USMNT wins debut for Mauricio Pochettino, led by star who will guide its restart

by admin
USMNT wins debut for Mauricio Pochettino, led by star who will guide its restart

AUSTIN, Texas — Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S. men’s national team debut came to life after 48 minutes, and the man who gave him the needed boost was not. the savior coach; it was the star who will need to propel Pochettino’s rebootChristian Pulisic.

Pulisic unlocked a friendly Saturday against Panama that, for most of a scoreless first half, looked a lot like the Gregg Berhalter era of the USMNT. “Really, I didn’t feel too many changes,” Panama coach Thomas Christiansen said after the match.

But shortly after halftime, the decisive moment arrived. It started with nine patient passes. Tim Ream sent a 10th up, bottom left. The ball then found Pulisic, who slipped into the penalty area via a nice 1-2 with Brenden Aaronson. And with the 14th offensive pass, Pulisic set up Yunus Musah for the first goal of the match – and Musah’s first for the national team.

In second half stoppage time, Ricardo Pepi added a second, and the USMNT won 2-0.

The performance was by no means perfect or dynamic, but “I think it’s the basis, and the first step, to start growing and being better,” Pochettino said.

Before and after the goals, the USMNT was unremarkable. Pochettino called it a “professional performance”. The players seemed satisfied, but “it’s just a work in progress, of course,” said veteran defender Tim Ream. After all, it was Pochettino’s first match, following his very first week of training.

And the starting lineup was experimental, out of necessity – as seven regular players were injured and missing. An eighth, Weston McKennie, was on the bench due to undisclosed discomfort. “We want to protect him,” Pochettino said. The physical problem is minor, he added, but “we didn’t want to take a risk.”

Instead, the starting midfielders were Aaronson, Gianluca Busio and Aidan Morris. Musah played on the right, after several years as a central midfielder, almost exclusively, under Berhalter. Pochettino said the reason was to allow Musah “to build his confidence by starting in a different position”, with less “responsibility in preparation”.

Pochettino’s 11 elected officials were energetic and quick to put pressure on Panama. They have shaped several counter-attacks after recoveries in the attacking half – and they want to do more. “Against the ball, I think we can still figure things out, the way we want to put pressure and win the balls back,” Pulisic said.

Ream added: “In the first half the press in the attacking half was a bit disjointed at times. But, again, we didn’t work on it fully.”

The other problem was that, as was often the case under Berhalter, they lacked an edge in the final third, particularly in the Panamanian penalty box.

The difference, however, lies in the winger who Pochettino recently called “one of the best attacking players in the world”.

Pulisic is in the form of his life for AC Milan in Italy. He is the best striker in Serie A. “He flies,” Musah, his club and national teammate, said on Friday. And he brought form to the Q2 Stadium on Saturday.

He is undoubtedly the most important player in the Pochettino project. If there is a revolution, Pulisic will surely lead it. He is a “fantastic player”, Pochettino said on Friday, “a player who will help now and in the future, to put the team in the position we want”.

And a day later, Pochettino’s first match hit the mark.

Other American actors were active. Aaronson, deployed as an attacking midfielder, was a pest – and precisely the type of pressing maniac Pochettino will love. Aidan Morris was imperfect but often tidy with the ball and solid against it. Antonee Robinson was his usual buccaneering self on the left.

None of them, however, had the quality to find an incisive pass, or finish off a rare chance. Josh Sargent missed the USMNT’s best opportunity in the first half. In the second half, before stoppage time, the best chances fell to Panama – and American goalkeeper Matt Turner was equal with every one of them.

It wasn’t until the 94th minute that Haji Wright gifted Pepi another gold medal. Pepi sealed the deal. And Pochettino closed the evening by applauding the fans, who serenaded him with a simple chant: “Poch-e-tti-no! Poch-e-tti-no!”

Next up for the United States is Tuesday against Mexico in Guadalajara. In many ways this will pose a tougher test for Pochettino and the Americans. It will be, said Pochettino, “a very complicated match”.

Source Link

You may also like

Leave a Comment