Soccer
The dry spell is over.
Christian Pulisic broke a nearly six-month period without a goal on Sunday, assisting on the US opener and scoring a lovely goal himself not long afterward to lead the US to a 3-2 victory against Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Playing in front of 57,741 in the first of two send-off matches ahead of this summer’s World Cup, the US looked lively throughout the match, a far cry from the dour pair of performances they put in against Portugal and Belgium in March. And the sterling performance from Pulisic, perhaps their most important attacking player, offers plenty of reasons for optimism for a program that had few of those after the two-loss March international window.
The encouraging effort did leave lingering questions, though, about the US’s ability to defend and manage games. Senegal’s Sadio Mané scored just before and after half-time, with both goals coming off of US defensive breakdowns, continuing a troubling trend for the Americans.
In other cycles, send-off matches have served largely as a celebratory tour for the team, an opportunity to make tiny adjustments and build confidence. The buildup to this World Cup has felt different, as US head coach Mauricio Pochettino has faced a bevy of questions ahead of an all-important tournament on home soil.
Pulisic’s poor form aside, Pochettino has yet to name a starting goalkeeper and neither Matt Turner, who started on Sunday, nor NYC FC’s Matt Freese has emerged as a clear frontrunner. Questions have lingered, as well, about the US’s mentality, and about the exclusion of a handful of players from Pochettino’s 26-man roster.
Pochettino’s lineup on Sunday was a mix of locked-on starters and reserves. Midfielder Gio Reyna made his first start for club or country since November 2025, when the US beat Paraguay in a friendly. Turner, fresh off a run of excellent club form with the New England Revolution, got the nod in goal. Pochettino also started Pulisic, perhaps seeking to give the Milan midfielder another chance to break his dry spell.
Pulisic did so 19 minutes into a match that already felt firmly in the US’s grasp. PSV forward Ricardo Pepi, who was excellent throughout his 45-minute stint, found Pulisic with a through ball 20 yards from goal. A deft first touch towards the far side of the box took Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw out of the play and Pulisic’s right-footed, angled finish put the US ahead 2-0.
Pulisic was involved in the US opener, as well, which was among the nicer team goals they’ve scored in quite some time, a 10-pass sequence capped off by PSV wing-back Sergiño Dest. US captain Tim Ream found Fulham’s Antonee Robinson at the near sideline. Robinson found Pepi further upfield, who slyly found Pulisic running towards goal. Pulisic’s pinpoint cross across the face of goal was touched home by Dest.
The assist was Pulisic’s first international goal contribution since September 2025, when he notched an assist in the US’s 2-0 friendly victory over Japan.
Senegal entered Sunday’s match having put together convincing wins over the Gambia and Peru in March. Arguably Africa’s best team – they somewhat controversially won the 2025 Afcon final before being stripped of the title – the Lions of Teranga are preparing for their fourth World Cup. Mané’s well-taken goal came off an errant pass from Robinson, with Tyler Adams beaten to the final ball as well.
The US made wholesale changes at half-time, replacing every player on the pitch except for midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and, surprisingly, inserting Chris Brady in goal. Brady, the presumed third-choice for the US, has been arguably the best keeper in MLS in recent months, thrusting him back into the already-murky pecking order. He did little to help his case on Sunday.
Just minutes into the second half, Senegal equalized. Miles Robinson’s poor back pass was pounced on by Mané, who crashed goalwards. Brady was late off his line and unable to intervene.
Conceding within minutes of half-time has become a habit of the US, who gave up goals within 10 minutes of the half-time whistle in both March friendlies. In their 2-0 loss against Portugal, they very nearly did so on both sides of it.
The US’s third and final goal came off the right foot of Folarin Balogun in the 62nd minute. Weston McKennie, who found himself in the final third after pressing Senegal’s backline moments earlier, controlled the ball at the near edge of the area, feeding Timothy Weah out wide. His well-hit cross was deflected but found Balogun, who sealed the victory for the US.
For as many conclusions may be drawn from this game, there’s no clear correlation between how the US play in send-off matches and how they perform at a World Cup. The US beat up on Venezuela and Latvia in 2006 before laying an egg in the group stage not long after. In 2002, just before the US assembled their best World Cup finish in the modern era, they played a lackluster friendly against the Netherlands.
The US have never lost both send-off matches ahead of a World Cup, though – and Sunday’s result ensures they won’t break that record. More importantly, the win served as a much-needed boost of confidence to US players and fans alike.
Read MoreJoan Volkman