Walking through the technical area with puffed cheeks, pursed lips and crossed arms, one of the most recognizable faces in club football appeared, with the unfamiliar sight of a USA badge on his lapel.
After the final whistle, his brow was not wrinkled with joy after a 2-0 victory over Panama in his first match as coach of the United States men's national team. Mauricio Pochettino ran onto the pitch with a broad smile, happily giving gifts to everyone within arm's reach, patting them on the back, giving them hugs and shaking hands with everyone, from players to officials to the cameraman.
Had the United States been in solid form and on track, the former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager would not have been hired, so Saturday's result and performance, while imperfect, provided an immediate improvement after a summer of setbacks. There were many smiling faces on the pitch and in the stands of the noisy and almost full stadium. After a string of poor results and an exit from the Copa América group stage where the USA somehow looked both tumultuous and numb, that was a positive. Miscellaneous.
Under Pochettino's predecessor, Gregg Berhalter, the United States was mired in a perpetual learning process, always moving toward consistent excellence but never achieving that cherished goal, even as a core group, many of whom were teenagers when he took command, entered the mid 1920s -20s
Now it's time for some progress, with the co-hosts just 20 months away from the 2026 World Cup and the number of international windows remaining before the tournament dwindling to single digits. Berhalter sourced the ingredients; Pochettino has to mix, cook and serve them for two years. Preferably done well.
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“I think it was a very professional performance and I think we are happy because I think all (goals) that we set before the match, I think we achieved and I think it's an important victory,” Pochettino told reporters.
Panama finally torpedoed Berhalter's long tenure with a wince-inducing 2-1 victory in the Copa in June. The U.S. has lost five times in 11 games in 2024, the most losses in a calendar year since 2019, Berhalter's first year. Entering the friendly at Q2 Stadium in Austin, the United States had won just once in its last seven games, in June against Bolivia, South America's worst team.
It's not a record that fits with the view that the United States is the dominant force in Concacaf and has the potential to go far in 2026 – a belief that certainly helped convince the former Argentine defender to leave the club scene and embark on his first international adventure manager .
After leaving Chelsea, Pochettino would surely soon be offered a job at another top European club. Instead, he was in Texas in front of 20,239 fans, steering players of varying skill levels for a promotion that hit on a gift from a Florida hedge fund billionaire and Republican Party megadonor to cover his reported $6 million annual salary.
Pochettino observed in 2022 that in Paris, where he trained Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar, an excess of superstars was creating problems. “Too much awesomeness” won't be a problem in this role. Only Christian Pulisic, who has scored six goals in nine appearances for Milan this season, is in this category.
Numerous injuries to first-team regulars meant that Pochettino's squad was necessarily a chance to get a look at players who had made marginal contributions under Berhalter. There was no Gio Reyna, Tim Weah or Folarin Balogun to spark the attack. No Tyler Adams or Weston McKennie in midfield or Sergiño Dest and Chris Richards in defense. Interestingly, Tim Ream became team captain a week after his 37th birthday. Does Pochettino believe that Ream, despite his advanced age, could contribute to winning the World Cup? Did he want veteran leadership to provide stability in his first game? Did he have limited options? Yes.
Up front, Pochettino started the game with Norwich City's Josh Sargent, who sent an easy chance over the crossbar from eight yards in the first half. In doing so, Sargent perpetuated the sobering feeling that, like Chris Wondolowski before him, he is a prolific second-tier goalscorer who is unable to reliably replicate his form for the national team. The 24-year-old scored his last goal for the US national team in 2019.
Still, he would seem a better bet to score than Yunus Musah, employed by Berhalter as a defensive midfielder. After a busy but ineffective first half, reminiscent of the pre-Poch era when they were unable to tame or break down a decent and energetic opponent, Musah scored the first goal under the new management: his first international goal in his 42nd appearance.
There was a break from the past: Pochettino placed Musah on the right wing and gave him permission to attack. The coach said it was an attempt to revitalize a player who has had limited minutes for Milan this season. “(We) tried to build his confidence, maybe starting from a different position than he has started in the past. I think it was a good decision,” Pochettino told reporters.
The 49th-minute goal was also a refreshing change, with evidence of the teamwork and calculation that was often missing under Berhalter, when there seemed to be few offensive plans beyond asking the calm winger to charge the defense and hope for a profit. before the chaos that may ensue. In a good way, I was irritated by Musah racing towards the six-yard box (a run you'd expect from Sargent) to finish off a cross from Pulisic, his club teammate, as if he'd been doing it his whole life.
Panama then put the USA under pressure and had several good chances to equalize before scoring a relatively simple goal in stoppage time to seal the win. Here, too, the identity of the shooter suggested a departure from previous struggles, a period of new opportunities. Substitute Ricardo Pepi had not scored for his country in 11 months, but his shot sailed past the keeper's legs. A shut-off and some important saves from Matt Turner, whose career in England seems to be heading towards a dead end, also helped me recover.
The atmosphere could change once Pochettino's honeymoon is over: when the players become marginalized and disillusioned, and later in the season, when they are tired and taking a beating, and when his intense training sessions and high-pressing style of play seem to be a grueling challenge for the players , whose main focus is naturally on the club game, which consumes most of their time and provides almost all of their income.
The mood could even change as early as Tuesday, when the United States visits Guadalajara for a friendly against Mexico, which should pose a tough test, especially since the Americans haven't played a game outside their home country since last November.
However, despite the setbacks and elements of good luck, the most important thing was the victory for the team, which lost to Canada and drew with New Zealand in friendly matches last month under the care of an interim coach. It builds greater trust in a manager whose track record already ensures he commands the respect of players and fans, and points the United States in the direction of something different, something better.
