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USMNT's Sebastian Berhalter celebrates after curling in his first international goal to set the tone Tuesday early against Uruguay.
MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO via Getty Images
TAMPA, Fla. — A year that began with acute growing pains, with questions about the coach’s acuity for international soccer and with doubts about a trumpeted generation of U.S. national team players ended in emphatic fashion Tuesday with a masterful, goal-filled performance against a celebrated opponent.
Seven months before the World Cup, the United States scored four times in a 25-minute stretch of the first half and routed Uruguay, 5-1, running its unbeaten streak to five.
True, it was just a friendly — a far cry from the high-stakes rumbles staged across North America next summer. But for a U.S. team still finding its way under Mauricio Pochettino — and missing six probable starters — the stunning result at Raymond James Stadium was thrilling and uplifting.
Sebastian Berhalter, who has been with the national team for all of five months, scored a terrific opening goal. Alex Freeman, a defender who’s been with the national team for all of five months, scored the next two, the first assisted by Berhalter. Diego Luna, a midfielder who’s excelled under Pochettino this year, added the fourth before halftime.
Substitute Tanner Tessmann added a goal midway through the second half in the program’s highest-scoring outing against an opponent from the South American confederation.
Both the result and the performance will undoubtedly buoy a team seeking to continue growing ahead of next summer’s spectacle on home ground. After finishing the set of fall friendlies against World Cup-bound teams with a 4-1-1 record, the Americans will not regroup again until March for reported high-end tests against Portugal and Belgium. Pochettino will name his 26-man World Cup roster in May.
With the next camp four months away, Pochettino’s plan for this get-together was to start almost all his outfield players over two matches. He made nine changes Tuesday, meaning every non-goalkeeper except striker Ricardo Pepi, who doesn’t play major minutes for PSV Eindhoven, received a starting assignment.
The only holdover starters from Saturday were goalkeeper Matt Freese and right back/winger Sergiño Dest. For Dest, who has gradually returned from a 2024 ACL injury, it marked his first back-to-back U.S. starts since November 2023.
Among Tuesday’s starters seeking to improve their standing in the field of World Cup candidates were left back John Tolkin, center backs Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty, midfielders Berhalter, Aidan Morris, Timmy Tillman and Luna.
For Pochettino, the match brought special meaning because he was coaching against his mentor, Marcelo Bielsa. They’ve known each other 40 years, dating to when Bielsa helped recruit him to Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys. Later, Pochettino played for Bielsa on the Argentine national team.
“He's a person that was really important in my young journey, when I started to play football,” Pochettino said Monday. “My respect is massive. … He inspired me to keep pushing, trying to be a coach.”
Pochettino also said he expected his team to “suffer” against a Bielsa-led opponent, especially a strong South American side that arrived on a six-game unbeaten streak. The lineup featured Barcelona’s Ronald Arajúo, Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte and Manchester City’s Rodrigo Bentancur but also included goalkeeper Cristopher Fiermarin in just his second appearance.
From the start, there was no “suffering.” The Americans set the tone and scored early on a pair of set pieces.
The first goal was a gem. A set-piece specialist, Berhalter sent a premature free kick from the side edge of the penalty area into the 6-yard box, with the ball eventually ending up in the net. Referee Julio Luna instructed him to take it again.
Expecting a similar delivery, Uruguay did not mark Dest near the top of the box. Berhalter played it short to Dest, who touched it back to Berhalter for a sensational, 16-yard one-timer to the far side-netting – his first international goal in nine appearances.
Three minutes later, Berhalter was at it again, this time on a corner kick that found Freeman leaping above Bentancur on the back side of the six-yard box for a header into the left corner for his first goal in 13 U.S. games.
After Uruguay hit the crossbar, Freeman scored again in the 31st minute. Tillman’s brilliant tackle forced a giveaway. Trusty touched the ball to Freeman, who, with quick and clever footwork, cut inside one defender, got inside another and struck a six-yard shot that deflected off a defender and into the net.
Eleven minutes passed before the Americans scored their fourth goal. Tillman’s cross was deflected into the path of Diego Luna for an easy, 12-yard one-timer. The last time the United States scored four goals against a team from outside Concacaf was October 2023, against Ghana in Nashville. That, too, featured four goals before halftime.
Amid U.S. sloppiness, Uruguay answered just before the halftime whistle on Giorgian De Arrascaseta’s spectacular bicycle kick from 7 yards.
Uruguay went down to 10 men in the 64th minute when Betencur was shown a red car for a studs-up challenge on Berhalter.
In the 68th minute, seven minutes after entering, Tessmann headed in substitute Gio Reyna’s pass for his first international goal.
The night could not have gone much better for Pochettino and his players, who are growing in confidence with each camp.
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