How an inexperienced USMNT proved that things are heading in the right direction

The U.S. Men’s National Team has had a turbulent year, with ups and lows. But things seem to finally be settling down for the World Cup hosts. They capped off 2025 with their first statement win under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, a 5-1 drubbing of Uruguay, extending their winning streak to three matches and closing out the year on a five-match unbeaten run.The most obvious turning point is Pochettino’s switch to a back three, though it is not a “full on, stick with it three with the back,” per defender Tim Ream. Since Pochettino’s introduction of this approach during the second half in a 2-0 loss to South Korea, the USMNT is undefeated. This has been the basis of their newfound identity. The USMNT have been adding new layers to their style with each game. This is rooted in a level of intensity that has allowed them to take advantage of Uruguay’s mistakes on Tuesday. Pochettino’s team has spent a year rebuilding the USMNT, and it is almost unrecognizable today from the team that faced Uruguay in a 1-0 loss that ended the tenure of former head coach Gregg Berhalter. The USMNT is starting to see a number of new faces, which is creating a fierce competition for World Cup roster positions.

A national team that is fully committedPochettino took a surprising aggressive approach in expanding the player pool. He called in 70 players in the first year of his tenure and the second. The approach is paying off, with the win against Uruguay on Tuesday being the best validation that the head coach can ask for. The victory highlighted one thing in particular – the group is fully bought in, the player pool’s size making the feat all the more impressive. Pochettino has helped a few players rise through the ranks. Alex Freeman scored two goals against Uruguay.Freeman stated on Tuesday that he felt like Pochettino was very passionate. He also said that if a coach has faith in his player and the coach reciprocates, it builds a strong bond. You can then go all out and be your best. “Having that confidence in a Coach is what I believe gives you the most confidence as a Player. To know that your coach will be there even if you make a mistake. A coach who is intense and not afraid to tell what’s real or not true will also get you to buy in. It will get you to buy into the system. You’ll want to give your best. So I feel that a coach of that caliber means a lot for the players.Freeman knew that Pochettino trusted him right from the start of his time with the National Team.

He said, “You could tell as soon as I met him.” “He brought me aside the first day when I was in Gold Cup and just told me right away what I need to improve on, what I did good so I think having that trust and having that person who was going to tell you – it’s not going to be black and white. It’s great to have someone like him. He will tell you the truth. It’s a good sign that he is going to be honest with you. It’s possible to be very good, so that is a big deal.”Pochettino’s tactical approach – and specifically his strong desire to create a flexible game plan – creates an ideal environment for players, stylistically speaking.Mark McKenzie, a defender, said: “The freedom to solve problems and impose our creativity to make things happen in the context of a match, but I also think that freedom comes with responsibilities to do the dirty, hard work, like moving as a cohesive unit, sliding and shifting, and preventing the opponent from having opportunities. And then, once we reach the final third, and the attacking part, it’s all about finding these opportunities and getting our creative players to play the ball.

Flexibility of tactics and personnelRecruiting a variety of players with varying skillsets has been a tried-and true roster-building strategy for the World Cup. Pochettino, in particular, has relied on this approach recently as live auditions are continuing for next summer’s tournament. Diego Luna’s natural attacking tendencies were listed on the November team, while Joe Scally was rewarded for his versatility with a start in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Paraguay. Freeman played more centrally in Tuesday’s match, while John Tolkin moved to the left wingback position. This only strengthened Freeman’s chances of earning a World Cup place.Pochettino stated, “For me it’s not to our credit.” “We [only] Create a platform for him to demonstrate his quality, but the credit goes to him [for] He scored twice and I am so happy. I think you need to analyze in the way that he plays – he can play like a third center back, he can play forward on the side, go inside. How difficult is it for an opponent to stop him when he has the ball? He can play inside or on the side. When he has the ball, the team is like – it’s like a relief. It’s so easy [he] plays.”A newfound professionalismWith every passing day, new layers take shape within the USMNT, as the deadline for the World Cup opener is fast approaching. It may appear that the tone change is natural, and it is to some extent, but Pochettino said a lot of work was done behind the scenes to create an ideal working environment.

“The way that we are working – the staff, the players, the naturality of the trainings, the way that we live inside the dynamic of the group, it’s all very natural,” Pochettino said. When you talk about a professional group, you are describing a group that is very well-trained. [what the] Last week or 10 Days [were like]. … Not one thing happened – small thing, silly or stupid. The way the players and staff responded to our suggestions and performed, trained and did everything we asked, was incredible. I am very, very happy because reality is better [than] what you think, much, much better – and before was much, much, much different. [It] It was completely different.Pochettino’s constant demands to maintain focus for 90-minutes have been the theme of this week for the USMNT. The head coach was upset by the goal conceded just before halftime, even after the U.S. had a 4-0 lead against Uruguay.”I told during the halftime [break] to the players – number one, I was so disappointed in the way that we conceded and I said that we can put [the game] In danger only [if] We lose our focus, our attention, a bit,” he said. “I said if you accept the challenge we must win the second halves and I told [them] “We won 1-0 in the second half and I believe that this is the way we should be.”

Pochettino is still trying to bring an intentionality to every task. This includes a set piece strategy which allowed the team to score four goals on Tuesday.Freeman stated, “I think we work at it.” It’s our chance to score, so we have to make sure that we are 100% focused. We can’t be half-hearted or take set pieces half-assed. We are 100% committed to it. … For us, it’s very good to be able to score that way.”

2025-11-19 18:42:51