USMNT second half vs. Ecuador gives positives for Pochettino

AUSTIN, Texas — At first glance, the term “tale of two halves” doesn't seem appropriate to describe Friday's 1-1 draw between the U.S. men's national team and Team USA. Ecuador. The USA had a significant advantage in possession, created good chances and dominated. Three for long periods. But if you look at it from a different angle, it applies.

In the first half, although the USA controlled the tempo (64.4% to 35.6% possession), it was Ecuador who controlled the key area. They made more of the little plays that mattered. This ability is consistent with their recent history. This is a team that has demonstrated solid defence, excellent goalkeeping when needed and opportunistic offense to finish second in World Cup qualifying behind the defending champions. Argentina. Along the way Three conceded a paltry five goals in 18 matches. Although 14 goals scored was not quite the result, it was enough to qualify for a sixth consecutive World Cup.

In this match, for at least half of the match, Ecuador checked all of those boxes. The defense was adept at compressing space, deflecting passes, and stymiing the United States. On those rare occasions when the US broke through, the goalkeeper Hernan Galindez was there to make a couple of outstanding saves, including a deflection off the post from Chris Richards shot in the 26th minute.

Offensively, Ecuador punished the United States with a transition goal in the 24th minute. US midfielder Aidan Morris found himself empty when he attempted a transition pass to Jordi Alcivar, and the Ecuadorian midfielder's subsequent cross to Include Valencia allowed the Pachuca striker to get into a one-on-one situation against Richards, which he made the most of to fire a fine shot just inside Matt Freeze's far post.

This game, full of small victories that turned into decisive sequences, defined the first half.

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In the second half of the year, the US reversed the trend. They defended with more composure, increased the tempo of their attack and scored a goal without pressure in a game involving Tim Weah. Tanner Tessmann And Malik Tillmanand it ended Integrated Captain to score Tillman's centering serve. The USA did everything possible to find a winner, but again they could not break through.

Still, the performance reflected well on the USMNT, even if the scoreline wasn't entirely satisfying. He showed great dynamism in attack with Tillman and Weston McKenney using a variety of smart moves to find Balogun in those areas behind the defense where he thrives. Defensively they looked solid in a formation that mirrored their defensive approach. Gold Cupwhere he played with a flexible back line that was often defended by four players but allowed the left back Max Arfsten to be slanted higher up the field.

But among the most encouraging aspects of the match was the U.S.'s ability to win more small battles in the second half and turn them into decisive games. Developing this habit is a vital part of achieving success at the 2026 World Cup next summer. In this type of competition, the teams are so evenly matched, especially in the knockout rounds, that it's often the small details that make the difference between getting deep into the tournament and earning an early ticket home.

For most of this calendar year, at least in matches involving most of the starting lineup, the United States has not played such small games. Friday's match, as well as last month's meeting with Japan showed a side more capable of coming out on top in these episodes.

How the US did this is open to interpretation, but suffice to say it is multifaceted. The US is finally playing with the energy and desire that coach Mauricio Pochettino demands, as evidenced by the USMNT winning 53.4% ​​of duels, 73.3% of tackles and 65.0% of aerial collisions. This creates a platform for more effective attacking play. For Pochettino, this development was almost a relief.

“I'm so glad that we don't talk about other things like commitment, attitude or things like that that we used to do in the past,” the American manager said afterwards. “I think this is a huge step forward… If we are better and show that we are better than our opponent, we can win. If we don't show it, it's because it's a football problem.”

He added: “We showed a great mentality and that's how we want to prepare for the World Cup.”

But this team seems comfortable with Pochettino's system. Of course, it has taken some time – much longer than expected when Pochettino took over the program 12 months ago – but that long-desired cohesion is now progressing and the team's confidence is growing. The US acts more instinctively rather than thinking things through.

“If you're thinking, 'Oh, I need to move here or I need to move here,' then suddenly you start thinking more [rather] than just doing it,” – American defender Tim Rome said. “And now all of a sudden you see it: the ideas are taking your breath away, and now everyone is just doing it and can really just give it their all at any time.”

Combine that with Team USA's high level of physicality, which has long been a strength of the team, and you have a team that can get the upper hand and maintain that advantage. For Rome, this began to manifest itself in the second half, not so much in physically overpowering their opponents, but in slowly wearing them down. This creates a snowball effect where each challenge won energizes the team even more.

“We started playing more. As the game went on we started to look like a fresher team,” he said. “And listen, as someone who has been on the other side of this, you know and feel it. You say, “Okay, these guys are starting to loosen up, they're starting to get a little nervous,” and you actually feel more energized and it allows you to control them more and start making more little plays, being connected better. I think we connected pretty well in the first half, but I think the connections will be even tighter in the second half. I'll tell you what, it requires a fee. in teams, and it happened today.”

This improvement, from tactics to mentality, fitness and execution, is even more impressive when you consider who is missing. Alejandro Zendejasso inspiring against Japan, missed the match due to a knee injury, for which he has already returned to Club America; Anthony Robinsonwhose return to the USMNT lineup was supposed to give the team a huge boost, was left out of the matchday squad; Christian Pulisic was reduced to a 17-minute cameo off the bench; Tyler Adams (his partner is about to give birth) and Serginho Dest (injured) didn’t even make the squad.

With players like these, the USA is without a doubt the best team. Pochettino faces the task of determining who will be in his World Cup squad and who will take the field once that is decided. But given where this team has been and the progress it's making, he'll be more than happy to try and solve this puzzle.