Austin (AFP) – For all the fascination with Mauricio Pochettino’s team selection and tactics for his opening game in charge of the USA, perhaps the most significant evidence of the Argentine’s impact came in the opening 15 minutes of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Panama. A team that had won just once in their last seven games, all on home soil, and had suffered a dismal early exit from July’s Copa America, showed no signs at all of those disappointments as they zipped the ball around the field, looking hungry for possession. Their opponents, one of the tougher sides to face in the CONCACAF region at the moment, had dealt former coach Gregg Berhalter the deadly blow of a defeat in the Copa group stage, but there was no sign of fear in the way that the Americans took to the task at Q2 Stadium.
“(His message has been) have guys play the way they are comfortable playing and being confident going forward with the ball,” said 37-year-old captain Tim Ream. “And I think everybody saw that, especially in the first 15 minutes. Guys were moving, guys were intricate passing and getting the ball moving quick and getting in and around their box. And when he tells guys to go and be themselves, you know, it’s a sign that he has confidence in you and you can see that come out with all the guys,” he said.
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Nothing builds belief like a win, and so the victory in Texas will go a long way to casting aside the mostly miserable year the team has suffered, although Ream said the change had been evident during the buildup. “He’s been speaking about confidence all week. And I think the feeling in the locker room (was there) even before the game. Guys felt confident walking off yesterday after the walkthrough at training. Guys were confident in what we were doing and what we were going to do,” he said.
Pochettino, who had been greeted with a portrait of his face displayed on a banner behind the goal where the team’s supporters groups had gathered, was impressed with the response after less than a week of being with his new squad. “Yeah, after a few days training with the team, I think it’s amazing the way that we were focused and concentrated and tried to follow the plan,” he said. “It was a very professional performance from there; I think it’s the basis for the first step to start to grow and get better,” he added.
It was by no means a perfect display — nor a particularly revolutionary approach — and Panama had enough chances to have claimed at least a draw from the game. But the former Tottenham boss was delighted to have seen his team cope with spells when their possession game wasn’t so effective, and Panama gained the upper hand. “I think we have shown that we have been able to compete in all phases of the game. When at some point in the second half we had to defend low and compete, we competed very well; I’m very happy in that regard,” Pochettino said. “There are things, of course, many things to improve, to correct, but this is the beginning of a process that has to arrive in 2026 (at the World Cup) in the best condition. I am also happy because we have won, and whenever you win, things are easier to correct and improve,” he added.
He had praise for several players but was particularly pleased with the performance in the deep playmaker role of 22-year-old Aidan Morris, the Middlesbrough midfielder looking accomplished in just his eighth appearance. “I think he was amazing; I think we have a very young, talented midfielder that can absorb and take the responsibility and play. I’m so happy for him,” he said.
The USA face a test on the road on Tuesday when they take on old rivals Mexico in Guadalajara, with El Tri also having changed coach with the return for a third spell of Javier Aguirre. “It’s going to be a complicated game because Mexico is a great team; the rivalry is there. They have also changed coach and will be full of motivation,” said Pochettino. “It’s going to be a great experience for many young players to be able to feel the competition and what it is like in an environment that will surely be against us.”
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