The U.S. men's national team could not have started the post-World Cup era much better.
Mauricio Pochettino's side won all four of its friendlies in the extended September-October international window, defeating Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada by a combined scoreline of 12-3.
Boosted by a youthful roster, the USMNT's performances provided plenty of optimism that the new cycle could see significant improvement.
When looking at the entire roster, there were clearly more winners than losers in this window. Even many of the players who saw their stock dip are young enough where it shouldn't be a major worry.
Let's examine the biggest winners and losers of the September-October international window.
Winners
Mauricio Pochettino
The winning is nice, of course, but at this stage of a World
Cup cycle, player pool expansion is just as important of an objective. In this window, Pochettino emphatically achieved both goals. The Argentine gave debuts to 13 players across the four games, eight of whom were teenagers. Not all 13 are ready for the step up to the full team, but several players are clearly ready to challenge some established veterans. Pochettino will have a real selection headache for next month's Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti. He probably won't mind.
Gio Reyna
Has the Reyna-ssance finally arrived? Over the past several years, simply playing soccer consistently has been the goal for the midfielder. Actually producing in those minutes was more of a bonus than anything. But the 23-year-old showed in this window that he may finally be ready to do both, and in the process start to fulfill the lofty expectations placed on his shoulders as a teenager.
Reyna started all four games of this window, the only USMNT player to do so. He tallied two assists across those matches and played a major role in a third, Julian Hall's opener against Mexico. Remarkably, he has now started eight straight games for club and country for the first time in his entire career. Pochettino's continuing faith in Reyna seems to be paying off.
Alex Freeman
Freeman has now played in 25 straight matches for the national team, and he seems to get better in each one. The 22-year-old's rise continues to be remarkable, and he can now reasonably lay a claim as one of the team's most important players. The right back started three of four games in this window, providing lockdown defense on one end and his trademark offensive threat on the other.
After the Canada match, USMNT legend Landon Donovan said Freeman "was the best player on the field, and it wasn't even close."
Cavan Sullivan
Sullivan continues to show why the hype around him is justified. This camp saw his USMNT debut as a 16-year-old, and his first signature moment as a 17-year-old. His goal against Mexico was a perfect encapsulation of his precocious combination of talent and audacity. He saw his moment to launch a shot from deep after intercepting a pass from goalkeeper Tala Rangel, and he didn't miss.
CAVAN SULLIVAN SCORES IN HIS FIRST USA-MEXICO GAME 😤
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 4, 2026
He's now the USMNT's youngest ever goalscorer. pic.twitter.com/uV4i6g26hO
Now the youngest goalscorer in USMNT history, Sullivan may have also shown he's ready for a regular role with the team moving forward.
Julian Hall
Sullivan wasn't the only teenager to make USMNT history in this window. Hall scored in each of his first three appearances, becoming the youngest USMNT player to do so and only the third ever. The 18-year-old did what every volume scorer does, getting himself into good spots repeatedly. He actually left several goals on the table, missing a number of presentable chances. But you can't score if you don't get chances, and Hall undoubtedly manages to find those.
The new goalkeepers
Pochettino gave Diego Kochen his debut in the second half against Peru, then gave the 20-year-old a massive vote of confidence by starting him against Mexico. Kochen delivered on both occasions, failing to concede a single goal, showing solid distribution and producing one highlight-reel save against Mexico.
Like Kochen, Brian Schwake also played three halves in this window and looked up for the task, particularly in his clean-sheet performance against Canada. The Nashville SC shot-stopper didn't make any errors and commanded his box well.
Losers
The old goalkeepers
The goalkeeper position has been in flux for some time and if this window is anything to go by, that uncertainty is set to continue. The two returning goalkeepers on this roster, Matt Freese and Chris Brady, did very little to prove they should be the starter moving forward. Freese, the 2026 World Cup starter, played a single half in the opener against Peru, but didn't see the field again. Brady, meanwhile, had a bit of a nightmare in his half against Chile, conceding a goal after two awful clearance attempts. Like Freese, he was removed at halftime and didn't play the rest of the window.
🤯🇨🇱 ¡CHILE LO EMPATA SOBRE LA HORA!
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) September 30, 2026
Diego Ulloa se encontró el balón en el rebote, para hacer el 1-1 contra USMNT en el cierre del primer tiempo.
📺 @NBCUniverso y Peacock y 📱 Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/ycqzyBSOUf#USMNTenUniverso #USAvsCHI #AmistosoInternacional #Chile pic.twitter.com/vdF4YIYoWz
Miles Robinson
Even at a position as thin as center back, Robinson could be reaching the end of the line with the USMNT. The 29-year-old played just once in this window, looking shaky in his 63 minutes against Chile. He could be eclipsed soon by the likes of George Campbell, Neil Pierre and others.
Frankie Westfield
Westfield is just 20 and in the midst of an excellent season in MLS with the Philadelphia Union, but his introduction to the international game was rough. The right back struggled mightily in his lone start against Chile, then didn't see the field against Mexico and Canada. With Freeman, Sergiño Dest and Joe Scally in the mix at right back, Westfield may have to wait for another shot.
Zavier Gozo
It's been a humbling few months for Gozo, who hasn't made much of an impact at Crystal Palace since a reported $15 million move from Real Salt Lake in August. His first international call-up followed a similar script, as he played just once, getting a 30-minute cameo off the bench in the opener against Peru. Gozo is still 19, so his slow start is far from a major concern, but he may not quite be ready to contribute at the highest levels yet.
Damion Downs
Downs hasn't scored a goal at the club level since the 2024-25 season, so his call-up – even as an injury replacement – was somewhat baffling. The striker made one 20-minute cameo off the bench this window and shouldn't be part of the picture until he finds some stability at the club level.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT winners, losers: Whose stock changed after perfect international window?
