The message was clear well before the opening whistle blew in the U.S. men's national team's first game after the World Cup – this is merely an introduction, both for uncapped players and for an audience that has high hopes for them. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said there were no discussions that "they need to perform," while midfielder Tyler Adams encouraged them to "go through the process properly and really just lean on guidance." First impressions in this setting do not need to be lasting ones, nor should they. The freedom to perform without pressure, though, can be freeing, so much so that the USMNT's generational shift began with a 4-1 win over Peru on Saturday, with several seizing the first opportunities of their senior national team careers.
"I think they were so good," Pochettino said post-match. "I think they played like experienced players. I think they were so comfortable on the field." Unsurprising for a roster that started with 13 uncapped players, the U.S. team's performance ebbed and flowed as players old and new built chemistry despite meeting each other barely a week ago.
Interspersed throughout the match, first slowly and then all at once, though, were a series of memorable moments. Justin Ellis, one of 11 players who made his debut on Saturday, combined with childhood idol Gio Reyna just four minutes into the game for his very first international goal at the start of a busy outing. The 19-year-old took three shots and generated 0.41 expected goals plus expected assists in 62 minutes, a solid outing for a forward whose creative abilities are his standout feature.
He has three goals and 12 assists for Orlando City this season. Justin Ellis four minutes into his USMNT debut 🇺🇸💨 pic.twitter.com/dkg7aiHSxy It was one of the better shots in a first half that started intensely, only for the energy levels to fade as the disjointed quality of a new-look U.S. team became easy to spot. Peru had their equalizer 11 minutes later courtesy of Gianluca Lapadula, the visitors able to capitalize on center back George Campbell's error in just his second cap while left wingback Peyton Miller, another first-timer, was caught out of possession after leaning on his attack-minded tendencies.
It was ultimately a survivable error – the USMNT, after all, actually have time on the clock to fix any problems they diagnose over the next four years. Then there was the simple fact that their teammates would have them covered after the break. The USMNT took things up a notch after halftime, particularly with a half hour to go with a wave of substitutions that exemplified the newcomers' youthful energy that Pochettino described as contagious.
First came Mathis Albert, the 17-year-old winger who used his dribbling pace to rattle Peru's defense and earn a penalty that Malik Tillman converted swiftly in the 66th minute. "I don't know if the action of Mathis Albert was a penalty or no[t]," Pochettino said about a foul that his Peru counterpart Mano Menezes argued was outside the box. "[There] wasn't VAR, but I think for me, it was a penalty.
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