Balogun and Reyna shone brightly, but there were plenty of other aspects of the USMNT that Mauricio Pochettino will be encouraged by following their win over Paraguay.
CHESTER, Pa. – This summer, leading up to and during the Gold Cup, Mauricio Pochettino challenged the U.S. Men's National Team. It wasn't a full-strength group, but that didn't lessen his expectations. He challenged them to build a culture, a brotherhood, and a belief. More than anything, he challenged them to fight, for each other, for their badge and, ultimately, for their own World Cup places.
That fight, on Saturday night against Paraguay, got a bit literal. There was a late-game scrap, not unlike previous ones against Costa Rica and Australia. That fight, ultimately, wasn't the one that made Pochettino happy. No, he had already seen everything he needed to see between the lines prior to that. When the ball was in play, Pochettino saw a team that, once again, proved that they can and will fight for each other in the right ways, too.
"The good thing was that this was a team performing," Pochettino said following the USMNT's 2-1 win over Paraguay. "This was a team with intensity going to press. It wasn't individual actions with intensity. Sometimes there are individual actions with intensity and players walking, or some focused and some concentrating. I think the good thing today was the harmony. That is what we want to establish. That is what we've tried to find in the past.
"It takes time, but after one year, I think today, yes, was a big test for us, and this was a good test. We need to be happy, but it's not enough. We need to be pushing, and we need to keep improving."
The U.S. has been steadily improving. After effectively hitting the reset button this summer, Pochettino's group has built through the fall. The win over Paraguay, headlined by goals from Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun, was the USMNT's third in four matches – with the Americans being undefeated in that span. Players have shuffled in and out while injuries have robbed Pochettino of some of his big stars like Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson. It hasn't hurt the team, though. That, ultimately, is exactly what Pochettino is looking for.
"We need to show that it is not about the name; it's about the team," Pochettino said. "It's about the collective. It's about the idea that they are all together…Our fans need to think that this team is the most important. Who is the hero? The team needs to be the hero. If we are capable of attracting our fans to support us, we can create a very good bond between the fans and us right up to the World Cup."
With Saturday's victory, the USMNT is now one step closer. Individual battles remain, and they'll go right up until the World Cup, but, at the moment, the team is humming in ways that seemed so distant just a few short months ago.
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ImagnWINNER: Gio Reyna
All week long, USMNT players spoke of a new Reyna. He’s more focused now, more mature. As it turns out, though, the end result is the same. When Reyna plays for the USMNT, no matter what version of him it is, goals tend to follow.
"In that moment, I was just happy," he said of his goal. "Honestly, it's been a while since I scored for the national team, so yeah, it was just excitement and happiness. It's just great to be back."
This game was a perfect audition for Reyna, who is still very much fighting for a World Cup spot. He showed that, even when at less-than-full fitness, he can still change games. Even when he’s not quite at his best, he can still be better than most.
"Probably 80-85 percent," Reyna said when asked about his fitness level. "It's hard to say, but I'm not far. I'm definitely getting there. I feel really good. It was nice to feel 75 minutes in the legs tonight with no problems at all. I was able to push through the whole 75 minutes, so I just need to keep going, but yeah, I'm almost there."
There are still questions surrounding Reyna’s trajectory. How quickly can he reach full fitness? Can this performance serve as a springboard after an inconsistent stretch of appearances for club and country? And how will Pochettino evaluate what was, despite its promise, still just one game? The questions are shifting – and Reyna, finally, appears to be shifting with them.
"He scored and I think he did a very good job," Pochettino said. "I am so happy with him, and he showed why he started. He confirmed that he's a player who needs to improve, because he needs to play more in his club, but we can see today that he was great. He scored, he assisted, and his capacity to read the game and find space between the lines, it was a nightmare for Paraguay. He did a very good job."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Paraguay
The visitors had one moment of magic, and magic it was. Miguel Almiron busted loose, Álex Arce slipped through, and bang, it was 1-1. From that point on, though? Crickets.
The Paraguay attack never really got going. The most fight they showed came at the very end, and it came in all the wrong ways. This was an opportunity for them, too. Facing a shorthanded USMNT team, this could have been a good confidence booster on the road to the World Cup. They beat Argentina and Brazil to book their place; surely they could threaten this version of the USMNT, right?
Wrong. They’ll now go back to the drawing board after a night with one positive moment and a whole bunch of silence otherwise.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Folarin Balogun
Three goals in three starts for Balogun – is there anything more to ask from a striker? Not really, in truth. That's why the Monaco striker, for now, remains the guy up top for the USMNT.
Balogun’s goal was the kind of finish expected from a No. 9 in form. Limited mostly to initiating the press for long stretches, he got one clear look – and buried it. Reyna broke through on the left and sent a ball across the box that deflected off a defender and fell straight to Balogun, who made no mistake. One chance, one goal, and another big moment for a striker who continues to justify his status as the team’s first-choice option.
"He was decisive," Pochettino said. "He scored the winning goal and, if you are looking at the World Cup, for me, that was fantastic. It wasn't easy to find anything against the centerbacks of Paraguay. They were very good and very competitive. South American centerbacks – I was one many years ago – and we know how to defend and be difficult, so this was a massive lesson for him."
Pochettino stressed that, despite the match being a friendly, he does not minimize the expectations placed on his players and remains encouraged by his lead striker’s steady improvement.
"These are not friendly games, and that is so important. For Flo, I think he's improving day by day, week by week, and he needs to be consistent."
Balogun has been exactly that lately. As long as that continues, he’ll likely maintain his grip on the top spot in the No. 9 depth chart.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Ricardo Pepi
If Pepi was in his top form, firing and fit, he'd have buried it. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't, and when his big chance came to him in the second half, there was the slightest bit of hesitation.
It’s understandable. Back with the national team for the first time in a while and given only a brief window to work in place of Balogun, Pepi likely had some nerves. So when the ball fell to him late on, he took an extra touch – just enough for Paraguay’s defenders to recover and clear the effort off the line, denying him another international goal.
If Pepi returns to full sharpness, that moment won’t define anything, and he didn’t play poorly otherwise. He found a dangerous spot, as he often does, and on most nights you’d expect him to be sprinting toward the corner flag in celebration from a chance like that.