Could this game, one that offered some semblance of momentum, be a defining moment for Pochettino and the USMNT?
COLUMBUS, Ohio – If Mauricio Pochettino could have designed the perfect response in his head, this would have been it. A 2-0 win over a good, but admittedly rotated, Japan team on Tuesday night was exactly what the U.S. men's national team required.
Goals from two players, Alejandro Zendejas and Folarin Balogun, seemingly fighting for more? Check. A tactical switch that might just be an answer, both in the short- and long-term? Check. And a strong performance from Christian Pulisic, who finally put the summer drama in the rearview mirror with an important assist? Another big check.
This week, so much talk has centered around the USMNT's trajectory. Pochettino admitted it partly began in March, in losses in the Nation's League that served as a wakeup call. Could this game, one that offered some semblance of momentum, be a shift in the other direction? Could this be the start of a new path, one that looks a lot better than the one the U.S. has been on since the spring?
"This game and life, it's all about sliding doors," USMNT veteran Tim Ream said postgame. "It's about either stepping through them or not. You take moments and experiences on board and you move on. I think for us, it's just a process to go through. It's a process to get to a World Cup. There are moments. There are ups and downs. I've been playing a long time and it's never smooth sailing.
"There are times when things don't go your way and times when you can do no wrong. That's the way the game is. Maybe you look back on it and say 'OK, that was a defining moment' and some may look at this as a defining moment."
That answer will come down the line but, for now, it's, at the very least, a step. It was one that the U.S. needed. It was one Pochettino and Pulisic and plenty of others needed.
"Things happen as they're supposed to happen," said Pulisic, who spoke to reporters for the first time since returning to the USMNT from his controversial summer, which included skipping the Gold Cup. "This is where we are now. It's important for us to take this game and feel good about it. But also look back and see a lot of things we can still improve on."
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Lower.com Field.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Christian Pulisic
The South Korea game last weekend, a 2-0 loss, was Pulisic's long-awaited return to the USMNT after a chaotic summer. Tuesday felt like his proper re-emergence. This was Pulisic near his best and, and that makes the USMNT a much different team.
The stuff from the summer? It may not be totally behind everyone, but it feels backburner. That's what good soccer can do. Good soccer can cure things, remind everyone that, at its core, that this is supposed to be fun.
"I love this team. It's everything to me," Pulisic said postgame. "I've been here for quite a long time, getting to see some new guys, getting to bond with some old players, even seeing [Cristian] Roldan again, like it's so cool for me.I thought he was great today as well. For me personally, I don't feel like a step was lost. I love being around the team. I had a great time."
Bygones are bygones? Time will tell, but still, Pulisic needed this performance to drive that message home and, perhaps remind a few people why he's so important for this team. This performance was nearly complete. The only thing missing was a much-deserved goal. Those will come if Pulisic is in this kind of form, and the U.S. will need that more and more down the stretch.
"It's been a tough go recently," Pulisic said, "and we wanted to walk away with some confidence, with some good feelings going into the next camp and, obviously, leading into a World Cup here."
For all the mud-slinging between Pulisic and critics, including many former USMNT players, and his back-and-forth with his manager over the Gold Cup and pre-tournament friendlies, he said his relationship with Pochettino and his teammates is healthy.
"We have good conversations," Pulisic said. "Honestly, what you guys experience and what the media sees is not exactly what we experienced. Things are good. We spoke, we had a normal camp. Everything is good between us and good between the team. There's probably not as much drama as you guys think."
That drama dominated headlines and podcasts and social posts all summer. Pulisic insisted the focus now is entirely on the team, and its ultimate mission – the pathway to the 2026 World Cup.
"It's been good," he said. "Obviously, the national team can be tough because you don't spend your day-to-day together. I think in the camps we've come in and gotten to know each other. We're starting to really learn each other, learn the team and how we can both help each other as best we can to go forward and try and win."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Pochettino's critics
Before concluding his post-match news conference after the win against Japan, Pochettino issued an apology. He was sorry for cursing in Monday's prematch media availability.
He was responding Mondy to numerous critics, including a number of former USMNT players-turned-pundits, saying, "People sometimes create debate and talk with no sense. You cannot compare because this national team and this country is qualified for the World Cup, so the important thing is to apply common sense. If people want to talk bullsh*t, we can talk bull sh*t. We feel the responsibility to provide for the group of players that we think can be important for the future of this country in a World Cup."
Pochettino said his wife was upset at his language, but stressed that the point remains: criticize him all you want for his tactics, decisions and planning. All he asks is that the critics stick to that.
On Tuesday, there was little to criticize. Tactically, Pochettino was spot on, nailing the switch to the three-centerback system. It seems certain to be the one going forward, particularly after this performance. As the game wore on, he nailed the substitutions, too, injecting the right sort of life to not just keep the foot on the pedal, but get minutes for several players who had earned it.
"It's about the process," he said. "It's about the players. I really believe in what we are doing and how they respect us and how we respect them. We are capable of building this relationship, for sure. We are going to have the best players and players that maybe aren't here today will have the possibility to come. We are very open people, but it's time for the process – and the process is going to work, for sure. I don't have any doubts."
Was it perfect? No. There were still decisions to nitpick and a number of areas in which the USMNT can improve. The critics will likely get more ammo over the coming months, even if Pochettino does keep his promise to tone down his tinkering and experimentation beginning in the October camp.
Before leaving his news conference Tuesday night, Pochettino had one last message: "Guys, I'm looking forward to October."
It's easy to see why after what seemed a statement win.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Alejandro Zendejas
To his credit, Alex Zendejas has been patient. He didn't ruffle any feathers when he was left out of multiple squads despite a good run of form with Club America. Then, when given his chance on Tuesday, he made the most of it, scoring in the 30th minute to stake the USMNT to a 1-0 lead. What else could you ask for?
The goal was Zendejas' second with the USMNT, but it's no doubt much bigger than the first. As he fights for a potential World Cup role, Zendejas was able to impact the game, getting on the ball plenty even before his decisive volley in the first half.
"Thankfully it landed on my left foot since I'm a lefty, " Zendejas said of his goal. "It happened so fast. I knew he was going to do a one-on-one play on the wing, so it was the right timing. Right place, right time."
Zendejas is one of the few in this player pool that regularly has to be "the guy" for his club team. The No. 10 shirt he's inherited with Club America carries weight and, so far, he's handled it all very well. The confidence that comes from that will have to translate to the USMNT if he's to make a push for a World Cup role.
On Tuesday, he showed that that might just happen.
"We are so pleased," Pochettino said. "Now, with this type of performance, he's in the race for the roster of the World Cup."
Getty Images SportLOSER: Japan
Pochettino spoke earlier this week about having a plan, and altering that plan as a team already bound for the World Cup. Japan entered this international break with a similar scenario. Having already qualified, there was room for experimenting.
And experiment Hajime Moriyasu did. The manager made mass changes, benching many of his regular stars for a look at several young options. Japan started and entirely different XI from the one that settled for a scoreless draw with Mexico over the weekend.
"As a national team coach, I always play to get a win, and that will not change in any game we play," Moriyasu said. "I was confident that my young players, my inexperienced players, could keep the same standards as the experienced ones. That's why I chose to play a younger team than usual because we are aiming to win at the World Cup, so I can't just rely on players who have played for the national team.
"I need my young players to step up and get experience to heighten the standard. We cannot just rely on 11 players. I think we need two, maybe three teams that can play at the same level. I will continue to aim to do that."
A lesson, then, for Moriyasu and some of those young players as they continue their own preparation for the World Cup.