The United States men’s national team welcomed Peru to Florida for its first post-World Cup match on Saturday, and sent the CONMEBOL side away with an emphatic defeat.
MORE — USMNT player ratings vs Peru as Cavan Sullivan debuts
A teenager-heavy lineup scored a 4-1 win over Peru, as Justin Ellis and Malik Tillman scored and substitutes Sebastian Berhalter and Julian Hall dialed up a goal and an assist each in Orlando, Florida.
We’ll have live updates, highlights, and more as Pochettino seeks to make a winning debut with a mix of young hopefuls and proven veterans.
Tyler, Tillman, and the teens send a USMNT message
On paper — or the Internet — this was the FIFA’s No. 16 ranked nation host No. 51, but in reality the Yanks’ 4-1 win was much more impressive than delivering on expectations. The American squad was chock full of kids, handing debuts to 11 players and a second cap to a 12th player in George Campbell. Granted the U.S. continues to live in a land of only home matches, but to include three 18-year-olds, two 17-year-olds, and a 16-year-old in the game with starts going to two of them? That’s really impressive for the program, yes, and for the team under Pochettino and his staff. It’s also impressive for captain Tyler Adams and midfielder Malik Tillman, who led the way physically and spiritually. Adams is the captain and the Yanks march to his beat. Tillman’s influence continues to grow, and he does almost all of the things that prime Christian Pulisic does — that’s not a bad thing for the AC Milan man to see from his home. There was extreme promise in these 90 minutes.
What’s next?
The USMNT meet Chile next on Tuesday before hosting Mexico on October 3 and Canada on October 6.
Peru play Mexico in New Jersey on Tuesday, then head to Montreal to play Canada and heading to Miami for a match with Colombia.
USMNT vs Peru final score: 4-1
Justin Ellis 4', Gianluca Lapadula 15', Malik Tillman pen 67', Julian Hall 72', Sebastian Berhalter 90'
How was it? “Even more of a pinch-me moment. I’ve dreamed of this day my entire childhood. This means so much for me and my family and it’s an extreme honor to represent my country.”
On the crowd singing ‘Country Roads’ — “Ear to ear I was smiling with my boys. It’s pretty special and a good song.”
On the international camp so far: “I’m just trying to learn every day and get better and better. Do more on the field and learn from the other guys, cherish every moment.”
So many teenagers had great games: “Justin, Julian, Mathis, all these guys, there’s more but I came up with a lot of the youth national team so it’s pretty surreal doing this with them and alongside of them, and I’m super proud of them.”
The new cycle begins with a triumph, albeit in a friendly.
Julian Hall and Sebastian Berhalter with a goal and an assist each off the bench.
Malik Tillman and Tyler Adams were influential and massive in leadership as the Yanks roll out more than a handful of teenagers and a couple of 20 year olds.
Really good way to start the break.
Julian Hall gets the ball on the left and waits for Berhalter to arrive outside the 18.
He’s outside the arc by a few yards but the long-distance merchant likes it there. RIPPED home.
Some win for the young Yanks.
Julian Hall, the Polish dual national wearing Zakrzewski on the back of his shirt, cashes in a glorious Berhalter cross at the back post.
Another teenager on the score sheet.
He’s been the best player on the pitch, and Malik Tillman has slammed his penalty home against former Orlando City keeper Gallese.
Fresh into the game, Dortmund teenager Mathis Albert bursts toward the box and goes down inside the 18.
The foul seemed to occur outside the 18 and carry into the 18.
Ellis leaves a memorable debut at his club stadium with a goal and a solid, solid day.
Sullivan is also out of the game, as are Musah and Reyna.
Sebastian Berhalter, Mathis Albert of Dortmund, Zavier Gozo of Palace, and Julian Hall of Red Bull New York check into the game.
Lapadula’s day is done as one of three Peru switches.
Pochettino is yet to make changes outside of his halftime keeper switch.
1-1, 57'.
Barcelona product and current Lyngby loanee Diego Kochen, 20, makes his senior debut for the USMNT in place of Freese at the break.
The U.S. front line has impressed, especially Ellis, and Tillman is again looking like the star of the show.
Sullivan’s been good on the right while Miller’s had good and bad moments at left back.
George Campbell is an imposing figure and the West Brom man has been good with the ball and in the air but has been beaten a time or two on the ground.
Shots are 7-3 to the U.S., who are holding 67% of the ball and have 18 touches in the Peru box compared to two in the other direction.
Alas, it’s 1-1.
Oh so slick from Sullivan, who finds Tillman inside the box.
The Bayer Leverkusen man is stopped from releasing a shot and it looked like a possible penalty.
No call.
Ellis forces a turnover in Peru’s third and gets the ball to Sullivan, who darts toward the end line and drills a low cross into traffic that is handled by the visitors.
It’s early and no one should be crowning the teenager Sullivan but he certainly has the look of someone with everything in the locker from passion to product.
Miller gets down the left side and whips the ball toward the heart of the box.
Malik Tillman snaps a shot in toward goal and it’s loose between Gallese’s feet. Sulivan charges toward the loose ball and is shoved into the keeper, who is down hurt.
Sullivan is shown a very soft yellow as the refs clearly missed the shove, but perhaps the aggressive teenager’s reputation has preceded him a bit.
The Universitaro veteran nods home at the back post.
Lapadula slips behind Trusty and Peyton Miller doesn’t cover his ground.
Campbell is caught on the ball and both Freeman and Musah are half-passengers to allow Yoshi Yotun’s cross.
Freese might have wanted to do a bit better there, too, but it’s not a fault goal for the keeper.
Shots are 3-0 to the Yanks, who have held 61% of the ball through 11 minutes.
Ellis won the free kick, by the way, in an almost immaculate first five minutes as a senior national team player.
The U.S. win a very early free kick on the left.
Gio Reyna whips it in with some vigor, and Justin Ellis turns it over his shoulder with a header that dips off the inside of the post for 1-0 in the 4th minute.
The U.S. are in their dark blue kits and Peru in all white with red accents and black numbers.
Adams captains the Americans.
Nine of the U.S. starters come from American academies or colleges, with Malik Tillman and Yunus Musah the exceptions.
All nine play in MLS or played there before going abroad.
Starting XI
Gallese
Sonne
Araujo
Garces
Lopez
Cartagena
Yotun
Vidales
Velez
Magallanes
Lapadula
The 16-year-old (17 in two days) starts in his USMNT debut.
Cavan Sullivan will have all eyes on him against Peru. If you’re still learning about the Philadelphia Union product — set for Man City next season — read on...
Matt Freese keeps his place in goal, and there are few more World Cup holders in the XI.
Auston Trusty and George Campbell are between fullbacks Peyton Miller and Alex Freeman.
Tyler Adams runs the midfield with Malik Tillman and Yunus Musah.
Justin Ellis, Giovanni Reyna, and Cavan Sullivan are in attack.
The Yanks have played Peru seven times but just once in the last decade.
Antonee Robinson is the only active American to have played in that game, a 1-1 friendly draw.
The U.S. men are 3-2-2 all-time versus Peru and are unbeaten in three meetings this century.
The United States’ four active caps leaders are all not a part of the team as Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, and Weston McKennie were not called into camp and Tim Ream is set to be celebrated off the pitch.
Antonee Robinson and Tyler Adams have one fewer cap than Aaronson’s 59 and should pass him today if not later this break.
Pochettino’s men will face two CONMEBOL and two CONCACAF rivals over the next 2.5 weeks, then meet another CONCACAF team home-and-away in November’s Nations League quarterfinals.
Friendlies
vs Peru in Orlando, Florida — Today — 4:30pm ET
vs Chile in St. Louis, Missouri — September 29 — 8pm ET
vs Mexico in Glendale, Arizona — October 3 — 10pm ET
vs Canada in St. Paul, Minnesota — October 6 — 8pm ET
Next international break
November 9-17 (CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, one opponent home-and-away)
Kick off time: 4:30pm ET Saturday September 26
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando, Florida
Streaming en Español: Peacock
TV channels in English: HBO Max, TNT
TV channels en Español: Universo, Telemundo Deportes
One of the things worth monitoring is how Pochettino chooses and uses his goalkeepers moving forward.
From ProSoccerTalk’s “What are the next steps for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT?” this week:
“Going to a World Cup with a keeper who’s been developed on a big stage earlier than Turner and Freese would be a huge boon to their tournament hopes. Heck, at this point having a no-questions-asked No. 1 would be terrific. But as Buffalo Bills legend Marv Levy often said, ‘What it takes to win is simple, but it isn’t easy,’.”
We’ve been detailing the players who could be a part of the Yanks’ roster when they hopefully take the pitch in one of six nations for their 2030 World Cup debut.
Read the whole piece here, but here’s a sampling:
“Returnee totals usually include a goalkeeper or two but this group has no guarantees there. And just over a half-dozen players are 24 or younger: Ricardo Pepi (23), Alex Freeman (21), Malik Tillman (24), Chris Brady (22), Joe Scally (23), Giovanni Reyna (23), and Folarin Balogun (24).
“The USMNT also have some very high-level players who deserve the label of top-caliber national team stars that transcend normal expectations — think past players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Carlos Bocanegra.
“Who lives in that zone and how old will they be at the start of the 2030 tournament?
- Christian Pulisic (31 at 2030 World Cup)
- Tyler Adams (31)
- Chris Richards (30)”
