Mauricio Pochettino handed Tanner Tessmann his first U.S. men’s national team start on Thursday night and the 22-year-old did not let his manager down.
Tessmann logged a strong 88 minutes as the USMNT defeated Jamaica 1-0 in Kingston as the two teams opened up their CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal series. The Lyon midfielder earned SBI Man of the Match honors as he rarely put a foot wrong in the shutout victory.
Starting alongside Johnny Cardoso, Tessmann led all players in fouls drawn (three) while also completing 92% of his passes and winning four of five duels. Despite Cardoso being substituted off before halftime, Tessmann continued to hold his own as the USMNT rode an early first-half lead to a crucial road win.
Tessmann has enjoyed a larger role at club level this season in France, which certainly has boosted his confidence coming into camp. Thursday’s positive outing will only further boost Tessmann’s chances as the USMNT returns home for Monday’s second leg in St. Louis.
Tessmann edged Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, and Matt Turner for Man of the Match honors.
What did you think of Tessmann’s overall performance? Do you hope to see more of him in the starting lineup going forward?
Share your thoughts below.
Poch taught me a little something with the pairing of Tessman and Johnny. I was scratching my head, thinking why have 2 6’s who might struggle against pace. But together they gave us such a presence in the middle, composure on the ball, and controlled the game with their passing. The game completely changed when Johnny came off. Not sure if that’s a measure of his importance or an indictment of his replacement Tillman.
what I saw was that was a tough matchup for Tillman, so physical; don’t think he sees that at PSV, and our region is whacko rough and tough, but that’s just my opinion. he can grow from that, adjust. I hope he sees the field tomorrow so we can see. Cardoso has not always matched up well, and struggled tho not last game. Maybe the depth is the key to allow Poch to match up instead of settling on a best XI; maybe we don’t have a best XI (or there about) but instead can play best matchups consistently as the team evolves. interested to see what Poch does with our depth, not that it’s elite depth, but there is more depth than ever
Tessmann’s a guy I’ve been high on for awhile now. He does so many things well – he’s got a relentless motor, he’s physical, intense, technical, smart, and he can absolutely hammer it from distance. He’s got almost the range of a Michael Bradley but is even bigger; at 6’3″ Tessmann’s the size of a CB, and yet he’s really technical and crafty with the ball. He’s also a really great long passer and very aware, and is one of the better mids in the American pool at finding the killer ball. He’s also a high-character team-first guy in the mode of a Walker Zimmerman and will run through a brick wall for the squad.
I figured he’d make it in France with Lyon and he’s already proving me right…personally I think he’s eventually Premier League quality if he wants to be; he’s very likely going to have a good long run in the Top-5 leagues, whatever. Add it all up and I see a potential future US captain.
Quozzel
“He’s got almost the range of a Michael Bradley but is even bigger;”
Range?? Michael was somewhat versatile but not that versatile.
I hope Tanner is aiming higher; he has a chance to be better than MB90.
Your praise of him in this game is a little over the top. He showed a lot of promise and I think had a decent game but he’s got a ways to go yet. You like his size but Jamaica have a lot of good tall trees themselves so they can cancel that part of him out.
“Range” meaning his ability to cover distance, not his versatility. Bradley was a guy who could cover every blade of grass on the field. Tessmann’s similar in that regard.
Quozzel,
By the way, if Tanner is to progress he may want to do it someplace besides Lyon.
“Olympique Lyonnais have been handed a provisional relegation from Ligue 1 due to their financial situation, which has seen the club’s debts reportedly rise from €458 million to €508 million. The club are owned by John Textor and his Eagle Football Holdings group, which also has a 45% stake in Premier League side Crystal Palace.”
Textor is an American.
I think you might have missed the first half? Where tessman was so horrid that several teammates were visibility frustrated with his inability to do simple things. He got better though!
strong 88 minutes for a first start in a hostile atmosphere. Hiccups here and there but one of the more productive performers on the night
Simple but accurate. We rush to anoint. He has work to do, experience to absorb, reps to polish, but he and Johnny looked like a good pairing. We really started losing the battle when Johnny came off. I do not think he will be a star, but I can see him becoming a high level piece. Which is a high compliment. High level, competent pieces are what lol th stop teams are about outside of their superstars. I hope Johnny is OK. Would love to see more of those two on the field at once.
TK, I agree that we need those kind of players. I always think of James Milner for England. Not flashy, but seemed to never put a foot wrong. Another guy like that is Kimmich for Germany although he is a bit flashier than Milner. Kimmich does equally well in midfield or RB. A Robinson is close to filling that niche. You don’t have to worry much when the ball is on our left flank.
That game was unwatchable. No one on either team could complete a pass without the ball popping up to their ankles, due to the field conditions, and both teams looked gassed after 80’. I’m almost willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
I just don’t understand why Ream is here. Isn’t the whole point to build a squad for 2026? Ream will be almost 39 by then. He had a great 2021-22 but he’s always been slow and it’s gotten worse.