The U.S. men’s national soccer team produced its best performance of the brief Mauricio Pochettino era on Monday, hammering Jamaica, 4-2, in the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal.
After winning 1-0 in the away leg on Thursday, the USMNT easily advanced to the semifinal with a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Christian Pulisic led the way with a brace, with Ricardo Pepi scoring yet again to give the U.S. a three-goal lead before halftime to end the tie as a contest.
Pochettino won’t be pleased with his side conceding two goals in the second half, but Tim Weah continued his recent hot streak with the USMNT’s fourth to provide the final margin of victory.
Here are three takeaways from a mostly excellent display at CityPark in St. Louis.
This is Pochettino ball
When U.S. Soccer decided to fire Gregg Berhalter this summer and open up its check book (with some notable help) to hire Mauricio Pochettino, this was the kind of performance it had in mind.
Against an admittedly weakened Jamaica side, the USMNT was dominant, ruthless, and suffocating in St. Louis — at least in the first half (more on that in a moment).
The USMNT’s first two goals were both the product of sensational build-outs, while the third came from a turnover high up the pitch. The fourth again saw a slick passing move finished emphatically by Weah.
Antonee Robinson started at left back, but the Fulham star spent much of the game playing central midfield with Weah flaring out wide left. The tweak gave Jamaica fits, with Robinson creating central overloads in possession and helping the USMNT win the ball back quickly when it turned over.
Pochettino, who has emphasized quickly winning the ball back after losing it, would have been especially pleased with the third goal from Ricardo Pepi — the product of a turnover high up the pitch and a ruthless finish from the in-form PSV man.
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Pulisic climbing the ranks
Christian Pulisic is 26 years old, and now only three USMNT players are ahead of him on the team’s all-time goals list.
Pulisic scored his 32nd and 33rd career USMNT goals on Monday, passing Eric Wynalda for fourth place as he continues to cement his reputation as one of the greatest men’s players this country has ever produced.
The AC Milan star now trails only Jozy Altidore (42 goals) and co-leaders Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan (57) on the all-time scoring charts.
Pulisic also became the fastest USMNT player to 50 goal contributions with his double on Monday.
At the rate Pulisic is going, there may be zero doubt who the national team’s GOAT is when his career comes to a close.
Second-half struggles
Though the game — and the tie — was mostly over by halftime, Pochettino still won’t be pleased with his side’s display in the second half.
Jamaica outscored the USMNT 2-1 in the second period, with Demarai Gray’s double souring what was an otherwise stellar night for the home side.
Defensive breakdowns led to the Al Ettifaq winger having a banner second half, as he found himself unmarked on his first goal and put home a rebound after another defensive breakdown for his second.
The USMNT has conceded four goals in four games in the Pochettino era, with three of them coming in the second half. That is a trend that the coach will need to correct as the team turns the page on 2024.
