COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A bittersweet result for the U.S. men’s team as the march toward next summer’s World Cup continues.
The good news? Haji Wright scored twice to secure the first come-from-behind win under coach Mauricio Pochettino. The bad? USMNT star Christian Pulisic was forced to leave the friendly in the first half because of what appeared to be an injury to his right ankle.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Pulisic’s injury overshadows win
The country’s best attacking player came into this two-match window nursing an ankle problem that Pochettino said has been bothering him since AC Milan’s preseason. It swelled up following last Wednesday’s training session in Austin, Texas — ruling Pulisic out of Thursday’s practice and limiting him to less than 20 minutes off the bench a day later.
But there Pulisic was back in the starting lineup at Dick’s Sporting Good Park — much to the delight of the home fans. That feeling didn’t last. After being on the receiving end of two crunching early tackles, Pulisic — wearing the captain’s armband in Tim Ream’s absence — limped to the U.S. dressing room after being replaced by Diego Luna. There was no immediate word on Pulisic’s condition, but it was a worrying sight nonetheless.
“He is still being assessed,” a USMNT spokesperson said. “We’ll have an update after the game.”
Christian Pulisic had an early evening after coming off due to an apparent injury. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
2. Haji makes the most of his chance
Wright made his first career start under Pochettino and just his his fifth overall. Two of those came at the 2022 World Cup. But his last five appearances had all been off the bench. So had 14 of his previous 18.
Playing the center forward role Folarin Balogun excelled in over the last three games, Wright took advantage of the opportunity. Fourteen minutes after the visitors opened the scored, the rangy Los Angeles native pulled the Americans level by finishing off a passing sequence that included Richards, Weston McKennie and Roldan, who sprung Wright and was rewarded with the assist:
Wright’s second goal was even better. Roldan again set up the strike by taking a quick free kick following a foul about 80 yards from the Aussies’ goal. Wright ran onto the service, then turned center-back Cameron Burgess inside out with a cutback before curling his shot inside the far post:
3. U.S. gives up the first goal again
For the second match in a row, sloppy play by the Americans allowed their opponent to score first, leaving the hosts chasing the game against a stout defensive foe. In last week’s 1-1 tie against Ecuador, an Aidan Morris turnover sprung a counterattack that finished with U.S. keeper Matt Fresse picking the ball out the back of his net.
On Tuesday, the USMNT committed an even more egregious error, as the Socceroos opener came following a throw-in deep in their own half — a cardinal sin at any level, let alone the highest one. Defender Chris Richards and defensive midfielder Cristian Roldan were both slow to react when James Sands got a toe on the throw by Australia’s Jordan Bos. Roldan eventually stepped to the ball, but he was only able to deflect it into the midsection of Bos. The Feyenoord left back controlled, then blasted home a shot that Freese had no chance of saving:
With just two training camps remaining before Mauricio Pochettino names his roster for the 2026 World Cup, the tournament co-hosts must tighten that up in short order to hav any chance of making a deep run on home soil next summer. “We conceded a goal,” Pochettino told TNT’s Melissa Ortiz at halftime, “that we shouldn’t concede.”
4. Poch keeps on tinkering
During his pregame press conference on Monday, the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager suggested that he would rotate players for the back end of the two-contest set given the cooler temperatures and mile-high altitude in the greater Denver area. He ended up switching out more than half of his starting lineup, making six changes in all.
Along with Balogun, Ream was also on the subs bench along with Morris, Max Arfsten, Tanner Tessmann and Malik Tillman, who wasn’t even in uniform. (Arfsten, Balogun and Tessmann entered in the second half, as did Brenden Aaronson, who didn’t feature last week.)
In their places were Roldan, Wright, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie and defensive midfielder James Sands, who won his first cap in more than two years. All acquitted themselves well, with center back McKenzie teaming with Richards and Miles Robinson for the first time. That’s a high-quality problem for Pochettino to have going forward.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
