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bill connelly
multiple authors
Marietta, Georgia — United States of America Coach Mauricio Pochettino said he is considering some tactical changes to help get the star attacker Christian Pulisic Back to his best performance in front of goal.
America plays portugal After a one-sided match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday. 5-2 damage to belgium On Saturday, the Americans, including Pulisic, failed to capitalize on the opportunity.
Weston McKenney And Folarin Balogun Thwarted by good Belgian defences. sene lamens in the first half, and Pulisic created solid chances from quick-strike sequences in the 14th and 52nd minutes but failed to get a precise effort on goal.
Pochettino said that although he was encouraged by the chances his team created in attack – and said defensive failure was clearly the bigger issue – the lack of clinical finishing disappointed him.
“I think when you look at the statistics of the game I think we had clear chances to score,” Pochettino said. Argentina also suggested that their muted reaction to McKennie’s goal, which had put the United States ahead in the 39th minute, was partly due to this frustration.
“I have a feeling it was not good,” Pochettino said. “Because when we scored, [it] There should be a third goal, not the first.
Pulisic finished with three shot attempts, but none of them found the back of the net in his seventh consecutive American match without a goal. Who did his last national team goal come against? Jamaica in November 2024 – and he has not scored at all for club or country in 2026.
East chelsea The winger’s last competitive goal of any kind came on 28 December, but in his last 12 matches AC MilanHe failed to score on any of his 29 shot attempts. He has also made just one assist in that span.
After a promising start to his club season – Pulisic scored six goals with two assists in his first seven games in all competitions – he was slowed first by a hamstring problem, then missed time at the start of 2026 with a knee injury.
Preaching about the need for continued intensity even in international friendly matches, Pochettino suggested he was thinking of ways to get Pulisic back on track.
“we know that [Christian] can score,” he said, but “maybe tomorrow [they could try] To help him get started.”
This could mean changing the composition of the lineup to provide more opportunities for him, or it could simply mean changing Pulisic’s positional alignment.
“Maybe we can help a little [get him] A little closer to the goal,” Pochettino said, adding that no plans have yet been finalized to that end. “That’s a thought that’s on my mind after Saturday.
“We need to assess with the medical staff and the coaching staff and the player.”
Despite missed chances, defensive failure and lack of intensity were clearly at the root of Saturday’s defeat.
“As long as we didn’t concede the third goal, I think we did very well with Belgium,” Pochettino said. “After the big moment [for] Christian inside the box, we accept [second] Target. And then, one more chance we make [Tim] YesAnd then we accept the penalty. And this moment was really difficult for us.”
Belgium took the lead amadou onana Got ahead 3-1 again in the 53rd minute charles de catelareSuccessful penalty of. Before America could even attempt another shot, dodi lubakio Scoring twice made the score 5-1.
Monday was not the first time Pochettino had expressed frustration with his team’s level of intensity and said there were many examples of the intensity he was looking for.
“Watch the football,” Pochettino said. “If you watch the game [between] France And ColombiaThat’s the intensity.”
France defeated Colombia 3-1 in a friendly match outside Washington DC on Sunday
“They play like it was the World Cup final. And France, when [they] Seeing the intensity and aggressiveness of Colombia, he said, ‘If we [aren’t] “Intensive, they kill us,” Pochettino said. “That’s the intensity. do you think that [France head coach Didier] Deschamps or [Colombian coach] Nestor Lorenzo, he told the players: ‘We need to be intense.’ Or did you see some punches, some blows at every moment?”
Pochettino said he ultimately hoped Saturday’s defeat could become a useful learning experience.
“I’m very happy that it happened because there’s still time to realize that we need to compete,” he said. “[France-Colombia] Was not a ‘friendly’ game. [It was] Really competitive.
“Players need to believe in it. If not, what are we doing here?”
