Mauricio Pochettino began his tenure as head coach of the United States men’s national team with a 2-0 victory over Panama, with AC Milan’s Yunus Musah scoring his first international goal on Saturday.
The Argentine coach, formerly with Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, was appointed last month to revitalize a team that had won just one of its last seven matches.
Pochettino’s focus is now on leading the U.S. into the 2026 World Cup, which they will co-host with Canada and Mexico.
Despite having only five days to work with the squad, Pochettino’s tactical influence was already evident.
The team lined up in a flexible 4-2-3-1 formation, with Aidan Morris trusted as the anchor in midfield.
Morris, who was not part of the squad eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America in July, delivered an impressive performance, justifying Pochettino’s faith in him.
The U.S. started the match with energy and confidence, controlling possession but struggling to create clear chances in the final third, a problem that had plagued the team under former coach Gregg Berhalter.
Panama, which had defeated the U.S. in Copa America, allowed Pochettino’s side to dominate possession while looking dangerous on the counterattack.
In the 26th minute, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner comfortably dealt with a long-range effort from Edgar Barcenas, though Eduardo Guerrero went closer with a shot into the side netting.
The U.S. created their first real chance six minutes before halftime when Christian Pulisic set up Brenden Aaronson, whose low shot was saved by Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
Just before the break, Josh Sargent missed a golden opportunity from close range, sending his shot over the bar.
The breakthrough came four minutes into the second half.
After excellent work by Antonee Robinson to keep the ball in play, Pulisic exchanged passes with Aaronson before delivering a cross that was neatly side-footed home by Yunus Musah.
It was Musah’s first goal for the national team in his 42nd appearance.
Panama responded with renewed intensity, forcing Turner to make a double save from Barcenas and Jose Rodriguez.
As the match wore on, the flow of the game was disrupted by multiple substitutions, a common feature of friendly matches.
Panama’s substitute Jose Fajardo nearly equalized with a sliding effort that narrowly missed the back post.
In stoppage time, the U.S. sealed the victory when Haji Wright raced down the left and delivered a low cross that substitute Ricardo Pepi calmly slotted home to make it 2-0.
“It’s a very good feeling.
It was a really, really tough game for us,” Pochettino said after the match.
“Little by little, we are building something.
The objective is 2026, but I’m happy because we were solid, and it was a very professional performance.
We competed in a very good way, but it’s only the first step toward improvement,” he added.
AFP
