When Mauricio Pochettino signed on in Sept. 2024, only 10 international windows — nine regular FIFA dates, plus the 2025 Gold Cup — separated the USMNT from the 2026 World Cup. After each window, “Ten Windows” digs into key developments and charts the USMNT’s progress towards FIFA World Cup 26.
Results this window:
USA 2, Paraguay 1 (Reyna 4’, Balogun 71’; Arce 10’)
USA 5, Uruguay 1 (Berhalter 17’, Freeman 20’ 31’, Luna 42’, Tessman 68’; de Arrascaeta 45+1’)
The story this window:
That was fun! That was exciting! Thanks, Mauricio!
When U.S. Soccer hired Mauricio Pochettino in the fall of 2024, the Argentinean’s mandate for calendar year 2025 wasn’t complicated: build momentum for 2026. Defending the USMNT’s Nations League crown, reclaiming the Gold Cup, maybe nabbing an eyebrow-raising friendly victory or two…all desirable means to an end. But still, those things were all a means towards the end of: get American soccer fans hyped for the biggest tournament in the history of the U.S. men’s national team.
It took Pochettino and his charges until the final international window of 2025 to make that happen, with more than one performance along the way that might be charitably described as a “hiccup” and more accurately described as a “Hindenburg-grade disaster” earlier this year. But there they were in Tampa on Tuesday night, obliterating a near-full-strength Uruguay 5-1 behind a Christian Pulisic hat-trick and goals from Tim Weah and Weston McKennie.
Wait – scratch that. Pulisic didn’t play against La Celeste. Neither did McKennie. Neither did Weah or Chris Richards or Tyler Adams or Antonee Robinson or Malik Tillman. After nine changes from the more experienced side that beat Paraguay on Saturday, players that did play against Uruguay included Auston Trusty, John Tolkin, Timothy Tillman, Mark McKenzie, Sebastian Berhalter and Alex Freeman.
