Four games into the Mauricio Pochettino era of the USMNT, some themes are beginning to emerge.
After a mixed start to life in October, there can be significant confidence in the steps taken this past week.
The first international break under the Argentine saw the U.S. beat Panama before losing to Mexico by the same scoreline.
While there was no reason to panic, especially considering those two opening games were both friendlies, many still found it an underwhelming introduction to Pochettino’s tenure.
Any such concerns were dispelled over the past weeks as the U.S. cruised past Jamaica in their two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final.
The first leg in Kingston, Jamaica, saw the U.S. forced to battle en-route to a 1-0 victory. It proved all the help they needed, racing into a three-goal lead by half-time of the second leg to all-but kill off the tie.
Pochettino was left frustrated by his side’s second half performance, some slack defending allowing Demarai Gray to score twice either side of an impressive Tim Weah volley and while it wasn’t a perfect performance, the first half in particular will have left supporters salivating over the future prospects.
So after the end of the second international break under Pochettino’s guidance, who can be counted as a winner and who is looking like a loser?
Winner: Tim Weah
It’s possible that no individual player had as much of an impact in the departure of Gregg Berhalter than Tim Weah.
The forward was at the heart of the disastrous Copa America defeat to Panama in the summer, seeing red for lashing out at an opposition defender.
With 10 men for much of the occasion, the U.S. faltered and were beaten, leading to their group stage elimination and the end of Berhalter’s second stint in charge.
More than three months down the line and his suspension finally complete from that incident, Weah was available once again for the second leg against Jamaica and made a major impact.
Operating wide on the left, Weah linked up dangerously with Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic while carrying significant threat on his own. He nearly opened the scoring with a terrific effort that crashed against the post before eventually getting his well-deserved goal with a superb first-time finish in the second half.
He probably could have ended the night with a hat-trick but the U.S. attack looked far more potent as a whole with Weah in the team and that is at least in part a reflection on the Juventus forward’s impact.
Coming with a big reputation and big expectations, Weah’s international career has been hit-and-miss thus far but his standout performance against Jamaica – in his first match under Pochettino – provides a lot to be excited about.
Loser: Gregg Berhalter
While the Berhalter era ended in disaster, there were positive moments from his nearly six years in charge. That said, a change was most certainly needed and it hasn’t taken long for U.S. fans to be grateful for a new leader.
Berhalter’s final months at the helm were marked by a distinct lack of bravery particularly in attack and considering the collection of talented players at his disposal, many were desperate for more.
In the Copa America, the U.S. scored a total of three goals while totalling only three shots on target in each of their two defeats.
It wasn’t only the results that disappointed, it was the weak manner of surrender from Berhalter’s side.
There’s still a long way to go but if the U.S. can show such strong signs in just Pochettino’s fourth game in charge, there’s reason to believe something significant can be achieved if given the six years that Berhalter had.
Berhalter, new manager of Chicago Fire, was in attendance for the U.S.’s win in St Louis and he saw a joyful first half that felt distinctly different to the final months of his own time in charge.
Winner: Tanner Tessman
There’s been a lot of change in Tessman’s career over the past few months. In August, he signed for Lyon shortly after captaining USA’s U23 team for the Olympics.
Tessman has started just twice in Ligue 1 so far but has also added two more in the Europa League. The midfielder made Pochettino’s squad in October, appearing off the bench in both games.
Operating as a deep-lying-midfielder for both legs against Jamaica, Tessman seriously impressed receiving praise from Pochettino for his work.
“Tess today was fantastic. If you say to me, I need to put a note, from 0 to 10, it’s 9, 8, 9. He played a fantastic game.He’s a very good talent, hope that he can play more in Lyon.”
“It’s good to hear,” Tessmann said of Pochettino’s comments. “The coach is giving confidence to all of the guys playing and the guys on the bench as well. It creates good competition”
In the second leg against Jamaica, Tessman completed 73 of his 74 passes and at 23-years-old seems to be breaking through at the base of Pochettino’s midfield.
The manager and U.S. supporters will rightly be hoping to see Tessman more regularly in France.
Loser: Josh Sargent
The bizarre world of international football means it’s rare to see a full squad outside of the major tournaments.
Whether it’s injuries or fatigue, a handful of would-be squad members seem to sit out on each occasion.
For this period, striker Sargent was sidelined after missing the past three games following groin surgery. But in the first international break of Pochettino’s tenure, Sargent started both games against Panama and Mexico. He played just over an hour of each but failed to score or assist.
Sargent earned his opportunities following a fine start to the season for Norwich City, scoring four goals and providing five assists.
But he failed to take his chances in Pochettino’s first two starting teams. Out of action this month, Ricardo Pepi – who had already scored off the bench against Panama – took Sargent’s place.
He scored in both legs against Jamaica while linking up extremely well with Pulisic and Weah.
Pepi looked to be a natural fit in Pochettino’s system and that presents a problem for Sargent.
