When Mauricio Pochettino named his US roster for the November window, few could have expected that the games would double as his brief lame-duck era. A week of camp instead brought constant media coverage, efficient negotiations and questions about the future of the national team. Come Wednesday, his day job will take him far from the federation’s headquarters in Fayetteville, Georgia, as he hopes to make sense of Manchester United.
Saturday finally allowed Pochettino and his players to get on with the intended purpose of this window, and they took to the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals with aplomb. The US opened their two-leg series against Haiti with a dominant 6-0 victory in front of a considerably pro-Haitian crowd in Miami. Auston Trusty provided the first half’s only goal before Julian Hall, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun contributed to the eventual rout.
Concacaf allowed Haiti to host the match in Miami under an “exceptional hosting arrangement” because of the ongoing political unrest and gang violence in Port-au-Prince.
Pochettino’s penultimate lineup as US manager built on the momentum fostered during the previous international window. Tyler Adams retained the captain’s armband after being named permanent skipper in September, a decision on which Pochettino’s successor would be foolish to renege.
Trusty partnered Chris Richards between the first-choice full-back tandem of Antonee Robinson and Alex Freeman. Pulisic and McKennie made their first international appearances since the World Cup. Diego Kochen and Hall started in goal and at striker, respectively, as two members of a rising generation who debuted en masse in the previous window.
One major evolution under Pochettino led to the game’s opening goal. Midway through his tenure, Pochettino cut into Pulisic’s ownership of dead-ball duties, opening the door to alternatives after the Milan winger had too routinely sent his deliveries into the first defender. Malik Tillman made the most of the change, scoring a pair of direct free-kick goals in the World Cup knockout rounds. It also helped Sebastian Berhalter establish himself in a prominent role, transforming from an uncapped outsider when Pochettino arrived into an every-game option capable of filling multiple roles in midfield.
In the ninth minute, Freeman drew a free kick on the right flank roughly 30 yards from goal. Berhalter stood over it as players congregated in the penalty area, curling his delivery around the crowd and beyond the far post. Trusty arrived without a defender in tow, steering the ball back toward the right post for his second international goal.
Mauricio Pochettino looks on before the United States’ Concacaf Nations League quarter-final first leg against Haiti in Miami on Saturday. Photograph: Leonardo Fernandez/USSF/Getty Images VAR took some time to confirm that Trusty had stayed onside for such an unobstructed run, and the Celtic defender had plenty to reflect on in the interim. It was his first on-field action in nearly a month, having last played on 15 October following the death of his father, Walt. The decision was met with a series of emphatic claps from Trusty as his teammates returned to celebrate with him for a second time.
Still, Les Grenadiers threatened the US with greater attacking ambition than Mexico or Canada had shown in the previous window. Backed by raucous support, Haiti sustained an intense, swarming press whenever the Americans had possession in their defensive third. In the 16th minute, Danley Jean Jacques fashioned a powerful effort after a quick Haitian break, but Kochen parried the shot away from any would-be follow-up. Lenny Joseph found another opening shortly after the half-hour mark, only for Richards to time his sliding block expertly.
The teams converged near midfield around the 40th minute after an exchange between Adams and Josué Casimir, with the Haiti attacker appearing to attempt to slap Berhalter in the face after the US midfielder intervened on his captain’s behalf. Guatemalan referee Walter López ultimately showed yellow cards to Casimir and Berhalter, and the remainder of the half unfolded in disjointed fashion as neither side looked willing to back down.
The second half sustained that intensity, with both teams leaving a little extra in their challenges. Haiti felt they had earned an attacking free kick in the 52nd minute after Tillman brought down Casimir from behind. As the home-away-from-home faithful booed, the US broke down the flank with a decisive sequence of passes, Pulisic carrying into the final third before slipping the ball left to Robinson.
The left back sent it back into the box for the onrushing Hall, whose movement had afforded him time to pick his spot. The 18-year-old comfortably dispatched his effort into the net. Despite making his debut only in September, Hall already has four goals from five appearances for the US, a tally he looks poised to build on for years to come. Only two other American men have scored four international goals before turning 20: Pulisic and Gio Reyna.
Hall’s appearance on Saturday also officially cap-tied him to the United States, ending any possibility of a one-time switch to Poland, who had courted the teenager.
Hall continued to torment Haiti’s center-backs. Five minutes after his goal, he drew defenders toward him before playing a clever backheel into Pulisic’s path. Carlens Arcus tripped the Milan attacker as he tried in vain to reach the bouncing ball. It was a straightforward penalty decision for López.
Christian Pulisic scores from the penalty spot during the United States’ 6-0 win over Haiti in Saturday’s Concacaf Nations League quarter-final first leg. Photograph: JC Ruiz/Getty Images Pulisic made no mistake from the spot, opting for power as he drove his effort straight down the middle while goalkeeper Alexandre Pierre dived helplessly away. The American star peeled toward the corner flag for a smiling celebration with a group of young fans before exchanging high-fives with his teammates.
It was his 34th international goal, drawing him level with Eric Wynalda for fourth on the program’s all-time scoring chart. Their shared position lasted just 32 seconds.
Haiti squandered possession from the ensuing kickoff, handing the Americans the ball inside their own half. Freeman swept a pass into the middle, where Pulisic collected possession and fashioned a shooting opportunity from more than 20 yards out. Pierre could do little to stop it, and suddenly the US were four goals to the good with more than two hours still to play across the two legs.
Much of Pochettino’s tenure has been spent imploring his players never to let up regardless of the scoreline, and the US took that message to heart. McKennie separated himself from Joseph at a 68th-minute free kick, heading home his 13th international goal and his first since 28 March.
Haiti still tried to claw back some of the deficit, catching the young Kochen in no man’s land a few minutes later with a lofted ball over the high US defensive line. The nominal home support erupted as Casimir collected the long ball and found Joseph in the box for a comfortable finish. But VAR determined that Casimir had strayed offside by the narrowest of margins, his big toe enough to negate the consolation goal.
In truth, there was little left to be decided. Balogun appeared to score his first US goal since his ill-fated last-16 appearance against Belgium, only for VAR to controversially rule it out for an apparent infraction. Balogun needed no contact with defenders to make amends five minutes later, gliding between two opponents before strolling into the box and nutmegging Pierre.
Both the disallowed first effort and the legitimate second prompted the same celebration from a smiling Balogun: a pantomime tap of his watch, “it’s about damn time” in so many words.
The rest of the year will likely feel similarly free of stakes. US Soccer is not expected to appoint Pochettino’s successor until the new year, with Olympic team coach Steve Cherundolo poised to handle December’s friendly window on an interim basis. There is something of a somber party atmosphere around the team at present, attacking with fearlessness and showing considerable fight when games get thorny. All that remains for Pochettino before taking over at Manchester United is to see out a 6-0 advantage in Tuesday’s second leg in Cincinnati.