The U.S. men’s national team ended its 2025 schedule in empathic fashion.
Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring, Alex Freeman added a brace, and Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann both added insurance goals as Mauricio Pochettino’s squad routed Uruguay 5-1 in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday night. The result was the USMNT’s 11th victory of the year in all competitions, which also extended their current unbeaten run to five matches.
Berhalter gave the USMNT a 1-0 lead after 17 minutes, delivering his first international goal in style. Berhalter laid off a pass to John Tolkin on a free kick from the left flank before a return pass from Tolkin was stroked off the right post by the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder.
Three minutes after taking the lead, the USMNT would double their advantage on a set-piece once again. Berhalter’s corner kick was headed home by Freeman, who celebrated his first senior goal for the program.
Things got even better for the USMNT as Freeman scored his second goal of the half after a quick counter attack. Timothy Tillman won possession on a crunching tackle in Uruguay’s half before watching Auston Trusty play Freeman into the box.
The Orlando City defender’s shot deflected into the back of the net, making it 3-0 to the hosts.
Luna added his name to the scoresheet in the 42nd minute, slotting home a cutback pass from Tillman into the bottom-left corner. It marked Luna’s eighth goal contribution of the year (four goals, four assists), breaking a tie with Malik Tillman for the most in the USMNT squad.
Uruguay ended the USMNT’s shutout hopes in first-half stoppage time as Giorgian de Arrascaeta delivered an overhead kick into the bottom corner. A defensive breakdown from Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie allowed Uruguay to gain possession in the final third before a cross from the right flank found de Arrascaeta for an acrobatic finish.
Uruguay’s slim comeback hopes ended in the 64th minute as midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur saw a straight red card for a rough tackle on Berhalter.
Tanner Tessmann became the latest to score his first USMNT goal, guiding Gio Reyna’s dangerous cross past Fiermarin for a 5-1 scoreline. It marked Reyna’s second goal contribution of the window.
Defender Mark McKenzie wore the captain’s armband for the first time in his USMNT career while goalkeeper Matt Freese did not need to make a single save. Brenden Aaronson, Folarin Balogun, and Cristian Roldan also earned minutes off of the bench.
The USMNT’s next international window will take place in March 2026, three months before the FIFA World Cup kicks off.
Fitst, congrats to the team! BUT
I hate being the cold water guy,and even though we won both games, we did give up sketchy goals in both. Sure the bicycle kick was supernatural but the lead up was a farce. Paraguay’s goal was just awful. Next Summer the games will be intense and our guys will not be able to flow as well as they do in friendlies. If we can’t stop gifting our opponents opportunities we are going to be on the wrong end of 1 goal games and be Fort tobsettle for ties instead of wins. I really hope poch makes 0 SOG against us the goal of our next set of friendlies because that is as important a metric as SOG, time of possession etc.
To me that isn’t being cold water; you’re providing your opinion and analysis which is just as valid as anybody else’s on this site. Here are some of my related opinions. Freindlies are exhibitions. The results matter if you aren’t hosting a WC because they are used for FIFA ranking which are used for seeding. Since US is hosting, the 5-1 win against Uruguay means no more than the loss to South Korea and a lot less than the Nations League loss to Panama. Having said that, as a fan it is much more fun to watch them win than lose. The win against Uruguay isn’t a statement mean because statement wins can only be made in competitive games of which there are actually very few. The players that beat Paraguay were collective better and the Paraguay team appeared to be much more concerned with flopping around on the ground pretending to be hurt than playing soccer. That is agame the US should have won and they did. The Uruguay players collectively didn’t look very good, but being down 3-0 after 20 minutes completely changes a game so for me it is hard to draw a lot of conclusions based on the competition. Either way, I enjoyed watching both games.
as i said on another thread, i blocked a similar bike attempt with my face in adult league. it takes cajones. our backline remains a little soft and not particularly fast. the paraguay goal was just we couldn’t even stay with the speed of play when they played kickball over the top. scally and mckenzie aren’t with their players and ream is like 5 yards back of them offering less help.
Hopefully Poch has done away with the misconception that we need a national team coach that “understands our culture,” and so on and so on. We did not have a culture of winning under GGG, etc. Klinsman tried to do it but our player base wasn’t ready for it as they were primarily MLS based players—the soccer equivalent to living in their parents’ basement. Plus, he wasn’t a very good coach. We need to be challenged, not coddled. I’m excited for next summer!
i am not joining in the rah rah until we do a style consistently window to window. i liked this urgency to goal and in the tackle. the problem is typically when the first choice comes back so does tentative berhalter ball.
all due respect to the coach-butt-kissing but in the past there seemed to be more of a consistent “way” about things. and if they veered off it they got woodshedded at halftime and came back out fixed.
OK…at some point I decided it was a mistake to hire Pochettino. I decided however good he was as a club coach his transition to a first time international coach was a failure.
Man was I wrong. The evidence over the last few games has shown that he WAS actually playing 4D chess.
When I saw this lineup I was like – Dang it Poch, really??? Sacrificing these poor guys to your mentor? Well, that was not the case. The B squad killed (and killed because of the Gold Cup, probably because of the experience learned as they got smoked by Turkey and Switz and because of all those camps I hated). I was also wrong when I saw Reyna starting against Paraguay. I thought Poch was deliberately setting him up to fail. He is going to be so rusty and tired. Reyna has barely played soccer for three years. I thought after this Poch will have put the Reyna talk to bed and can move on unless Reyna catches fire big time at BMG. I was wrong again.
I’m sold! I’m all in! In Pochettino I trust! Dude is a mastermind. I kneel before him and kiss the ring!
Turkey and Switz, thanks Betinho lol 😆. Now I am craving a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich 🦃 🧀 🥪
The coach has the advantage of watching players in practice and hours and hours of video. I was doubtful, too of some of his personnel decisions, but he obviously saw things the ordinary fan couldn’t or didn’t.
He will ultimately be judged by most based on how the team does in the WC. The choices were only Gregg, Jesse, Henry, and Vierra when they rehired Gregg and Poch became available by the time they fired Gregg. Regardless of how they do at the WC, he is probably the best coach of those five so he is probably the best coach the US could get even if they do end up crapping out of the WC.
Excellent game, glad we switched to three in the back.
Were we playing 3 in the back? It looked like two center backs to me, with Freeman playing on the right and Dest playing as a winger/wide midfielder.
Paraguay beat Mexico (Who only scored on a penalty)
Uruguay tied Mexico (no goals that game)
USMNT played with TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TEAMS (A,B, K OR Q TEAMS, IT DOESNT MATTER!!!! LOL)
…….and this group of players racked up a bill of SEVEN GOALS…..BEATING BOTH TEAMS (Paraguay and Uruguay) CONVINCINGLY. BBRRUUHHHH……
Lets not read tooooo much into this, BUT I’M NOT SAYING….I’M JUST SAYING LOL
Now that players know NOBODY’S SPOT IS A GUARANTEE, every single player is putting in a 120% shift. Wow…..
WITH TWO DIFFERENT LINE-UPS, the USMNT hasn’t looked this dynamic, organized and structured in 2 back to back friendlies, (THAT ARE NOT MINNOWS,!!!!) ever!!! EVER!!!!
THE BEST PLAYERS DO NOT NECESSARILY MAKE THE BEST TEAM…..with the way things are going, there will be some players that are playing at top teams, that were REGULARS in the past, that will not necessarily make the 26 man roster.
CONGRATS USMNT!!!!
This is hardly the first coach to say nobody’s spot is guaranteed. What was more ballsy than leaving Donovan off the WC roster? From what we saw in this game, I think the difference is players working well together, seamlessly and some unexpected outstanding individual play. What I like is how well the US moves the ball with a lot of quick interchanges, passes that are not ticky tack nor over the top long bombs, but 10 to 20 yards long so that the ball can move quickly with accuracy and players finding holes in the defense and using ball movement to open up the opponent. I think Pochettino must run some great practices with a lot of emphasis on that style.
let’s be clear Gary, Klinsmann didn’t leave Donovan off for footballing reasons. I don’t even think it had anything to do with Donovan taking a sabbatical for mental health reasons, but because JK harbored feelings of resentment towards LD and let his pettiness from the time he brought LD over to Germany and vouched for him to be signed with Bayern Munich, and Donovan didn’t want to stick it our overseas, which pissed JK off. Before that World Cup, Donovan won the Golden Boot at the GC, was clear of everyone in that tourney, and it was also reported that Donovan was one the best, and fittest players at the pre world cup camp that JK used to select his team for the WC
dude, he was the one xeroxing berhalter call sheets when he first started. the normal way to create the intensity he seeks is you cut half the regulars first game on the job, and declare day 1 — not a year later — that the ones who “show up and perform” will keep their jobs. his tenure was unusual in the high percent of continuity to the predecessor. and they stayed in their funk while that persisted.
or did i imagine 4th in nations league and a stuttering gold cup second place?
We’re taking 26 guys…23 outfield players.
Strikers (3)
Likely In: Balogun, Wright, Pepi
Still In the Mix: Agyemang, Downs
Likely Out: Sargent, White, J. Morris
Forwards (4)
Likely In: Pulisic, McKennie, Luna
Still In the Mix: B. Aaronson, Zendejas, McGlynn
Likely Out: P. Aaronson, Sullivan
#10’s (2)
Likely In: M. Tillman, Reyna
Still In the Mix: T. Tillman
Likely Out: Busio
#6’s (4)
Likely In: Adams, Tessmann, Roldan
Still In the Mix: Berhalter, A. Morris
Likely Out: Cardoso, Musah, Sands, de la Torre
Wingbacks (4)
Likely In: Jedi, Dest, Arfsten, Weah
Still In the Mix: Tolkin, Scally*
Likely Out: Fossey, Harriel, Parades
Centerbacks (6)
Likely In: Richardson, Ream, M. Robinson
Still In the Mix: McKenzie, Trusty, Banks, Blackmon, Scally*
Likely Out: Zimmerman, CCV
Some guesses:
*I think both Zendejas and Brendan Aaronson are both on the roster, one as an extra attacking player. (We get three extras and one will almost certainly be a striker, and Aaronson can play as a #10 as well as a winger, and Zendejas being an inverted left-footed, right-sided winger is too attractive. I think both are in if everybody’s healthy.)
*Whether as a CB or WB, I think Scally makes it. If Jedi doesn’t make it back, I think Scally’s in as a LB. Even if Jedi does, I think he’s in as a right-sided CB because he also gives you cover as a WB.
That still leaves one spot open, sort of a “wild card” – somebody you bring in because: hey, who else brings something we could use situationally, something no one else has, something that could help us? I could see Agyemang with his size, energy, and ability to hold up the ball. I could see Jack McGlynn with his epic passing and dead-ball ability. My inclination, though, is that we bring five guys who can play D-mid…which I suspect means both Berhalter and Aidan Morris make it.
Injuries will definitely have a say. Timothy Tillman has definitely put himself forward as a guy who could get a nod if anyone in front of him goes down, and it might be more likely than not he’s on the final roster.
Freeman
Whoops…yeah, that’s a fairly glaring omission, though my sense is he’s the fourth lock at CB in a three-man line. If you pointed a gun at me, I’d tell you he likely starts at RCB, with Dest in the advanced right wingback position.
Again, Freeman came out of nowhere and is kind of a shock to me, but his ceiling is plainly through the roof. I actually think Ream, Richardson, and Freeman are the three starters in that three-man back line.
Another thing that could end up being fascinating is what happens with Jedi if he comes back. We sort of have it in our heads he’s the starting left wingback ahead of Arfsten…but is he? Jedi’s 6″4 and a Specimen, and you wonder if with that knee of his if he’s truly suited to going up and down the field for miles every game. I could legit see him as a LCB. Arfsten could well wind up a starter, whether or not Jedi comes back or not. Which again…is shocking.
“We sort of have it in our heads he’s the starting left wingback ahead of Arfsten…but is he? Jedi’s 6″4 and a Specimen, and you wonder if with that knee of his if he’s truly suited to going up and down the field for miles every game. I could legit see him as a LCB. Arfsten could well wind up a starter, whether or not Jedi comes back or not. Which again…is shocking.”
quozzel,
I’m not a doctor but Jedi was reported as having severe tendinitis. Basically his knee is worn out. As far as I know the only cure is rest. Fulham tried to bring him back this season but it appears he’s not recovered yet.
He was arguably one of the best left backs in the EPL last season when he went down so this is a big deal to us and to Fulham.
You want him to move to LCB and basically become Tim Ream like anyone can just do that but that’s not what Jedi does. He was basically the perfect left wingback last season and that is a different thing entirely. Now if he comes back in a different position he’s going to have to reinvent himself and that takes a little time.
It’s clear Pochettino , who is much smarter than I am, is planning for life w/o Jedi, as he should. Jedi might be done at this level for this cycle and perhaps forever..
I agree with most of what you have here, we’re pretty much on the same page with the “locks” and “still in the mix”, but I get the feeling that Scally is out. He wasn’t called in for camps before the GC, was left out of the GC, omitted from camps after the GC and when he was called up for this camp he didn’t perform well vs Paraguay and didn’t see the field against Uruguay.
If I’m picking the CB’s to go to the WC, which I believe will be 5, and the Wingbacks(4), here is my list:
CB’s
Richards
Ream
Freeman
McKenzie
Trusty
I chose Trusty over Miles Robinson because I think we need a left footed CB who can give you what Ream can, even with not as much experience as Tim Ream has. Trusty really impressed me vs Uruguay, his ability to split lines with his passing, his quick decision making on the ball and he was aggressive going into tackles and clearing balls away(although I’ll admit he should have done better heading the ball away on Uruguay’s lone goal).
WB’s
Dest
Jedi
Arfsten
Weah
But this is based on today and 6 months is an eterniry in soccer. I hope he is able to bring in 35 players for a camp and watch them for a week before picking his roster and then he will be able to get the players in the best form at that time. I think it was Johnnyrazor that said he wouldn’t be able to do that because of when final rosters are due but I think I remember a camp like that before every WC except the last one because it was held in winter during the European seasons. I don’t think Scally is out for sure yet but he is going have to play great for club to get another shot whereas I would say Gio could play 0 minutes for club between now and the WC and will still be on the final roster if healthy.
CBs: Richards, Ream, MRob, McKenzie. Trusty, Freeman, Scally, CCV
WBs: Dest, Jedi, Arfsten, Weah, Tolkin
DMs: Adams, Tessmann, Roldan, Morris, Berhalter, Johnny, Sands
AMs: Pulisic, McKennie, Reyna, Aaronson, Luna, MTillman, Zendajas, Musah
CF: Balo, Wright, Pepi, Agyemang,
That’s 32 for 23 spots, I’m probably forgetting someone as well.
Its a 26 man roater.
I only listed field players, you have to have 3 GKs. That feels like Freese and 2 others.
GK: Freese, Turner, Celentano, Schulte, Klinsmann, Kochen, Brady. I didn’t list them originally because I don’t think many care beyond Freese and Turner.
I think the biggest fight for a spots will be between Luna, Zendejas, and Aaronson.
You could also throw Banks in there.
Tillman and Pulisic are locks. Reyna and Luna in driver seats. Zendejas will probably get another shot in March.
If Pepi gets back to form the three strikers are pretty much set. But Agyemang is still in play.
Adams, Tessman, Roldan, Mckennie are locks. Berhalter, Johnny, Morris, Scally fighting for two spots.
Freeman, Richards, Ream locks. All the rest are fighting for maybe two spots.
Weah, Dest, Arfsten locks. Jedi getting healthy and playing will make him a lock.
I meant Sands not Scally. And if Musah starts playing that will.make things interesting.
2tone: I didn’t add Banks because he hasn’t played. One camp, got injured. I suppose there is a chance he does well at Augsburg and gets a March invite, but I think he’ll need injuries to others to open some space. Yes, I agree timetable for CCV will be tight but I thought if I left him off someone would complain. I think Scally’s only shot is as a CB.
Also hard to see CCV actually returning.
Do we think Bielsa will be the manager by Wednesday afternoon?
Thinking the same…ironic if Poch costs him his job
Panama, Curacao, and Haiti your qualifiers! Who had that parlay three months ago. Haiti’s second qualification (1974) and Curcao’s first. Costa Rica and Honduras are out. Jamaica and Suriname face off against either Bolivia or New Caledonia with a final matchup against DR Congo or Iraq.
Wow. Didn’t see that coming.
amazing
Stoked for Haiti! For sure my second team this WC
HA! EE! TEE!
I wish I could celebrate with my old neighbors in El Portal, Miami.
They must be so excited!
As the 2025 window closes…..I think we are all in agreement that Pochettino was the right choice by the USSF to coach this team for the World Cup.
– The system he is deploying has this team playing very attractive soccer, The tactics emphasize precision player and ball movement from everyone, and it is working well.
– The team plays a very effective press to win back possession
– He has made the right choices for his roster selections. He opened the door for a lot of players, including a few lesser known MLS players, and many of those have delivered strong performances.
– He backs up his statement that playing time is earned. Notable players like Musah (who took the summer off) and Cardoso have been left out.
It will be interesting over the winter months to see the effect Pochettino’s efforts have on these players in their club seasons. I’m sure the message being taken home is to make an impression and get noticed at your clubs in order to stay in the running to warrant a selection in March of 2025.
“Notable players like Musah (who took the summer off) ”
Musah did not lose his place because he took the summer off.
He lost his place because he’s been playing like crap for some time now. He’s also unlucky enough to be playing a role where a lot of really good talent has just emerged.
CP took the Gold Cup off but unlike Musah, he has remained ridiculously productive.
Freese is at best, mildly lame but his competition has been even worse.
Never discount the importance of luck.
Would Musah had a better luck of getting noticed if he chose to play last summer? No question. His move to Atalanta was ill-advised, as he rides the bench most games. Perhaps the same could be said for Cardoso with his move to Athletico Madrid.
I don’t think Jesse Marsch agrees with you so probably not everyone. I used to argue on here with Vac that rehiring Gregg was a smart decision by USSF if they didn’t want Gregg, Henry, Vierra, or Marsch coaching at the 2026 WC because he was the only one of those 4 they would be able to replace before 2026 due to the lack of meaningful games. Poch was not an option and was not interested when Gregg was rehired. I don’t think I convinced him but if they had hired anyone other than Gregg at that point, I am convinced they would still be the coach now. US could get unlucky and get grouped at WC and Canada could get very lucked and do great, but IMO Poch is a much better coach than the four other options they had.
Great performance.
Mexico losing 1-0 to Paraguay.
What a performance. Good job lads. Freeman is a lock at RCB. His ability to defend and attack as well as break through the lines with a quality pass or dribbling is great to see. And his Athleticism is extremely needed. His camp will be recieving many calls.
I think it’s too early to say he’s a lock to start there, but he can play 2 spots, which probably locks him into the 26.
And probably sends Scally out of the picture
He is a lock as long as he stays injury free. Elite Athlete who chose soccer. We will be seeing more of that in the coming years.
So you think the starting backline will be Freeman Richards Ream?
I don’t think three in the back is set in stone. If Trusty continues to play and improve at the club level the US has some dexterity Further dexterity is Freeman being a CB on the right. Poch is going to decide on how he can get his best players all on the field. A healthy Jedi and Dest could bring back two CB? Freeman can still play RB but shift to third CB and yet go forward better than Dest. So lots of options with various physical attributes
I would love to see this back 3 and wingback tandem start in the WC:
Freeman Richards Trusty
Dest Jedi
That was fun to watch.