ST. LOUIS -- The second leg of the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) quarterfinal between the United States and Jamaica lacked drama. It was devoid of tension for long stretches. Yet there were also moments when it was thrilling, and it was precisely the kind of performance the U.S. hoped it would get when it hired Mauricio Pochettino as manager two months ago.
The USMNT blew away the Reggae Boyz 4-2 to claim a 5-2 aggregate triumph and advance to the CNL semifinals set to take place next March. To put the win into context, eight months ago, Jamaica pushed the U.S. to the absolute limit in the 2024 CNL semifinals before falling in extra time.
This time around it wasn't at all close. Christian Pulisic opened the scoring in the 14th minute and celebrated with what he confirmed afterward to be a Donald Trump-style dance that he insisted "wasn't a political dance," but one he saw players in the NFL doing and "thought was fun." The AC Milan star had a second strike find the net in the 33rd minute, though Concacaf officially declared it to be an own goal on Di'Shon Bernard. Ricardo Pepi and Tim Weah scored as well. By advancing, the U.S. guaranteed itself two more competitive fixtures in a World Cup cycle where those are in short supply.
The U.S. now looks to be on an upward trajectory. Last month, there was some disjointedness in a win over Panama and a sobering loss to rival Mexico in which a shorthanded U.S. team wasn't competitive. This was expected to a degree. It was always going to take some time for Pochettino to settle in, get to know the players, and begin imparting his style.
This camp showed improvement in multiple facets. The first leg against Jamaica in Kingston saw the team prove that it could win ugly and stand up to physical play. On Monday, the USMNT delivered a dynamic attacking display that was easily the most fluid of the Pochettino era. It provided some much-needed validation that the new boss's methods are working.
Not that a manager of Pochettino's pedigree needs it; his reputation remains strong. But this is a project that is on an accelerated timeline. The 2026 World Cup is less than two years away, and a hungry fan base needed a tangible sign that the team is on the right track. The USMNT delivered.
"We start to feel that we are a real group of people, that we are going to fight for something special," Pochettino said. "Then on another side it's easy to improve because I think we have the talent of the players and we have a great coaching staff that can design all the strategies to be better [than] the opponent."
The win was achieved with the help of a tactical wrinkle. When the U.S. was in possession, left-back Antonee Robinson pinched inside as an auxiliary central midfielder. This allowed Pulisic and Weah to overload the left flank, and it proved dangerous as early as the fourth minute, with Weah hitting the post on a shot after cutting inside from the wing.
Space appeared in other parts of the field as well and it didn't take long for the U.S. to get on the scoreboard, with Pulisic's deft touch from Weston McKennie's cross putting the USMNT ahead. Pulisic helped double the lead in the 33rd minute when his shot from another McKennie feed deflected off Bernard and wrongfooted Andre Blake in the Jamaica goal.
Pepi made it 3-0 from Robinson's pass after he had pounced on a wayward Blake clearance. It was the third straight match in which Pepi scored, and his fourth international goal against Jamaica.
Throughout, Pochettino was exhorting his players forward whenever a transition opportunity appeared. There was a confidence to the USMNT's play that hadn't been seen since the 2022 World Cup.
Jamaica tried to climb back into the match and pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute through Demarai Gray. But Weah restored the four-goal aggregate lead four minutes later with a fierce blast into the net from Musah's cross. Given the venom of the shot, it's tempting to think Weah had released over four months of pent-up frustration in that one goal.
Prior to the match, Weah admitted that the red card he received in the Copa América match against Panama -- a play that contributed heavily to the U.S. team's group-stage elimination -- had been "tough" to deal with. He was forced to serve the second game of his suspension in the first leg. But Weah said there was no anger or fury that went into his goal.
"I think I was more excited when the other guys scored," he said. "I think just being out there with them was wonderful. I mean after missing out on the previous camps and obviously what happened in the summer, I think for me, I just wanted to be on the pitch with them again, kind of feel out everything. It was fun."
Christian Pulisic reflects on being a "leader" for the USMNT after a 4-2 win vs. Jamaica.
It has been clear that the U.S. has missed Weah's presence. There are few players in the U.S. pool who can stretch opposition defenses with pure speed like he can, and in this match, his ability to find room in tight spaces was on display as well. What was unexpected was where Weah lined up. He's almost exclusively been deployed on the right in his career. But a conversation with assistant coach Jesús Pérez about his favorite position -- and a test about which eye is dominant -- led Pochettino to put Weah on the left, and the Juventus winger made the most of it.
"It's beautiful to see it come together," he said about the first half. "I mean, we didn't have a lot of time to work on it, but I mean that first half was really good. I'm really excited to see where we can take it."
Granted, there is still plenty of work to do. Some defensive sloppiness crept into the USMNT's game in the second half, allowing the Reggae Boyz to pull two goals back. That will need to be tightened up in subsequent international windows.
"Obviously they pressed a little bit higher and guys were taking a few more touches, a few more risks than maybe necessary," defender Tim Ream said. "And listen, at this level, any team can hurt you with what they have and that was really what it boiled down to."
That will be addressed by Pochettino and the staff in the time between now and March. But it's also clear that a bond is developing among Pochettino, the staff and the players, so much so that the coach didn't want this camp to end.
"The progression is so good," he said. "I think I told them after the game, when we were all together with staff, 'I'm going to miss you, you all, players and staff,' because it's like 10 days was too little. And yes, you want tomorrow [to] see again these guys, but they need to come back."
Come March, they will, accompanied by an eagerness to see how much more this team can grow.