can defend and they want to fight and to be part of our national team.”
The door stays open. Pochettino said Banks could be called again if he picks the United States and earns his place in the group. Until then, the staff keep talking to him and wait.
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Two passports, one decision
German mother, American father. Banks was born in Hawaii and flew back to Germany at seven weeks old. He has lived there ever since and walked into the Augsburg academy at eight, which puts eleven years of his development inside a single club.
The American file is not empty either. He played at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup for the United States and joined a USMNT training camp in September 2025. His Instagram bio still reads USMNT.
Germany noticed. Bild reported that the federation has been in contact and that Jurgen Klopp watched one of his recent matches from the stands. That detail carries more weight than any phone call. Head coaches do not travel to see players they are not thinking about.
Why he is waiting
Banks has started both of Augsburg’s opening Bundesliga fixtures this season, at an age where centre-backs rarely string two league starts together in August. He said recently that he knows the decision is coming soon but wants his club season settled first. That is the reasoning of a player who understands that his standing in either national team pool depends on what he does in Bavaria between now and Christmas.
The United States have a cluster of friendlies running into October. Banks will watch them from a distance while two federations keep circling.
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