Mauricio Pochettino began his tenure as head coach of the United States men’s national team with a victory Saturday night as the Americans beat Panama 2-0 in a home friendly.
Midfielder Yunus Musah scored the only goal in front of the crowd in Austin, Texas, and AC Milan teammate Christian Pulisic provided the assist with a cross from the left.
In fact, Panama outshot the United States 13-11 and came close to scoring on a few occasions, specifically in the 52nd minute, when goalkeeper Matt Turner was offside. Forced into a tremendous double stop..
In the end, however, the visitors could not equalize and Ricardo Pepi sealed the score with a close-range shot in added time of the second half.
“We’re starting to learn the new coach’s ideas and stuff, which we executed pretty well,” Antonee Robinson told TNT after the game.
United States coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks with Christian Pulisic during the first half against Panama.
Yunus Musah (centre) was delighted to score his first goal for the United States in his 42nd appearance.
“We had more opportunities (that we could) take advantage of if we were a little more clinical, but other than that, I think the team did its job well.”
They will face Mexico away from home on Tuesday.
Pochettino opted for a combination of youth and experience in the starting XI, with 37-year-old Tim Ream filling one of the central defensive positions and one of Pulisic’s central players, Robinson.
However, he also opted to play with 22-year-old Gianluca Busio and Aidan Morris in the middle, giving them just their 13th and seventh caps respectively.
Notably, prop Weston McKennie was also an unused substitute.
More to follow