Football

Christian Pulisic Rested by US National Team Ahead of Mexico FriendlyChristian Pulisic, the star striker for AC Milan and the United States national team, has been rested ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Mexico in Guadalajara. The decision was announced by US Soccer on Sunday, citing the need to manage Pulisic's workload after a busy period for both club and country.Pulisic played a pivotal role in the United States' 2-0 victory over Panama on Saturday in Austin, Texas. He set up the first American goal, marking a successful debut for new coach Mauricio Pochettino. However, the 26-year-old winger has accumulated a significant number of minutes in recent weeks, prompting the decision to release him back to AC Milan.In addition to Pulisic, four other players have been sent back to their clubs due to minor injuries. Marlon Fossey, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, and Zack Steffen will undergo evaluation and treatment before rejoining the national team."As we have said, we are always going to make decisions that are in the best interest of our players and respect the relationship we have with their clubs," said Pochettino.The United States will not add any additional players to their roster before Tuesday's match against Mexico. The rivalry between the two nations is one of the most intense in international soccer, and the friendly is expected to draw a large crowd in Guadalajara.Pulisic's absence will be a blow to the United States, but Pochettino has a number of talented players at his disposal. The team will be looking to build on their victory over Panama and continue their preparations for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments.

Mauricio Pochettino, the former manager of Chelsea, has been appointed as the new head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. The announcement was made by U.S. Soccer on Tuesday, September 11, 2024.Pochettino, who parted ways with Chelsea in May after one season in charge, will take the reins of the U.S. team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The Argentine manager, who previously led Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, expressed his excitement about the opportunity to coach the U.S. team."The energy, the passion, and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here — those are the things that inspired me," Pochettino said in a statement. "I see a group of players full of talent and potential, and together, we’re going to build something special that the whole nation can be proud of."U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker praised Pochettino's track record and his commitment to developing players. "Mauricio is a serial winner with a deep passion for developing players," Crocker said. "His track record speaks for itself, and I am confident that he is the right choice to harness the immense potential within our talented squad. We are thrilled to have Mauricio on board as we embark on this exciting journey to achieve success on the global stage."The U.S. team has been without a permanent head coach since Gregg Berhalter was fired in July following a disappointing performance at the Copa America. Berhalter had led the team to the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but his tenure was marred by a public dispute with one of the team's brightest young talents, Gio Reyna.Pochettino will take over from Mikey Varas, who has been serving as interim coach since Berhalter's departure. The U.S. team will play a series of friendlies against Panama on October 12 and Mexico on October 15 as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

Christian Pulisic's brilliance propelled the United States to a resounding 2-0 victory over Bolivia in their Copa America Group C opener at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The American captain showcased his exceptional skills, scoring a stunning early goal and setting up the second for Folarin Balogun.Pulisic's goal came just three minutes into the match, as he received the ball from a corner and unleashed a powerful shot that flew into the roof of the net. The early lead gave the US a significant advantage, but they struggled to convert their dominance into further goals in the first half.However, Pulisic's influence continued to be felt, and he played a pivotal role in the second goal just before halftime. He picked up the ball near midfield and surged towards the Bolivian penalty area, before squaring it to Balogun, who calmly slotted it home.The US maintained their dominance in the second half, with Balogun and Pulisic continuing to cause problems for the Bolivian defense. Pulisic drew a fine save from goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra in the 60th minute, while substitute Ricardo Pepi missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-0 in the 65th minute.Despite the missed chances, the US held on to their two-goal lead and secured a vital three points in their Copa America campaign. They will now face Panama in their second group match on Thursday, looking to build on their impressive start.

The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) rebounded from their humiliating 5-1 defeat to Colombia with a morale-boosting 1-1 draw against Brazil in their final warm-up match before the Copa America.Despite facing calls for his resignation after the Colombia debacle, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter challenged his players to deliver an improved performance against the five-time World Cup winners. The team responded with a determined display, earning their first-ever draw against Brazil after 18 previous defeats.US goalkeeper Matt Turner was the hero for the hosts, making several crucial saves to keep Brazil at bay. At the other end, Brazil keeper Alisson twice denied potential winning goals for the United States late in the game.Christian Pulisic, the US captain, equalized for his team in the first half with a rasping free-kick after Brazil had taken the lead through Real Madrid striker Rodrygo.In the second half, Brazil continued to threaten, but the US held firm and came close to snatching a victory. A counter-attack culminated with Weston McKennie finding Pulisic in space inside the area, but the US captain's shot was saved by Alisson."It's obviously a huge bounce-back performance for us from the other day," said Turner, referring to the Colombia rout. "I think what we did today can sort of put that to bed."Turner believes the result bodes well for the USA's Copa America campaign, where they face Bolivia, Panama, and Uruguay in the first round."I think the huge positive from today is to take like a triumph from it," Turner said. "We really stared into the face of adversity and were able to bounce back a few days later.""In tournament play, that's so, so important, because not every result, not every call is gonna go your way and you have to be able to put things behind you, move on, and put the next foot in front of the other."

United States coach Gregg Berhalter expressed severe disappointment and accused his players of lacking respect after Colombia's emphatic 5-1 friendly victory on Saturday. The South Americans ruthlessly exploited American blunders, leaving Berhalter aghast at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.Jhon Arias and Rafael Borre gave Colombia a 2-0 lead within 19 minutes. Despite Timothy Weah's goal in the 58th minute, "Los Cafeteros" continued their relentless attack, scoring three unanswered goals through Richard Rios, Jorge Carrascal, and Luis Sinisterra.The rout marked the first time the US had conceded five goals in a game since their 5-0 defeat to Mexico in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Berhalter's side could have faced an even worse fate, as Colombia squandered several other scoring opportunities."I'm really disappointed, obviously with the result," Berhalter said. "We're not framing it as a lesson learned, we're framing it as a wake-up call. A really poor performance against a top team."Berhalter criticized his team's lack of respect for the opponent and the game itself, particularly in the final 15 minutes. "If you give a team like that the opportunities that we gave them, you're going to have no chance to win," he said.Despite some positive moments, Berhalter acknowledged that the 5-1 scoreline was unacceptable. "There were some positive chunks of the game, right. But when I'm looking right now at 5-1, it's not good enough."Berhalter fielded a starting lineup comprised entirely of players from Europe's top five leagues in preparation for their Copa America Group C opener against Bolivia on June 23. However, Colombia's early dominance threatened to overwhelm the US.Arias opened the scoring after just six minutes, capitalizing on a defensive error by Antonee Robinson. Borre doubled Colombia's lead with an overhead kick on 19 minutes.Weah's goal gave the US hope, but Rios's goal in the 77th minute put Colombia back in control. Carrascal and Sinisterra added late goals to seal the emphatic victory.The US will continue their Copa America preparations with a friendly against Brazil on Wednesday.