CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christian Pulisic was in high spirits, describing himself as “relaxed but just energized.” Breaking a lengthy goalless spell in the U.S. men’s national team’s 3-2 triumph over Senegal on Sunday played a significant role. However, it wasn’t the sole reason for the uplifted atmosphere. With the World Cup only two weeks away, the team seemed to be gaining momentum at just the right time.
Approximately 18 months after Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the national team, his tenure has been marked by challenges that seem to be stabilizing. A clear vision was evident as the U.S. squad started energetically, with Sergino Dest scoring by the sixth minute. Despite Senegal’s efforts to claw back into the match, they couldn’t shift the game’s momentum. Although the match was not flawless, as evidenced by mistakes from Miles Robinson and newcomer Chris Brady, which allowed Sadio Mane’s second goal, it provided insight into the USMNT’s potential World Cup identity. The short story? An entertaining team, if all goes as planned.
Historically, the USMNT hasn’t been known for its offensive prowess, partly due to the player pool available to past coaches. Yet, Pochettino, who made a name for himself in the English Premier League with Southampton in 2013-2014, is known for his preference for high-intensity play, particularly on the flanks. Although not consistently effective for the U.S. team, Sunday’s match hinted at a potentially successful strategy for the World Cup.
“We cannot complain or say nothing. Perhaps Paraguay, Uruguay, and today showcased the right attitude and commitment from everyone,” Pochettino commented, referring to the 2-1 victory over Paraguay and the 5-1 win against Uruguay last November. “This is the mindset we aimed for from the start. Whether it’s an official or friendly match, we need this approach to improve.”
Pulisic personified this renewed spirit by ending a 22-game goalless streak during a productive week leading up to the World Cup camp. Pochettino always backed Pulisic, confident that the goals would come. Like the team overall, Pulisic’s performance, which included assisting Dest’s goal, came at an opportune moment.
“Christian’s performance in those 45 minutes was outstanding,” Pochettino remarked. “He still has a lot of potential to unleash, but his work in training from day one was evident. His energy, commitment, and attitude in training shaped how he played in those 45 minutes.”
The good news for the team as a whole, though, was that the goalscoring burden was always going to be shared. Pulisic earned the headlines on Sunday but Ricardo Pepi was right there with him, playing an important role in the build-up to Dest’s goal and notching the assist on Pulisic’s. It is the latest example of Pepi’s rise – nearly four years ago, he was left off Gregg Berhalter’s World Cup roster and was likely one of the final cuts but he admitted Saturday that he used the exclusion as fuel. He arrives to the World Cup in the form of his life and is angling for a starting spot once the tournament begins despite once being seen as a capable understudy to Folarin Balogun.
“I thought he was really good today,” Pulisic said about a longtime teammate. “I though he was just in a lot of good areas and he was always a bit of an outlet for us and finding good plays and making the right decisions and passes and goals will come from him, for sure, because he’s in the right places. I was really happy for him today.”
Pepi scored 19 goals for Dutch champions PSV this season, a career-best tally that may earn him a move to Premier League side Fulham this summer after a deal was nearly completed in the winter. He has seamlessly integrated himself into Pochettino’s attack-minded team despite limited exposure to it, playing just one international game in 2025 while dealing with injuries.
“It was difficult because we didn’t have too much time to work with him because he suffered several different types of injuries and then when he was with us, he wasn’t his best,” Pochettino said. “I think now we are seeing a different player that we saw during the 18 months … I am so happy because I think exactly, with his capacity, today him, Balogun or Haji [Wright] – who didn’t play today – I think we have a group of offensive players or strikers that I really like.”
Pochettino has a wide range of options available to him in attack in three in-form forwards with varying skillsets, a perfect fit for a coach whose stylistic preferences suit those players. He may be the benefactor of great form with that trio but he decided to run with a tactical innovation of his own with Dest specifically. Dest has always been formally listed as a right back but his skillset is overtly attack-minded, Pochettino seeming to acutely understand the nuances of his crafty game with the role he assigned the player on Sunday. Dest was essentially free to do as he saw fit, his preferences allowing the USMNT to go off to the races – he pressed high up the pitch, the rest of the team charging in to overwhelm a rotated Senegal defense. He sometimes hovered in more central positions, which is why Pulisic picked him out of the opening goal in the first place, Dest coming up with a finish suitable for the role he played.
“We know he’s so dangerous in the attacking [positions],” Pulisic said. “He can defend but he’s so dangerous. It causes so many problems with his dribbling, his passing and today getting in the box, it’s a really big quality.”
Even after Senegal equalized early in the second half – and after Pochettino made 10 changes at the break – the USMNT did not relent. Their third goal came courtesy of Balogun and the U.S. ultimately outdid the visitors 15 to seven in shots and 2.66 to 1.74 in expected goals. It marks an exciting reinvention of the USMNT, who look like a Pochettino team two years after sliding into mediocrity under Berhalter’s watch.
One game does not change the narrative on this U.S. team, especially given their propensity for dramatic and unfavorable performances and results. They have slipped into a different mode this last week, though – the stress of making a World Cup team now behind them, the USMNT players seem much happier to focus on the task at hand, at long last.
“It felt good,” Pulisic said with a noticeably lighter tone than usual, even as he maintained a business-like approach to his answers. “It felt good in a lot of ways. I’m sure guys are really happy to have made the roster now and now they can just hopefully be themselves and just try to take it all in and enjoy this summer.”
