When Mauricio Pochettino signed on last year, 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 2026.
Results this window:
South Korea 2, USA 0 (Son 18’, Lee 43’)
USA 2, Japan 0 (Zendejas 30’, Balogun 64’)
The story this window:
These USMNT friendlies gave us all whiplash. But they’ve left the team in a better place.
Fair to say devoted fans of the U.S. men’s national team have been through a lot over the years. (This is me, reaching into an enormous felt bag and pulling out at random one of a thousand strips of paper; this one reads “Geoff Cameron starts in the defensive midfield against Belgium in a World Cup knockout match.”) But they may have never been through a four-day span quite like this past international window.
Against South Korea on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino fielded the Americans’ strongest on-paper lineup since the Nations League debacle in March. Peculiar as it might sound, it’s true. Between the return of Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Sergino Dest, and Josh Sargent to the U.S. fold and starting 11, their integration with Gold Cup breakout stars Diego Luna and (eventually) Chris Richards, and the presence of thousands and thousands of atmosphere-inducing Korean supporters, Saturday’s exhibition felt more important than most of the actual games the U.S. played in pursuit of a trophy over the summer.
