John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
The United States men’s national team begins the Mauricio Pochettino era on Saturday against Panama.
The friendly serves as a starting point for the new USMNT head coach, who needs to have the program running at full speed by the time the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes around.
A majority of the USMNT’s matches between now and the World Cup will be friendlies because it has already qualified for the World Cup as one of three host nations.
Saturday’s contest is the first of two games in the October international window against a continental foe. The Americans face Panama in Austin, Texas on Saturday and then head to Mexico for a clash with El Tri on Tuesday.
Date: Saturday, October 12
Every major storyline regarding Saturday’s match involves Pochettino.
Which players will he use in his first starting XI? What will his system look like? How will the players adapt to the system in a short amount of time?
Everything will not be perfect right away, but the time for growing pains has to be only a few matches because of how little time the new manager gets with his players.
The USMNT players arrived in camp on Monday and Tuesday and will only have a handful of days to adapt to Pochettino’s style of play.
Pochettino will utilize either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation that demands a lot of high pressing, a tactic that some players in the USMNT squad should be used to already.
Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie will be the two focal points of whichever lineup Pochettino decides to put out on Saturday in Austin.
They will be two anchors of the USMNT XI at the World Cup, as should Antonee Robinson at left back, but there are plenty of tough decisions to be made elsewhere on the field.
Pochettino needs to decide who his No. 1 goalkeeper and top striker are, a debate that raged on throughout the Gregg Berhalter era.
Matt Turner has the most caps among the four goalkeepers in camp, but Zack Steffen, who is back with the USMNT after a two-year absence, could be in contention for the starting role on Saturday. Ethan Horvath and Patrick Schulte are the other two keepers in camp.
If the forward decision was based solely on form at the club level, Josh Sargent would be the clear pick to lead the attack.
Sargent has four goals for Norwich City in the English Championship, including two tallies in his last two games.
Ricardo Pepi has three goals for PSV Eindhoven this season, but he’s started once since the September international break, Haji Wright has one goal in his last eight appearances for Coventry City and Brandon Vazquez owns three goals in 12 games in the current Liga MX season for Monterrey.
Pulisic is the hottest scorer amongst the entire group. He found the back of the net in four straight games for AC Milan and has five goals in seven matches this season. He will start in a supporting role directly behind the starting striker.
An in-form Pulisic is terrific for the Americans to have at the starting point of the Pochettino era. At minimum, a strong performance from the American captain is expected, no matter what the tactical setup is.
Panama is using the match to gear up for the rest 2026 World Cup qualification in November. It plays the USA and Canada in the next week to prepare for November matches against Belize and Nicaragua.
Panama is typically in the second tier of Concacaf squads and it is expected to reach the third round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying and eventually make the World Cup.
Beating Panama would be seen as a step in the right direction under Pochettino since the Americans lost the last matchup between the two sides back at the Copa America this summer.
A win is expected to kick off the Pochettino era, and while it may not be perfect, a few positive signs of where the program is headed should be on display on Saturday.
Prediction: USMNT 2, Panama 0
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Publish date : 2024-10-11 00:51:00
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