AUSTIN, Texas — At the very end of Mauricio Pochettino’s roller-coaster first year as coach of the U.S. men’s national team, the Americans might finally be hitting a straight run of track.
No, the USMNT didn’t win Friday’s friendly match here against South America’s second-best team. But after falling behind to Ecuador on a first-half goal, the 2026 World Cup co-hosts showed the heart and determination that had been missing at times during the former Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain manager’s maiden 12 months at the U.S. helm, fighting back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to earn a share of the spoils with Folarin Balogun’s second goal in as many games.
The result doesn’t matter as much as the performance. After a lethargic showing in last month’s 2-0 loss to South Korea in New Jersey, Pochettino’s side has now gone unbeaten against teams in FIFA’s Top 25 for two straight games, the stalemate versus Ecuador coming off a decisive 2-0 victory over Japan to close out the September window.
While it wasn’t a win, Friday was perhaps even more impressive. Ecuador boasts one of the most stout defenses in all of global soccer. They came into Friday’s contest at a sold-out Q2 Stadium having not lost a match in more than a year. They allowed just five goals in 18 World Cup qualifying games in CONMEBOL’s tournament, perhaps the toughest of them all, finishing ahead of mighty Brazil and behind only World Cup holders Argentina. Balogun’s strike was just the second time La Tricolor’s back line had been breached in their last 11 contests.
“When you’re playing a team like Ecuador, from the outside it might seem like they’re not the biggest nation in the world to play, but they are,” U.S winger Tim Weah said afterward. “Finishing second in CONMEBOL is not the easiest.”
“I think it was a good performance from the team,” said fellow 2022 veteran Weston McKennie, who made his first appearance for his country since the Concacaf Nations League debacle in March and ran the show in central midfield with star forward Christian Pulisic limited to a short late cameo off the bench because of a sore ankle. Pulisic entered the field after the Americans had already pulled level.
(Photo by Noah Goldberg/USSF/Getty Images)
Balogun, once again, was superb, despite being matched up against an all-world center back in UEFA Champions League-winning PSG defender Willian Pacho. But it was a total team effort.
Literally.
“You saw the energy that we played with,” said U.S. captain Tim Ream. “That’s something that has been…it’s something that [Pochettino and his staff] have actually preached.”
Pochettino inherited a squad that had grown too snug after greater than 5 years underneath former boss Gregg Berhalter. Since being upset by Panama after which Canada in March, the Argentine has gone out of his option to make his gamers uncomfortable.
“From then,” Pochettino mentioned the day earlier than Friday’s sport, “We begin to work in a really intense manner.”
Now, all of the gamers appear absolutely on board and dedicated to the last word objective: to do all the pieces potential to make a deep run on dwelling soil on the largest World Cup in historical past subsequent summer time.
“For me, it is all the time been an honor to come back in with the nationwide workforce, and I do know for everyone who’s right here, they’ve additionally felt that manner,” central defender Chris Richards mentioned. “However I feel on the subject of on the sphere, we type of need to turn out to be onerous asses, you already know? For too lengthy, we type of knew we had been out taking part in groups, however we’re attempting to do it the beautiful manner. And no, it isn’t all the time fairly. So I feel ensuring that you just’re capable of be nasty when it’s important to be I feel that is one thing that we type of attempt to adapt to our sport.
“Excuse my French, however f*** a pleasant,” Richards added with fun. “You gotta go on the market and do what you could do.”
Clearly, Pochettino’s affect is starting to indicate.
(Photograph by Aric Becker/ISI Pictures/USSF/Getty Photographs)
“I’ve a lot confidence in Poch and what he is capable of do for us,” Balogun mentioned.
It isn’t solely about turning into more durable to play in opposition to, both.
“He is given us so many concepts going ahead, and added a lot construction,” he continued. “I really feel like the boldness we have now in Poch is clearly displaying. And sure, I do assume we’re beginning to construct momentum and get higher outcomes in opposition to these high sides.”
Pochettino – who made his debut on the U.S. sideline, in Austin, virtually precisely a yr earlier – has seen a change inside his workforce, too.
“To play in opposition to a workforce like Ecuador is all the time necessary, as a result of they’re so aggressive, and it helps us to evolve and to develop,” mentioned Pochettino, who deployed a three-man defensive position for the second straight sport. “It was a really severe efficiency, very skilled. I feel we have to enhance in some particulars. However that’s the manner that we need to compete.
“We’re right here speaking about actions, ideas, formations,” he added later. “After one yr, I’m so, so completely happy that we aren’t speaking about different issues like dedication, perspective — issues previously we had been speaking (about).
“I feel that may be a large step.”
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities who has coated United States males’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Comply with him @ByDougMcIntyre.
