The youth movement is officially underway for the United States men’s national team as they defeated Peru 4-1 on Saturday in Orlando. Cavan Sullivan became the second-youngest player to play for the national team at 16, but it was teenagers Justin Ellis and Julian Hall who stole the show, scoring alongside Malik Tillman to start this extended break on the right foot.
After being knocked out of the World Cup in the round of 16, the USMNT are officially able to flip the page, and the future of this squad is bright. Three teenagers started the match against Peru, and from the opening moments, they looked like they belonged as Gio Reyna set up Orlando City man Ellis in his home stadium for the opening goal. There were the expected growing pains that come with such a young squad, as Gianluca Lapadula scored for Peru on a defensive breakdown, but those moments were few and far between.
For the first camp of a team that largely hasn’t played together, that has to go down as a job well done for Mauricio Pochettino, who is in the midst of a moment to truly put his own stamp on the national team by leading the next generation. Tillman’s game has already grown under the Argentine manager, as he was one of the best performers at the World Cup, and that continued facing Peru as Tillman was involved in every aspect of the game, even if his goal may have come from a penalty. Even Yunus Musah capitalized on being back in the national team, going a perfect 38 for 38 on passes after breaking back into the Milan squad. Eleven of the 13 uncapped players called into camp got their first USMNT caps during the match, and they all looked like they belonged. Brian Schwake and Cole Campbell are the only players still in search of their first caps, but with games against Chile, Mexico, and Canada remaining, those could still be on the horizon.
With the mixture of youth, the experienced players also ensured that they performed too, with Sebastian Berhalter leading the way with a goal and an assist. It’s hard to ask for a better start to the September/October break than that.
Homecoming for Ellis
Antoine Griezmann has raved about Justin Ellis, and it didn’t take long for everyone to see why the Orlando City man has his place in the squad. Only 19, he usually plays as a support forward, but with Ricardo Pepi missing camp with injury, Ellis started as a lone nine against Peru. He was accurate with his passing, scored a goal, and also recovered the ball twice while being a strong part of the team defending from the front. It was a strong performance from forwards as Ellis and Hall scored while Mathias Albert drew a penalty, and it shows that everyone should be on notice: If a scoring drought comes, someone will be pushing for your spot. It’s a good balance for Pochettino to strike with the national team, but it was also special for an Orlando player to kick off this camp.
A balanced squad
Speaking of balance, credit to Pochettino for the performance. The players looked like they’d spent extensive time together despite just coming together in camp, and there was a good mix of youth and experience on the pitch at all times. The USMNT veterans set an example with their performances, and younger players followed while raising the standard. It’s a good level of competitiveness between the two and something that bodes well for Pochettino. The World Cup was a taste of what he can do leading the USMNT, but now with a contract through 2030, the job has shifted. Pochettino has to be invested in the future of American soccer, and given the performance of the next generation under him, there’s no reason to say that he isn’t doing that, given the early returns from this camp. While it’s still early, it’s safe to say that the kids are quite all right.
What’s next
Given there isn’t much time between now and facing Chile on Tuesday, it’s good that only five players played more than 60 minutes. The Chile match will be a good time to see how the team looks without Tyler Adams, as Adri Mehmeti will be able to step in as a like-for-like replacement. Chile will also be on a short rest after facing Canada, and Lucas Cepeda will be suspended after being sent off in that match. Those games are the warm-up for the big challenge of facing Mexico and Canada, which is why it’s critical for Pochettino to get balance right now, and he’s doing just that.
