(Reuters) -U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino irately swatted away questions about the absence of regular players in his squad on Tuesday after his side thrashed Uruguay 5-1 in an international friendly in Tampa, Florida.

The Argentine manager was without key players including Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie as the U.S. thrashed two-time World Cup winners Uruguay for their biggest win over a non-CONCACAF team since 2012.

Since taking charge of the team in September last year, Pochettino has frequently been forced to work without his best players, most notably at the CONCACAF Gold Cup when Pulisic opted to skip that tournament.

Asked about playing against Uruguay with a second-string side, Pochettino told reporters: “I don’t want to be negative, but I hate that ‘no regular

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