AUSTIN, Texas – Mauricio Pochettino’s debut with the US men’s national team came to life after 48 minutes, and the man who gave it the necessary jolt wasn’t the savior coach; it was the star who should drive Pochettino’s reboot, Christian Pulisic.
Pulisic had a friendly against Panama on Saturday that, for most of the scoreless first half, looked a lot like the USMNT’s Gregg Berhalter era.
But shortly after the break the decisive moment arrived. It started with nine patient cards. Tim Ream pinned a 10th over the top, bottom left. The ball then found Pulisic, who squeezed into the penalty area via a cute 1-2 with Brenden Aaronson. And with the attack’s fourteenth pass, Pulisic set up Yunus Musah for the opening goal of the match – and Musah’s first for the national team.
In second half stoppage time, Ricardo Pepi added a second and the USMNT secured a 2–0 win.
Before and after the goals, the USMNT was unremarkable. The starting line-up was necessarily experimental – as seven regular players were injured and missing, and an eighth, Weston McKennie, was left on the bench.
Pochettino’s 11 were energetic and quickly put pressure on Panama, but they lacked sharpness in the final third, especially in Panama’s penalty area.
The difference was the winger who Pochettino recently called ‘one of the best attacking players in the world’.
Pulisic is in the form of his life for AC Milan in Italy. He is the best striker in Serie A. “He’s flying,” Musah, his teammate for club and country, said on Friday. And he brought the form to Q2 Stadium on Saturday.
He is without a doubt the most important player in the Pochettino project. If there is a revolution, Pulisic will surely drive it. He is a “fantastic player,” Pochettino said on Friday, “a player who will help now and in the future to get the team to the place we want.”
And a day later, Pochettino’s first match secured the point.
Other American players were active. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Aaronson was a pest – and exactly the kind of urgent maniac Pochettino will love. Aidan Morris was imperfect but often neat on the ball and firm against it. Antonee Robinson was his usual buccaneer self.
However, none of them had the quality to find a decisive pass or finish a single chance. Josh Sargent missed the USMNT’s best chance in the first half. In the second, the best chances were for Panama – and American goalkeeper Matt Turner equaled every one of them.
It wasn’t until the 94th minute that Haji Wright set up Pepi for another golden one. Pepi sealed the deal. And Pochettino ended the evening with a round of applause for the fans, who serenaded him with a simple chant: “Poch-e-tti-no! Poch-e-tti-no!”
Next up for the U.S. is a friendly against Mexico in Guadalajara on Tuesday. In many ways that will be a tougher test for Pochettino and the Americans.
