In what could have been dismissed as overly scripted drama, the United States men's national team delivered a statement performance that few could have predicted just months ago. The USMNT's emphatic 5-1 victory over Uruguay on Tuesday served as both redemption and revelation, marking a stunning conclusion to a turbulent year under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
From Crisis to Confidence
The symbolism was almost too perfect. Uruguay, the same team that eliminated the US from the 2024 Copa América, now found themselves comprehensively beaten by a transformed American side. The narrative deepened with Sebastian Berhalter, son of former coach Gregg Berhalter, contributing crucially with the first goal and an assist for the second.
Pochettino himself acknowledged the poetic nature of the moment, greeting his mentor and "football father" Marcelo Bielsa after the final whistle. Yet the Argentinian coach remained focused on the bigger picture. "That victory doesn't mean nothing for me, personally, because we need to build our journey until the World Cup," Pochettino stated in his post-match comments.
Building Foundations Through Adversity
The road to this decisive victory has been anything but smooth. After Pochettino's appointment in September 2024, the team experienced significant growing pains. Disappointing losses in the Nations League Finals last March against Panama and Canada prompted what the coach now calls a crucial turning point.
"All that negativity was a positive thing," Pochettino reflected. "All this negativity we used to build this journey. That was, I think, when the reality touched."
The summer brought further challenges with dispiriting friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland in June, casting doubt on World Cup preparations. However, the subsequent Gold Cup campaign, though ending in defeat to Mexico, revealed the emerging character Pochettino had been cultivating.
A New USMNT Identity Emerges
What makes Tuesday's victory particularly significant is how it was achieved. Pochettino made nine changes from Saturday's 2-1 win over Paraguay, yet the team's performance level remained consistently high.
"Nine changes, but [we kept] the ideas, the philosophy, the faith, the fight, the togetherness," Pochettino emphasised. "All the bench players were supporting the starting 11. That connection is amazing, it's what we wanted."
This continuity reflects Pochettino's broader project throughout 2025. The coach has refreshed the player pool with 71 callups over the calendar year, while instilling a distinct tactical identity.
Diego Luna, one of Tuesday's scorers, explained: "That's the main thing that we've been focused on – building that DNA and that grit, that hardworking mentality because that's us. That's us as a country and that's us as a team."
Defender Mark McKenzie added insight into Pochettino's methodology: "Mauricio has expressed a lot of confidence for us to go out there and solve problems as we see fit. It's not about Xs and Os... It's just the aggressiveness, the mentality to win the ball back as soon as possible."
The statistical evidence supports this transformation. Since a strong second-half performance against South Korea in September despite a 2-0 loss, the Americans have recorded wins over World Cup-bound Japan, Australia, and Paraguay, along with a competitive draw against Ecuador.
As 2025 concludes, Pochettino's USMNT enters World Cup year with genuine optimism. "After [more than] one year, we start to see the identity that we want to translate to our players," the coach noted. The foundations, once shaky, now appear solid enough to withstand the pressures of a home World Cup in 2026.
