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Mauricio Pochettino wins in first game with USMNT

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Mauricio Pochettino wins in first game with USMNT

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Mauricio Pochettino's first game with the U.S. men's national team was a win.

Saturday night's 2-0 win doesn't seem like much of a shock considering Panama is ranked 37th in the world, 19 places behind the Americans. But given the USMNT's struggles over the past few months, which have seen them go winless in seven of their last 10 games this year, including the last four, they will take every win possible.

But the USMNT has more to offer as they missed a few chances in the first half on Saturday night before Yunus Musah broke through in the 49th minute. Tim Ream sent a looping ball down the field to Antonee Robinson, who controlled it on the sideline before passing it to Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson then traded a back-and-forth exchange before Pulisic found a charging Musah, his AC Milan teammate, in the penalty area. Musah put the ball into the net for his first goal in 42 games for the USMNT.

Matt Turner kept the lead by parrying two shots from close range in quick succession in the 52nd minute. He knocked away the first shot, but it fell to another Panamanian player and Turner made a save to block the second shot. Panama threatened again late on, but José Fajardo's shot went wide. Ricardo Pepi then gave the USMNT a decisive goal in stoppage time.

The USMNT now travels to Mexico, where they will play arch-rivals El Tri in a friendly on Tuesday night in Guadalajara. Pochettino's first competitive game will take place next month, but the opponent (and venue) for the Nations League quarter-finals has yet to be determined.

The home game will take place on November 18th in St. Louis.

After a miserable performance in this summer's Copa America, including only its third-ever loss to Panama, US Soccer fired Gregg Berhalter and took on Pochettino. It was a bold – and expensive – move to bring in one of the most successful managers in European club football for his first national team job, but the federation had no choice. The United States is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, and US Soccer hopes it will provide a similar boost to the sport here as the tournament did in 1994.

Although football has a much higher profile today than it did 30 years ago, it lags behind the NFL and NBA and the talent pool is still not as deep as it should be in a country of this size. A deep rush in 2026 could change that — but not with the direction the USMNT is headed.

Pochettino has repeatedly said that this first camp was about getting to know the players and, just as importantly, the players getting to know him and his staff. He didn't make any major changes to his first lineup, but raised some eyebrows when he left starter Weston McKennie on the bench.

The USMNT actually looked more energetic than they have this summer, but the first half was the same old sloppiness. Robinson sent a dangerous cross in front of goal in the opening minutes of the game, but there was no one there to hold on to it. Towards the end of the half, Josh Sargent ran something that looked like a gimme.

But the USMNT found a way to win, something they haven't been able to do much lately. That alone makes Pochettino's debut a resounding success.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armor on social media @nrarmour.

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