Mauricio Pochettino arrived at Q2 Stadium to find his face on posters and banners around the stands and behind the goal. By the end of the game, he was waving to fans who were cheering for him. The 52-year-old Argentine had a successful debut as the U.S. coach.
Yunus Musah scored a goal in the 49th minute with help from his AC Milan teammate Christian Pulisic, and Ricardo Pepi added another goal in stoppage time, leading to a 2-0 win against Panama on Saturday night.
The match, played in front of nearly 20,239 fans, was the first of two friendly games for the U.S. in a four-day period, with another match against Mexico scheduled for Tuesday in Guadalajara.
This win ended a four-game winless streak for the team and marked their first home victory since 2010-11. “Little by little building something. The objective is 2026,” Pochettino said. “It’s only the first step.”
He expressed gratitude for the warm welcome from U.S. fans, saying, “Amazing. Amazing. Thank you to the fans. You were amazing.”
Pochettino was hired last month to replace Gregg Berhalter, who was fired after the team was eliminated in the first round of Copa America. He has a contract that runs until the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host, and is tasked with revitalizing a team that hasn’t reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002.
Musah took advantage of this new beginning, scoring his first goal after 42 international appearances. “Hopefully more to come,” Musah said.
Antonee Robinson passed the ball to Pulisic, who exchanged quick passes with Brenden Aaronson before crossing it. Musah beat defender César Blackman and redirected the ball into the net with a volley from close range.
“I told him it was goal-scoring instincts. He’s been watching me,” said Pulisic, who has scored five goals in seven Serie A matches this season. “He’s been learning a thing or two. But honestly, that moment … it’s great to see that.”
Pulisic has now played for his eighth U.S. coach, a record for any American player. The U.S. team was missing several injured regulars, including Sergiño Dest, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah, and Folarin Balogun.
Three players who came on as substitutes in the second half worked together to score the second goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Malik Tillman received a kick from goalkeeper Matt Turner and passed it to Haji Wright, who made a cross.
Texas native Pepi then slid the ball through the legs of Mosquera for his 11th goal in 31 games, marking his fourth goal in just three international matches in Austin.
Turner, who played in all four games at the 2022 World Cup, made two impressive saves in the 52nd minute. He first batted away a shot from Puma Rodríguez with his left hand, then dove to block a follow-up attempt from Yoel Bárcenas.
In the 87th minute, Panama’s José Fajardo missed an open shot. The U.S. held 55% possession but was outshot 13-11.
“It was a good night, but I don’t want to get way too ahead of ourselves,” Turner said. “It was a building block for the future. By no means was it perfect.”
Earlier, Panama had beaten the U.S. in the Copa America group stage, a match where Weah received an early red card for punching an opponent.
“I didn’t feel too many changes. But when a new coach is coming, for sure a victory, and that’s what happened,” said Panama coach Thomas Christiansen. “He will also need time to adapt his ideas to the team. He has the knowledge and experience, and he has the players to do the job.”
Tim Ream served as captain for the Americans one week after turning 37, becoming the oldest U.S. field player since Preki Radosavljević in 2001. Forward Josh Sargent made his first start since the group-stage final against Iran in the 2022 World Cup.
Mexican referee Katia Garcia was thought to be the first woman to referee a U.S. men’s national team match.
Goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who hasn’t played for the U.S. since the last World Cup qualifiers in March 2022, did not dress due to what the U.S. Soccer Federation called a minor injury.
Defender Marlon Fossey, who hadn’t trained on the field recently, also did not dress. Weston McKennie was held out because he arrived at camp with an injury, according to Pochettino.
