The United States opened their two-leg Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti with a dominant 6-0 victory in front of a considerably pro-Haitian crowd in Miami on Saturday. Auston Trusty provided the first half's only goal before Julian Hall, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun contributed to the eventual rout.
Pochettino's penultimate lineup
Concacaf allowed Haiti to host the match in Miami under an "exceptional hosting arrangement" because of the ongoing political unrest and gang violence in Port-au-Prince. Mauricio Pochettino's penultimate lineup as US manager built on the momentum fostered during the previous international window. Tyler Adams retained the captain's armband after being named permanent skipper in September.
Trusty partnered Chris Richards between the first-choice full-back tandem of Antonee Robinson and Alex Freeman. Pulisic and McKennie made their first international appearances since the World Cup. Diego Kochen and Hall started in goal and at striker, respectively, as two members of a rising generation who debuted en masse in the previous window.
Trusty's emotional opener
One major evolution under Pochettino led to the game's opening goal. Midway through his tenure, Pochettino cut into Pulisic's ownership of dead-ball duties, opening the door to alternatives. Malik Tillman made the most of the change, scoring a pair of direct free-kick goals in the World Cup knockout rounds. It also helped Sebastian Berhalter establish himself in a prominent role.
In the ninth minute, Freeman drew a free kick on the right flank roughly 30 yards from goal. Berhalter stood over it, curling his delivery around the crowd and beyond the far post. Trusty arrived without a defender in tow, steering the ball back toward the right post for his second international goal. VAR took some time to confirm that Trusty had stayed onside, and the Celtic defender had plenty to reflect on in the interim. It was his first on-field action in nearly a month, having last played on 15 October following the death of his father, Walt.
Hall's rapid rise
Haiti threatened the US with greater attacking ambition than Mexico or Canada had shown in the previous window. In the 16th minute, Danley Jean Jacques fashioned a powerful effort after a quick Haitian break, but Kochen parried the shot away. Lenny Joseph found another opening shortly after the half-hour mark, only for Richards to time his sliding block expertly.
In the second half, the US broke down the flank with a decisive sequence of passes, Pulisic carrying into the final third before slipping the ball left to Robinson. The left back sent it back into the box for the onrushing Hall, whose movement had afforded him time to pick his spot. The 18-year-old comfortably dispatched his effort into the net. Despite making his debut only in September, Hall already has four goals from five appearances for the US. Only two other American men have scored four international goals before turning 20: Pulisic and Gio Reyna.
Hall's appearance on Saturday also officially cap-tied him to the United States, ending any possibility of a one-time switch to Poland, who had courted the teenager.
Pulisic's milestone and Balogun's strike
Five minutes after his goal, Hall drew defenders toward him before playing a clever backheel into Pulisic's path. Carlens Arcus tripped the Milan attacker, and Pulisic made no mistake from the spot, driving his effort straight down the middle while goalkeeper Alexandre Pierre dived helplessly away. It was his 34th international goal, drawing him level with Eric Wynalda for fourth on the program's all-time scoring chart. Their shared position lasted just 32 seconds.
Haiti squandered possession from the ensuing kickoff, and Pulisic collected possession and fashioned a shooting opportunity from more than 20 yards out. Pierre could do little to stop it, and suddenly the US were four goals to the good. McKennie separated himself from Joseph at a 68th-minute free kick, heading home his 13th international goal and his first since 28 March.
Haiti still tried to claw back some of the deficit, but VAR determined that Casimir had strayed offside by the narrowest of margins, his big toe enough to negate the consolation goal. Balogun appeared to score his first US goal since his ill-fated last-16 appearance against Belgium, only for VAR to controversially rule it out. Balogun needed no contact with defenders to make amends five minutes later, gliding between two opponents before strolling into the box and nutmegging Pierre.
US Soccer is not expected to appoint Pochettino's successor until the new year, with Olympic team coach Steve Cherundolo poised to handle December's friendly window on an interim basis. All that remains for Pochettino before taking over at Manchester United is to see out a 6-0 advantage in Tuesday's second leg in Cincinnati.
