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USMNT grinds out tough win over Panama in Pochettino’s debut

The U.S. men’s national team enjoyed a winning start to the Mauricio Pochettino-era on Saturday night in Austin, Texas.

Yunus Musah’s first senior goal paired with an insurance finish from Ricardo Pepi helped the USMNT defeat CONCACAF rivals Panama 2-0 at Q2 Stadium. Christian Pulisic continued his impactful run of form for club and country by setting up Musah for a second-half finish while goalkeeper Matt Turner registered a three-save clean sheet.

After early pressure from Panama, the USMNT settled into the match and eventually got things rolling in the final third.

Josh Sargent had a golden chance to boost the hosts in front before halftime, but failed to slot home past Orlando Mosquera. Pulisic stole possession on Panama’s side of the field before springing Sargent into the final third, however the Norwich City forward’s effort was punched away.

Musah boosted the USMNT in front in the 49th minute, capping off a superb team play from the Americans.

Antonee Robinson created space on the left wing to connect with Pulisic in the final third. Pulisic’s 1-2 pass with Brenden Aaronson saw the AC Milan attacker race near the end line before crossing into the box for Musah to one-time home for his first USMNT goal.

Sargent came close to doubling the USMNT’s lead quickly after the restart but again was denied by a diving Mosquera.

Turner kept the USMNT in front after making a double save to deny Panama an equalizer. Edgar Barcenas’ curling effort was punched wide by Turner before the Crystal Palace goalkeeper repelled Jose Rodriguez’s follow-up chance.

Defensively, the USMNT did everything they could to keep Panama off the scoresheet, blocking several efforts and racing back to defend in numbers.

Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, Tanner Tessmann, Haji Wright, Alex Zendejas and Kristoffer Lund all featured off the bench in the second half.

The USMNT wouldn’t allow a shot on target the rest of the way, earning their first clean sheet since June 23 (2-0 Copa America win vs. Bolivia).

Wright and Pepi connected for the USMNT’s insurance goal in second-half stoppage time, as the PSV forward slotted home his 11th senior goal.

Mexico awaits on Tuesday in Guadalajara for the USMNT’s final friendly of the October window.

Comments

  1. I think the way it played out was that Jedi pushed forward so often that anyone could be forgiven for thinking this was a 343, Also, Musah was playing more forward than the other 2 mids and Aaronson was mostly playing deeper than Pulisic and Sargent so when attacking it looked more like 3 2 3 2. Defending it looked more like a 433 or maybe 442. Whatever, you want to call it, it was dynamic and the players had a lot of leeway.

    It reminds me of the advice on positions Bradley gave when he coached some youth teams. For development, he advocated 3 in the back so they had to take responsibility for organizing and defending, 4 in the middle whose job was to win the ball, and 3 up top who were instructed to do the chasing. This also gave 5 players, the 3 forwards and the 2 outside mids free rein to attack.

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  2. if/when both Dest and ARob are available, will be interested to see how Poch does it; still with ARob pushed so high and Musah (in this case) wide on the other side in the spaces Dest like to operate? or adjustments?

    I would bet adjustments, making us more flexible and unpredictable, to go along with what he rolled out last night; had some USWNT Coach Emma looks to it ( I know it’s not just them)

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    • it is an interesting question how much was adjustment to circumstances and how much is The New Basic Plan. we shall see. if it was a Pla B i would give the man some credit in that unlike GB he didn’t just pout and trot out the same look when confronted with adversity.

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  3. I want to give a shout out to the officiating crew, I thought they were good and controlled the game and were relatively consistent, led by Katia Garcia from Mexico. It’s just a friendly, but I am hopeful

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      • haha wish I could buy you a beer some time Bac

        well we’ll see what happens in the next one, how long the Poch honeymoon lasts

        they are the third team on the field

    • Not for nothing but I kinda rolled my eyes when I saw all female crew from Mexico but count me pleasantly surprised, they did a good job.
      I’m anxious to fast forward to see how he works a healthy Dest opposite Jedi

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  4. JR,

    Your guy Morris looked like he belonged. He was not perfect but it’s clear he’s improving. Better that he’s doing this with Pochettino than with Jesse.

    Busio also looked better than he did the last time he played for the senior team. Hopefully this game will give both of them a boost.

    Panama is a good team and are very well coached. So Panama and Mexico (hopefully) both are turning out to be good tests.

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    • I thought he grew into the game, some mistakes early with not understanding where his teammates were or they not understanding where he wanted them to move to.

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      • he looked pretty good, a couple of turnovers in that middle channel area trying to squeeze balls in between lines and gaps, but he also did that successfully often, some tight spaces but his distribution was precise and on time and well weighted, and his decision making generally good, just can’t try to squeeze it thru when it’s not there imho especially in Mexico, they get so may whistles already. I thought he played well, and for stretches controlled the game, its tempo, or was at least key to it. strong guy, let’s see how it goes next

  5. i barely remember busio being out there. i thought his former club teammate tessmann was doing a much better job staying active, and running to give people passing lanes .

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    • If you could have morphed the two together. Tanner was active, but once he got the ball he was holding it too long and put the US in danger with deep turnovers. Busio made a couple nice passes that created offensive opportunities but then disappeared for big stretches.

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  6. i thought sargent was fairly useless per usual. couldn’t get on the early headers. didn’t take the silver platter chance he was given, he did have one good play where he got to face goal and come in from the wing dribbling at the defense which i see as more his value.

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  7. did poch have musah playing GB’s adams idea? like central DM on defense then sometimes slid right wide on offense to mirror jedi on the left.

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  8. mckenzie, to me, can be sluggish getting back and he nearly got burned for one.

    i really hope that’s not the central back 2.

    i also expect that MF to be churned, that was underwhelming and primarily driven by the frontline and wingbacks.

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    • Which is a pretty good synopsis of the best we can expect to get from him. He ain’t young- his distribution is what it is. Most players have an area with limitations, but it is less than ideal to have a starter on a national team with an important aspect of his game that is not only limited, but downright poor. (The same applies in the PL and will get you riding pine)

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      • Vacqui, to your points, Poch was noticeably supportive of Turner on the sideline, both vocally and with applause. on one particular instance, he applauded him hard after Turner, with no options, played the ball high and wide to ARob, which didn’t;t come off, but good decision and execution on his part; it was not a middle channel hopeful boot to no one

      • as someone who had an accurate long leg and took goal kicks for keepers for years on into college, that goal turner gave up off the goal kick this summer drove me nuts. personally i don’t like to do all that work and stop teams and either have the ball zooming right back at me in 2 seconds because of a poor/short kick, or to have to build 120 yards from my own endline. i wouldn’t mind going short if i saw someone wide open but i prefer to play it like the second goal, send it past the half circle and play on the other end of the field. there are plenty of good NT who don’t see that as at odds with skill soccer.

        and i really dislike the arrogance of trying to encourage a high press by a short ball and try and break it. to me the more passes and risktaking a build assumes the easier it is to stop.

        anyhow, i generally disliked that angle ball to the sideline. you have to put air under it to avoid interception but get the ball quickly back down, at height just right to flick on and not be out of bounds over and over like turner was doing. there is no room adjust and get under the ball, any steps back and you’re out. and you screw it up and it’s like a football kickoff return that gets to your end of the field. not as bad as the kick literally coming right back at you but close enough. you don’t want to routinely be handing back 35-40 yard out throwins right when you had a shot to release the pressure valve. and because it’s a contested header the opposing thrower is standing right there.

  9. It was a game and the US scored twice and Panama zero. Before the game Pochettino said some things like more intense, have fun, blah, blah, same things new coaches always say. It was the first game, so it’s too early to reach any conclusions, but it’s better than losing. Considering how rarely we win in Mexico (as in once), Tuesday’s game will be a better indication if there is any immediate improvement. Maybe by the conclusion of the Nations League we will have a better idea of where the team is and how far it will go.

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    • he also made a klinsiesque comment about players need club PT then started guys with a mix of such opportunity, including turner

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      • That was before he saw them all 4 in camp.
        Turner is the best of bad bunch.
        And he played well. If the guy you start plays well that justifies your choice.
        Because this is all about pragmatism.

        He also said the USMNT needed to help these players. Turner looked more confident and maybe this performance will help him get a move from Palace so he can get regular time

      • he kind of talked out of both sides of his mouth. he apparently also said we might use guys we liked who weren’t getting club time. that doing so might boomerang back and get them more interest from club if they played well. one reason i am meh on club form is that used to be standard US practice. already know who your good players are, and if they aren’t an absolute sloppy mess but are in club trouble, be part of the solution instead of deepening problems.

        i agree with you in the sense i have been saying drop all these backups and bring in fresh faces. you get the actual best players in and i think you get stronger competition for the roster and positions. part of what protects some of the shakier starters is the weird options called in around them.

      • IV,

        “he kind of talked out of both sides of his mouth.”

        Easy for you to say.

        All coaches do that. It’s unavoidable, especially when you have this many new to you players to evaluate in a fairly short period of time . Did you attend the camp and did you put the keepers through their paces?

        I doubt it because you believe that the decision should have been made on the starter before they ever got to camp. And it might have been, we don’t know. Obviously Pochettino does not have access to your resources so he had to go the old fashioned route of relying on recommendations from reliable human beings and then bringing the best of that bunch to camp. Beachbum pointed out that Pochettino was very supportive of Matt. That makes sense because Matt is very much a confidence player. In terms of taking charge and being in command, Matt is arguably the best of the four. His distribution will never be A+ but I don’t remember Hugo Loris being the best distributor ever. If Matt can get himself to a reasonably high level club where he is the #1, I can see Pochettino settling on him. Whoever starts the Mexico game will tell us a lot.

        “he apparently also said we might use guys we liked who weren’t getting club time. that doing so might boomerang back and get them more interest from club if they played well.”

        ” one reason i am meh on club form is that used to be standard US practice. already know who your good players are, and if they aren’t an absolute sloppy mess but are in club trouble, be part of the solution instead of deepening problems.”

        What used to be standard US practice?

        We all know who some of the good players are but since the USMNT pool is , comparatively speaking, mostly players who are still developing, who your “good players” are can and will fluctuate. The form and careers of players do not always progress in a linear fashion. And their form is not static. But you don’t believe that, because you think Julian Green should still be on the USMNT because he scored a vital World Cup goal in 2014, ten years ago.

        Pulisic is our best player but it was not very long ago that he was a washed up and injury prone reject. Milan bought him on the cheap. Then he has a recovery season and now beginning what may well be a breakout season there.

        But he is an exception. Only Jedi is close to him for consistency and accomplishment. And they are the only two who are consistent about translating that form to the USMNT.

        There is no consistency and reliability from any other player who plays at more or less the same level with CP and Jedi.

        Pochettino is trying to simplify playing for the USMNT. He’s started with fitness. That is an easy enough parameter to set. Pass our fitness test and you play. NO? Then we send you home.

        This is more complicated than building your select team but it starts out with some simple criteria and Pochettino is establishing them now.
        That’s why he’s sending CP home before an allegedly vital El Tri game. He needs to show that he is serious about load management something he understands thoroughly having managed a whole lot of important international players over the years. He need look no further than Gio whose career has been nearly destroyed by injuries received while on USMNT duty. Gio’s injury issues have not been good for the USMNT.

        Deschamps could sit down and tell you who France’s best 11-16 right now are. And it might be even better after this season ends. But regardless they will have few holes if any.
        Pochettino would have a harder time, not because he is not as smart as Deschamps or you but because a lot of our players are still developing and by the end of the current season, that list for the USMNT could be very different. Right now for example, our list of CB’s is underwhelming but it might be a lot better at season’s end.

      • V, anyone who ever even briefly gets benched knows “reading the room” at that point is important. what are the ground rules. what does he want. does he want me here.

        he did in fact say 2 potentially contradictory things.
        you need to get club minutes. but i may ignore that and play you to give you time and your club a show. what i get out of it is if he likes you then so what about club form. i am fine with that. but perhaps if your NT fitness or performances suck, there will be consequences.

        which is more how it used to get done. club form got you first caps. after that, if i like you, you are here on NT form. you keep playing well NT i will platform you and maybe help you with club. you play badly NT there will be consequences for rust and lack of fitness. mckennie got shipped out without a minute.

      • IV,

        “he did in fact say 2 potentially contradictory things.
        you need to get club minutes. but i may ignore that and play you to give you time and your club a show. what i get out of it is if he likes you then so what about club form. i am fine with that. but perhaps if your NT fitness or performances suck, there will be consequences.”

        You might get in the door through a sound set of stats or you might get in because the coach has a hunch about you. Some coaches are more rigid than others but in the end they are all human.

        It does not matter. What does matter is that once they let you in the door you have to produce if you want to stay in.

        I don’t know why they started Matt over the others and I don’t really care why. Versus Panama Matt did enough to at least warrant future consideration.

  10. Didn’t realize how much Sergino Dest provides with his flair and creativity from RB. This team just does not click like it does when Dest is in the team. Can’t wait until he is back. The drop off in quality to Scally really is immense.

    At least Poch starts off with a win.

    Another kind of blah performance from the team.

    Also maybe Pulisic should move to the RW which may be his best position now. He just attacks the defense better from RW. Much more unpredictable at RW then he is on the LW.

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    • Yeah, but I don’t think Poch was playing Scally the way he’d play Dest…at all. Poch started in his usual 4-2-3-1 that then morphed into what’s essentially a 3-4-2-1 in possession…which is very typical of Pochettino’s squads. But normally with Pochettino’s teams what you’ll see is he gets there by having both outside backs push up to wingback while in possession, while the more defensive-minded of the two co-6’s will drop back and essentially play as a centerback. The two wings will then tuck inside and play as co-10’s while the 10 drops back into the box-to-box shuttler role.

      Here’s where Pochettino showed he’s just miles and miles ahead of Berhalter, though…and adapted to the personnel he had. (Imagine that!) With Fossey banged up and with Scally’s skillset, Poch didn’t have a right fullback who could play well as a wingback, so instead of pushing up as one, Scally stayed home, and Musah stayed wide instead of tucking in like Poch’s wingers usually do.

      And both guys did what was asked of them very well. Scally’s always been a really stout and tenacious defender and Panama got very little on his side of the field. IMHO, Scally actually likely solidified his spot in the squad…as a centerback.

      It’s fascinating watching how a top-tier coach solves problems. From another coach’s perspective, though: Pochettino showed exactly why he’s such a rock star last night. The man can flat coach, and it jumped off the field at you.

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      • Scally plays 3 man backline at Gladbach. Berhalter and Varas were using players wrong and in that thrash non effective 4-3-3 they kept trotting out which gave awful results.

      • I wouldn’t get all that excited about Pochettino’s team beating Panama at home. That’s the type of game you should win fairly comfortably. Don’t forget it wasn’t all that long ago we beat them 5-1 in a home game. In the Copa America we were controlling the game until Weah’s red card.

    • Scally has played RB/LB for Mochengladbach more than any other position. He played a little CB for them last year when Itakura was hurt and at Asian Cup, but he played just as much wingback last year. Hutter, Farke, Rose all would switch around from a 4 back and 3 back to match their opponents with Joe usually being used as a WB in the 3 and a FB in the 4. The new manager has only used a 4 back with Joe always playing RB. It’s far too early to tell but what I saw last night wasn’t drastically different from how BJ used him against Canada in ‘23 NL final or Gregg used him against Brazil and Colombia this summer against Diaz and Vini Jr.

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      • JR,

        Your guy Morris looked like he belonged. He was not perfect but it’s clear he’s improving. Better that he’s doing this with Pochettino than with Jesse.

        Busio also looked better than he did the last time he played for the senior team. Hopefully this game will give both of them a boost.

        This game showed me is that Panama is a good team and are very well coached. So Panama and Mexico (hopefully) both turn out to be good tests.

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