USMNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Pulisic Better Than Ever; Pochettino Finds His ‘Monster’

The U.S. men’s national team has its official World Cup roster, and those 26 players are already firing on all cylinders.

On Sunday, the Stars and Stripes took to the pitch for the first time since Tuesday’s roster reveal, earning a big win over No. 14 globally ranked Senegal in Charlotte. The 3–2 victory—which also saw the No. 16 ranked U.S. find the back of the net two additional times before being ruled offside—was charged with offensive hunger and was critically important towards building confidence ahead of the tournament in less than two weeks’ time.

The team’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is still experimenting with his starting lineup and made sweeping changes at the half, seeing 22 players take the field during the international friendly. Some players made bigger cases for themselves than others, though.

Here’s our stock up, stock down analysis for the USMNT this week, the second to last before the squad commences World Cup play.

USMNT Stock Up

Christian Pulisic

Pulisic needed less than seven minutes on the pitch to prove he’s still the man. The 27-year-old star forward entered Bank of America Stadium with tremendous weight on his shoulders—not only the continual pressure of being the face of the U.S. despite his shy demeanor, but also the pressure of critics’ doubt all over the nation.

“Captain America” had ended his club season with AC Milan on a career-worst goal drought. He went 19 games without finding the net in Serie A play, dating back to 2025, and tallied just two assists in that span. For the Stars and Stripes, the wait had been even longer, dating back to November 2024.

It is no wonder media and fans alike began to question his ability to lead the U.S. to global glory on home soil this summer; however, they were effectively silenced when Pulisic exploded down the left flank before threading the perfect cross to star wingback Sergiño Dest inside the box, who had no trouble firing it past Senegal’s goalkeeper Mory Diaw.

To prove his brilliance wasn’t just momentary, Pulisic scored his own goal just 13 minutes later, taking a silky touch past Diaw to find the net. Pulisic was substituted off at the half, but he had done more than enough to make his mark.

“It’s just great to score again. Hopefully people can stop talking about it,” Pulisic put it simply after the match.

Sebastian Berhalter

Berhalter got a somewhat unexpected nod to start on Sunday, having been largely anticipated to come off the bench for Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman and Tyler Adams in the central midfield this summer. Whether or not Pochettino was simply experimenting with his lineup, Berhalter made the most of the opportunity, showcasing his expertise in box-to-box movements. He made five defensive contributions and four tackles, while also making five penetrative passes into the final third.

The 25-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps star logged 76 minutes on the day, the most of any U.S. player, as the majority substituted on or off at half time.

Most importantly, Pochettino sang Berhalter’s praises postmatch.

“He can play two games in a row. He’s a monster,” Pochettino told reporters. “He’s a monster, in the way of how professional he is. I think he deserved to be in the roster and today, [I’m] happy too with his performance.”

“He’s not 100%, he’s 200% professional, committed,” Pochettino added. “In a non-official game, an official game, with friends, in training—he’s always giving his best, always his 200% ... For a coach, it’s always a pleasure to have a profile like [Berhalter].”

USMNT Stock Down

Haji Wright

The 28-year-old striker was one of just three uninjured U.S. players that did not see the pitch on Sunday. The Coventry City star has much to offer Pochettino at the No. 9 position, scoring 17 goals this season to help his side secure Premier League promotion for the first time since the 2000–01 season; however, the competition for the starting striker position is steep, as was proved tenfold on Sunday.

Despite Folarin Balogun being the expected starter this summer, Ricardo Pepi earned the start against Senegal and proved he cannot be so easily written off. The 23-year-old PSV Eindhoven star combined masterfully with Pulisic throughout the first half, even assisting his 20th-minute goal. His movements were also integral to the U.S. implementing a high-press from kickoff and putting Senegal on their backheels.

Balogun wasn’t going to let his starting spot on the frontline slip so quickly, though, and when he substituted onto the pitch for Pepi in the second half, his brilliance quickly overshadowed Pepi’s performance. The Monaco goalscoring machine was determined to find the back of the net. The 24-year-old continually broke down Senegal’s backline, and it took two goals deemed offside before he finally broke through, scoring the game winner in the 63rd minute, a sweeping shot across his body off of a cross from Timothy Weah.

All to say, the mastery of both Pepi and Balogun on Sunday pushes Wright even deeper into the shadows. He will need to make the most of his opportunity on the pitch this weekend against Germany—should he get some minutes—in order to bring himself back into the fold.

Miles Robinson

Miles Robinson was one of the players on the fringes of Pochettino’s squad, his history of injury setbacks putting him in jeopardy of not making the final World Cup squad. He was nevertheless included, in part to Pochettino’s decision to include a whopping five center backs on the roster.

The FC Cincinnati star got the opportunity to prove Pochettino right when he substituted on for Mark McKenzie in the second half. The 29-year-old’s calmness on the ball was evident as were his speed and agility, except those attributes were soon overshadowed by one glaring error that Pochettino may struggle to overlook.

A poor receiving touch saw Senegalese star Sadio Mané easily strip the ball from Robinson in the 52nd minute in the final third and barrel towards goal. U.S. goalkeeper Chris Brady misjudged his timing coming off of his line, and Robinson showcased his speed once more to try to recover, sprinting into net. It was to no avail, though, as Mané ensured he got the finish, his second goal of the game.

The USMNT’s backline will certainly face stars as bright as Mané this summer, and Pochettino will now question whether or not Robinson is equip to handle them.

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