The United States Men’s National Team have completed their October window, drawing 1-1 against Ecuador on October 10th and beating Australia 2-1 on Tuesday night. The USMNT looked better across the window against two
teams that have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, and Mauricio Pochettino will look to take a lot of positives from this camp.
The USMNT will try and get better as players return to their clubs and hopefully continue to elevate their games. As we get back to club ball, let’s examine three things that we as fans can take from this international window.
Haji Wright, Cristian Roldan, and Folarin Balogun made great cases to be on the World Cup roster
Everyone in camp expressed the same sentiment: they wanted to excel and show Mauricio Pochettino that they should be on the 2026 World Cup roster. If these were all opportunities for individual players to state their case, three players really stood out: Haji Wright, Cristian Roldan, and Folarin Balogun. Wright had a brace against Australia to lead the comeback win, while Roldan set up both goals. Both players really showed that they can be dependable and showed a lot of what they can bring to the table during this camp. Roldan’s addition to the roster in September may have been a surprise to some, but he’s making the most out of his opportunity and really changing the narrative about his chances of making the World Cup roster.
Folarin Balogun scored the equalizing goal against Ecuador and performed quite well as the team’s #9. If the World Cup started today, he would likely be in the starting lineup as the center forward. He still needs to continue to produce, both at Monaco and with the USMNT. But, he showed he can get into dangerous spaces and make plays inside the box. He only scored the one goal, but he had many dangerous spots where he could have had more. Now, it’s about finishing those chances, but Balogun seems like he’s able to work into those spaces where he can create scoring opportunities.
This team might play better without Christian Pulisic
Now, this is not a case to sit Christian Pulisic, but for some reason, the team felt like it performed with more urgency when Pulisic was not on the field. Maybe it’s because if anyone’s position on the team feels the most secure, it’s that of #10. But, you can tell that the team senses it has to pick up the pace when he’s not there to command a lot of the opposing team’s attention.
Hopefully, Pulisic’s ankle issues are not a long term concern and he’s back on the field for Milan and the USMNT soon. But, the rest of the team needs to figure out how to bottle up the energy they bring to the field when Pulisic wasn’t playing and deploy it when he is in the lineup. Having more open space created by teams doubling on Pulisic will lead to even more scoring options. However, it’s good to know that if #10 is not in the lineup, this team can still have the motor to press forward for a goal.
The fight is starting to return in this team
A few months ago, people were wondering where the fight was with this United States Men’s National Team. There was seemingly a lack of heart, focus, effort, and there was zero urgency. Fast forward to this window, and you could see that heart and determination present. The team may not have wanted to be in early deficits against both Ecuador and Australia, as no team wants to constantly fight while down on the scoreboard. However, the determination the team showed to crawl out of both holes and even get the game-winner against Australia is the fight fans have wanted to see.
You can also look at the fight the team has for each other and see how that’s starting to grow. Chris Richards showing some toughness against Australia while remaining in control showed the Socceroos that he was not going to just let them boss the field. That pride and fight is what the team needs to continue to cultivate over the coming months as we move closer to the World Cup.
The USMNT are back at it next month when they host Paraguay in Chester, Pennsylvania and Uruguay in Tampa. The opponents are two more teams who have qualified for the World Cup and it presents the final chance in 2025 for the USMNT to continue their growth as a team.
