Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi propelled the United States to a 2-0 victory over Panama in a friendly match held in Austin, Texas, marking Mauricio Pochettino's successful debut as head coach of the US men's national team. Musah netted his first international goal in the 49th minute, assisted by his AC Milan teammate Christian Pulisic, while Pepi sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal.
The match, attended by nearly 20,239 fans at Q2 Stadium, was the first of two friendlies for the US in a span of four days, with a crucial game against Mexico scheduled for Tuesday in Guadalajara. This victory ended a four-game winless streak for the Americans, their first home winless stretch since a seven-game slide between 2010 and 2011.
Pochettino, a 52-year-old Argentine with a coaching history that includes Tottenham, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain, was appointed last month to replace Gregg Berhalter, who was dismissed following the team's early exit from the Copa América. Pochettino has been tasked with revitalizing a squad that has not advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals since 2002, with a contract extending through the 2026 World Cup, which the US will co-host.
“Little by little building something. The objective is 2026,” Pochettino stated. “It’s only the first step.”
Musah's goal came after a well-executed play involving Antonee Robinson, who maneuvered around defender Michael Murillo to set up Pulisic. After exchanging passes with Brenden Aaronson, Pulisic delivered a cross that Musah volleyed past Panama's goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera from close range.
Pulisic, who played under his eighth different coach for the national team—a record for an American player—was joined by a squad missing several key players due to injuries, including Sergiño Dest, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah, and Folarin Balogun.
The second goal was a result of a combination of substitutes in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Malik Tillman controlled a kick from goalkeeper Matt Turner and passed to Haji Wright, who crossed the ball to Pepi. The Texas native skillfully slid the ball through Mosquera’s legs, marking his 11th goal in 31 appearances and his fourth goal in three international matches played in Austin.
Turner, who was a key player in the 2022 World Cup, made a crucial double save in the 52nd minute, first deflecting a shot from Puma Rodríguez and then blocking a follow-up attempt from Yoel Bárcenas.
Panama's José Fajardo missed a golden opportunity in the 87th minute, sending an open shot wide of the target.
Tim Ream captained the US team, becoming the oldest field player for the national team since Preki Radosavljević in 2001, just a week after celebrating his 37th birthday. Forward Josh Sargent made his first start since the group-stage match against Iran in the 2022 World Cup.
Notably, Mexican referee Katia Garcia is believed to be the first woman to officiate a US men’s national team match. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who has not played for the US since the last World Cup qualifiers in March 2022, did not dress for the match due to a minor injury, along with defender Marlon Fossey, who had not trained on the field in recent days.