It’s a massive weight off of the United States men’s national team’s shoulders as they secured a signature victory under Mauricio Pochettino, dispatching Japan 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday. The Samurai Blue may have made 11 changes from their match against Mexico, but that can’t take away from the USMNT defeating the 17th-ranked team in the world in a shutout fashion.
Pochettino saw the good from facing South Korea and went out with a back three and opted to start this match in the same way with Tim Ream, Chris Richards, and Tristan Blackmon all in defense. He shook things up with five changes overall as Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman made up his wing backs, and the duo were able to push the attack forward with Arfsten assisting an Alex Zendejas goal before Christian Pulisic assisted a Folarin Balogun goal of his own.
It’s just what the USMNT needed, and it’s the first time that they’ve defeated a top-20 ranked FIFA team since Iran at the 2022 World Cup. It may have been a rotated Japan, but this also isn’t the USMNT’s top squad with players such as Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman missing. It’s a result that gives Pochettino something to think about, but more importantly, it gives him something to build upon ahead of the October international window that will see the USMNT face Ecuador and Australia.
Spots to the World Cup are being booked
Matt Freese had another busy day in net, making six saves and preventing 1.55 goals during the match. He could have done better on crosses, but as Japan kept upping the pressure as the match continued, he rose to the occasion, and it’s clear that the 27-year-old is growing during his time with the national team. After starting all of the Gold Cup matches for the USMNT and keeping his place for these friendlies, Freese is looking like the favorite to start in net the World Cup. He’s in line with Zack Steffen for goals prevented in league play in MLS, and the duo only trail Sean Johnson among American keepers domestically. With Steffen’s inconsistent history and Johnson’s age, it puts Freese in the pole position for the number one shirt, even with Matt Turner back in the lineup starting for the New England Revolution.
A few other MLS players made their mark in the match in Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman. Both have shown that they’ve earned Pochettino’s trust, starting as the wing backs in the match, even with Sergino Dest in the squad. Arfsten delivered an excellent assist and was everywhere in the USMNT attack, while Freeman did a lot of defensive work in keeping Japan at bay on his own flank. Both have shown that they need to be in the mix for the World Cup squad, but the question will be if there is enough space for both when the roster squeeze comes.
Balogun the nine
While there were questions surrounding who the starting nine will be at the World Cup, Balogun showed why he was an exciting dual-national recruit from England. Due to missing time with an injury, this was Balogun’s first start under Pochettino, and he did the most he could with his touches, taking four shots and putting three of them on target. He even took things into his own hands, dribbling through Japan’s defense for his goal. Balogun was the favorite to start when the World Cup rolled around, but facing Japan, he was able to display why that should be the case. This team opens a different dimension due to Balogun’s movement and interchange with Pulisic, making the entire attack more dangerous as a whole.
Flexibility is key
It’s the first time that the USMNT rolled out a back three to start a match under Pochettino, and it worked to a great effect. Plenty of the players are used to these systems for their clubs, and that comfort translated to the national team as well. This isn’t going to work against every team, but it’s important that Pochettino showed flexibility in his setup because it will give the USMNT more of a chance to win games against teams like Japan when they’re at full strength. They may not even start their next game in a three-man defense, but it’s a new tool for the USMNT and one that they were able to execute well despite there being pressure on the team. That’s impressive to do midstream in a camp.
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