Getty Ryan Tolmich
Jun 01, 2026 06:36+06:00
'It's about seeing the reality' - Ricardo Pepi shows playmaking skill, Christian Pulisic breaks goal drought and vibes rise: Winners and losers from USMNT's win over Senegal
Winners & Losers Analysis
USA | R. Pepi | FEATURES | USA vs Senegal | Senegal | Friendlies | C. Pulisic | M. Pochettino | S. Mane | F. Balogun
GOAL breaks down who stood out and who has work to do after the U.S. win
CHARLOTTE -- Shortly after the U.S. Men's National Team's 3-2 win over Senegal, manager Mauricio Pochettino rattled off three games: Paraguay, Uruguay, and this one. Those were the three that he is able to look at with a smile. Those are the three that saw the USMNT play in the way he pushes them to play.
"I think that we are conscious now about things we need to improve, things that we have been talking about for nearly one and a half years," Pochettino said. "I think now, it's about seeing the reality. When you talk, talk, and talk, sometimes it's difficult to accept what you are telling. Today is a good point. We saw that commitment from everyone here and, if we have that attitude and commitment, we have the players with that enormous talent, but the most important thing is to keep improving."
"In different games, the problem? We were the problem," he said. "Not being in the right place with the right commitment and with the right attitude. [It's about] being a group, a very solid group, and being all together like we showed today."
It was a good time to show it. With Sunday's victory, the USMNT kicked their World Cup prep into overdrive. After a whirlwind week of New York media events and hot training days in the Atlanta sun, they arrived in Charlotte with a point to prove. They played like a team determined to show they were the version that found rhythm against Paraguay and Uruguay in the fall, not the one that struggled to find much of anything against Belgium and Portugal.
Those games feel distant now. Sunday wasn't perfect, just as those performances weren't all bad. There were plenty of positives and individual displays worthy of praise, but there were also hiccups that Pochettino and his staff will surely target in the days ahead. In that sense, this was about as useful as a World Cup tune-up can be: a game that boosted confidence while still leaving plenty to clean up.
That will happen internally. Externally, the vibes will be higher. Multiple players talked about the home atmosphere and how it provided a lift. That will continue, they hope, at the World Cup. It's more likely to happen, of course, if the team plays well. That happened Sunday.
"For the fans who really believe in us, that is the good thing with the victory," Pochettino said. "For us, it's important to always win, but it's important for the environment to trust a little bit. After the last two games, if you win a game, you're at the top. If you lose a game? No. It's about trying to find that balance right to the official competition, the World Cup, with good feelings."
The feelings are good for the USMNT as they head into the second week of what they hope will be a marathon summer. GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Bank of America Stadium...
WINNER: Christian Pulisic
Everyone knows he needed a goal. He needed it for himself, for his team, and in truth, for everyone else, simply to allow the outside world to breathe a little bit. So, when Pulisic hit the back of the net, it was easy to see the relief. It was easy to see the joy, too.
"It felt great," he said. "I've felt this confidence, like I've played really well in recent months too, but all people seem to care about his goals, so hopefully now people can stop talking about it. I feel good,"
Pulisic's goal was his first of this calendar year and his first with the USMNT since 2024. It was a heck of a finish, too. Played in by Ricardo Pepi, Pulisic made the perfect play, rounding the goalkeeper before slotting into the back of the net. If the drought had weighed on him at all, it didn't show. Players short on belief don't finish like that.
That puts that discussion to bed, then. Pulisic is ready and, in some ways, that means the USMNT is ready, too.
"We have time now. All the national teams, that's the beauty of international soccer: you come in, you don't have much time, you've got to find the ways to work together and to win. The teams that find the best chemistry normally do well, and now we've had some time to train, and a couple more weeks now to be as prepared as we can."
LOSER: Miles Robinson
There are some mistakes you just can't make, especially at this level. Miles Robinson certainly doesn't need to learn that lesson, having played enough games to know where the line is. Unfortunately, in one split-second lapse, he crossed it, and the U.S. paid for it.
Robinson's giveaway early in the second half directly led to Mane's second goal of the game, one which levelled the game at 2-2. Again, it's the type of giveaway that can't happen, and that's doubly true when it involves a player like Mane. Could Chris Brady have helped him out a little by maybe delaying rather than coming off his line? Maybe, but you can't really fault the young goalkeeper for trying to make a play in his first cap.
Robinson isn't new; he's a veteran, which means his job is to help others avoid those mistakes. When he makes them, everything becomes a little bit tougher. His giveaway let Senegal right back into the game at a crucial moment, and those moments are even more crucial in real World Cup games. Again, Robinson doesn't need to hear that; he knows. But as this USMNT team looks to navigate life without Chris Richards, at least in the short term as he recovers from injury, Robinson didn't make that process easy.
WINNER: Ricardo Pepi
Pepi has a reputation as an elite finisher. As it turns out, he's a pretty good passer, too. The USMNT striker played his part in both goals, getting the hocket assist on the first before having the outright assist on the second. Both passes were spectacular, and neither goal comes close to happening without Pepi's touch.
The PSV star has missed a lot of time due to injury these last few years, but, when he is in camp, he tends to make the most of his opportunities. He did that again on Sunday, just as he did in March, without actually scoring a goal.
"I think super important [to start strong]," Pepi said. "Of course, it gives this team the certain confidence that we need going into the World Cup so we're prepared for the next one."
Unfortunately for him, though, the main guy he's competing with for the No. 1 striker spot, Folarin Balogun, also scored, although he probably won't leave with his head held quite as high.
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LOSER: Folarin Balogun
We're getting creative with giving Balogun an "L" here. He was spectacular. He will be frustrated, though, because he could have walked out of Charlotte with a whole bunch of goals rather than just one. He got his one, of course, and it was the winner in the end. Realistically, though, he'll back himself to have scored three more. One finish was scuffed, another was ruled out and another was pushed away by a very good save. On many other days, particularly the way the Soccer Gods were on his side at Monaco, he'd be leaving with a hat-trick matchball.
Again, Balogun didn't lose anything. If anything, he showed just how dynamic he is and how much he can hurt any defense the USMNT face. He'll just wish he hurt them more, which will definitely keep him motivated heading into the next one.
GOAL WINNER: Sergino Dest
Dest's scouting report will surely have one big section highlighting one particular area of his game: he likes to try things. He likes to dribble past defenders. He likes to play passes that cause danger. He likes to, more than anything, have fun on the field by doing the things that get fans out of their seats.
The PSV star had several of those moments in his 45 minutes on Sunday, issuing a reminder of how unique he is due to his ability to prove them. The big one was, of course, his goal. It was also his simplest. Teed up by Pulisic, Dest simply had to provide the finish to net his third international goal. He was quick to credit Pulisic, both in the moment and postgame.
"I was just happy that he gave me that assist in general," Dest said. "I think he played a great game as well, and he has his goal, he has his assist, so that's important. I was just happy that he gave me that pass, and he saw it. The only thing I have to do is just tap it in."
From there, though, Dest did much more. He routinely took on defenders as his confidence seemed to build during the match. When Dest starts dribbling, things tend to snowball. That happened on Sunday.
"I always like to just play, and you know, play with skills and whatever," he said. "I feel like, if I get the ball often in the game, you build that confidence yourself because, if you have many more touches in the game, you have many more options and you can try more things out. Then, it will probably work."
It worked on Sunday, and the USMNT will be a much, much better team if it works throughout the World Cup run.
LOSER: Senegal
A tough start to this World Cup run for Senegal, who could have used some good vibes just as much as the USMNT. Reports emerged last week that head coach Pape Thiaw refused to board the team plane to the U.S. due to his contract situation. The federation and Thiaw himself have denied that report. However, it did kick the World Cup off with something of a controversy, and losing a game days after doesn't really help controversy disappear.
There were good things, of course, as Senegal did have some moments in the defeat. By and large, though, they struggled with the USMNT's press.
"We watched a lot of film to see how Team America plays," Thiaw said. "They like to high press, they play very physical, and we were prepared for that by trying to skip the first line. Unfortunately, we did play a lot from the back, which caused us some problems with their high press. But again, congratulations to Team USA. We will just keep working."
Up next is a tune-up against Saudi Arabia on June 9 before getting going against France on June 16. Senegal have plenty of time, but they did miss a chance to start off on the right foot.