With puffed cheeks, pursed lips and crossed arms wrapped around his technical area, he had one of the most recognizable faces in club football, an unfamiliar sight of the America badge on his lapel.
At the final whistle, his brow furrowed with joy in a 2-0 win over Panama in his first game in charge of the U.S. men's national team, Mauricio Pochettino walked onto the field with a wide grin, gleefully shaking hands, backslaps, hugs and handshakes with everyone in sight, from players to officials to cameramen. .
The former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager would not have been hired if America had been solid and on the way up, so Saturday's result and performance, imperfect as it was, represented an immediate boost after a summer of setbacks. There were smiling faces on the pitch and in the stands of a noisy and nearly packed stadium. After a string of poor results and a group-stage exit from the Copa America, the U.S. somehow looked flustered and flustered, which was a positive. is different.
Under Pochettino's predecessor, Greg Berhalder, America was immersed in an eternal learning process, always on a journey towards constant excellence, but never quite achieving that prestigious goal, despite a core group, many of whom were young when he took over. -20s.
The 2026 World Cup is only 20 months away, and with the number of international windows remaining before the tournament in the single digits, now is the time for some progress. Berhalter developed the raw materials; Pochettino had to mix them, cook and serve them for two summers. Better to do better.
“I think it was a very professional performance and I think we're happy because I think everything [targets] We said before the game, I think we got it, I think it's an important win,” Pochettino told reporters.
After all, Panama torpedoed Berhalter's long tenure with a 2-1 victory in June. Five losses in 11 games in 2024, the most losses in a calendar year since 2019, Berhalter's first year. The U.S. has won just once in its last seven matches in this friendly at Austin's Q2 Stadium, against South America's worst team, Bolivia, in June.
It's not a record that America is CONCACAF's dominant force and has the potential to go deep in 2026 – a belief, of course, that helped the former Argentina defender leave the club scene for his first foray into international management. .
Following his exit from Chelsea, Pochettino would have been offered a job at another top European club long ago. Instead he was in front of a crowd of 20,239 in Texas, leading players of varying ability for a confederation. A gift tapped from a Floridian hedge fund billionaire and Republican megadonor whose annual salary is reported to be $6m.
Pochettino observed in 2022 in Paris, where he coached Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, the maneuvering of superstars created problems. “Too much awesomeness” is not an issue in this role. Only Christian Pulisic, who has scored six goals in nine appearances for Milan this season, is in that category.
Injuries to first-team regulars have necessitated Pochettino's line-up to focus on players who have been marginal contributors under Berhalter. No Gio Raina, Tim Wee or Fowler Balogun to spark the attack. No Tyler Adams or Weston McKenney in midfield or Sergino Test and Chris Richards in defence. Interestingly, Tim Ream captained the team a week after his 37th birthday. Does Pochettino believe Reim can contribute at the World Cup despite his age? Did he want some senior leadership to provide stability in his first game? Did he have limited alternatives? Yes.
Up front, Pochettino started Norwich City's Josh Sargent, who smashed an easy chance over the bar from eight yards in the first half. In doing so, Sergeant remains – like Chris Wondolowski before him – a prolific goalscorer in a second-tier league who has established a sobering sense that he cannot reliably replicate his form for the national team. The 24-year-old last scored for the United States in 2019.
However, he would have looked a better bet to find the net than Younes Musa, who was deployed as a defensive midfielder by Berhalder. A busy but ineffective first half reminiscent of the previous Boche era, unable to contain or carve out decent and dynamic opposition, saw Musa score the first goal under the new management: his first international strike in his 42nd cap.
After the newsletter promotion
A break from the past: Pochettino deployed Musa on the right wing and gave him license to attack. The coach said it was an attempt to revitalize a player who has seen fewer minutes for Milan this season. “[We] He tried to build his faith from a different position than he started in the past. I think it's a good result,” Pochettino told reporters.
Creating a 49th-minute goal was a refreshing change, with evidence of the teamwork and calculation so often lacking under Berhalter that the defense seemed to have few attacking plans beyond asking for a speedy winger and capitalizing. From any confusion. It was stunning in a good way to watch Musa finish the six-yard box (a run Sargent was expected to make) as if he was making a cross from his club teammate Pulisic. It was for the rest of his life.
Panama then piled the pressure on the USA and had two good chances to equalize before a relatively straightforward breakaway goal in injury time sealed victory. Here, too, the sign of the scorer represents a departure from previous struggles, a time of new possibilities. Substitute Ricardo Pepi had not scored for his country in 11 months but his shot found a way through the goalkeeper's legs. Matt Turner's shut-out and two crucial saves saw his career in England go down a blind alley and sense of redemption.
The situation could change as Pochettino's honeymoon comes to an end: his intensive training sessions and high-pressing style seem to wear down the footballers as the players become sidelined and disillusioned, and as the season wears on and they carry knocks. Club sport naturally absorbs most of their time and provides almost all of their income.
The mood could also change Tuesday when the U.S. visits Guadalajara for a friendly against Mexico, as the Americans haven't played a match outside their home country since last November.
But despite the blemish and elements of luck, the win was crucial for a team that lost to Canada and drew with New Zealand in last month's friendlies under an interim coach. It creates more confidence in a manager whose past achievements already ensure respect from players and fans, and it points America in a different, better direction.
