It may have only lasted for 45 minutes, but for the first time in the Mauricio Pochettino era, we saw the potential of what the United States men’s national team can accomplish under the Argentine. While injuries were still an issue, with Tim Weah back in the fold for the first time since the Copa America, Pochettino had the closet thing that he has had to a full-strength starting XI and they exploded in the first half for three goals on home soil defeating Jamaica 4-2 (5-2 on aggregate) to book a place in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals.
The USMNT struggled in Kingston during the first leg but were still able to excel in St. Louis. It’s the Concacaf way to survive on the road and strive at home but that’s what they did. The four goals are the most that the USMNT have scored in over a year. They last scored four in October of 2023 against Ghana before spiraling under Gregg Berhalter during the Copa America, leading to his sacking and Pochettino’s appointment.
In the Argentine’s first camp, the USMNT struggled and lost to Mexico in Guadalajara. Growing pains are to be expected but as the coach begins to instill his ideals, but progress is also expected and facing the Reggae Boyz, that’s exactly what was seen.
Tactical tweaks like starting Yunus Musah on the wing, shifting Tim Weah to the left wing and even Antonee Robinson cutting into midfield in possession like a Pep Guardiola fullback could all be seen against Jamaica and they worked to great effect. It even had the usual dash of Pochettino’s unorthodox methods as it was referenced on the TNT broadcast that Weah was on the left because he’s left-eye dominant. Pochettino has an assistant coach who checks for eye dominance leading, to Weah’s flip.
“We have all a dominant eye, no? And depending on your body shape, you feel comfortable or not, depending where is the line,” Pochettino said on Weah following the match. “What is the goal, what is your position when you receive the ball? Always, we try to check, because we need to understand the player.”
That understanding is where Pochettino is in a ways a progression from Berhlater who was more of a players’ coach but also added expectations and responsibilities for key members of the squad. He’ll want to close out matches better than they did against Jamaica, allowing two goals in the second half of play but that’s also where figuring out what depth players he can trust will be important.
Tanner Tessmann is someone who will emerge from this camp having raised his status in the squad following injuries to Johnny Cardoso and Aidan Morris. He was able to operate well at the base of midfield which could be critical even with Tyler Adams returning to health with Bournemouth. The more depth that Pochettino is able to cultivate, the better that his team will be able to close out matches during grueling international breaks like this one.
One of the reasons for the second-half breakdown is that the USMNT were only able to make one enforced change from the first leg to the second one, Weah coming in for the injured Cardoso. In knockout competitions, this has been a team that has run out of steam due to only being able to rely on the starters pushing them to their limits. Pochettino’s goal will be to extend that to the entire squad so that when the World Cup rolls around, members as deep as 18 of the USMNT roster are able to contribute just as well as others in the first 11.
Next up will be January camp in Fort Lauderdale where the USMNT will face Venezuela on Jan. 18. During that camp, Pochettnio will get to spend time with domestic players such as Diego Luna and really begin to sink his teeth into the American soccer ecosystem. With that break not being during a FIFA international window, members of the standard USMNT won’t be there as they’ll have club duties, but that’s why it’s the perfect time for Pochettino to learn more about the rest of his roster and examine depth.
This is a taste of what the USMNT can do under Pochettino and by the time they take the pitch in the Concacaf Nations Leauge semifinals in March, they’ll be expected to put together a full 90 minutes of soccer to push to win the tournament for the fourth consecutive time. They’re laying the foundation to do just that, it will just need to continue moving in the right direction.
