USMNT vs. New Zealand takeaways: Mauricio Pochettino can’t arrive soon enough as mistake-prone USA need reset

The United States men’s national team went into the September international window with something to prove after crashing out of Copa America during the group stage. After losing to Canada and drawing against 94th-ranked New Zealand, they exit this international break, still, with something to prove. Interim manager Mikey Varas’ spell in charge of the USMNT has come to an end and Mauricio Pochettino’s will now begin but the Argentine will have work to do after seeing these matches.

Some issues will be solved with the addition of Tim Weah, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Sergino Dest, and Antonee Robinson — all regulars who missed this international window — but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some bright spots to showcase. Let’s take a look at a few of those:

A new era begins

While this international window was a limbo for the USMNT due to being led by interim manager Mikey Varas, the announcement of Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager of the USMNT means it’s time to turn the page. Pochettino will come in with expectations for the USMNT and push each player to reach their potential as they all prepare for success in 2026. The USMNT will be quickly tested facing Panama and Mexico during that October international window but they’ll have a manager who is more than ready to prepare them for those matches.

Pochettino is someone who has always set his teams up for success and U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker already mentioned that he has a six-week plan for Pochettino to get up to speed for those matches. The duo worked together at Southampton and they have some work to do to get the USMNT back on track. United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes also coached Chelsea’s women’s team while he was in charge of the men’s team, so there are plenty of connections to help the Argentine hit the ground running.

Expectations will be high for Pochettino and the USMNT but if he can get consistent performances out of the players which have been lacking lately, they’ll be able to impress under his progressive tactics.

Aidan Morris steps up again 

The Middlesbrough midfielder may have been one of the biggest gainers of this international window. After becoming a regular under Michael Carrick for his club following a summer transfer from the Columbus Crew, Morris was rewarded with senior team caps. Getting an assist off the bench against Canada, Morris got the start against New Zealand. His cross-field ball was very important in Christian Pulisic’s goal as well.

When asked about the performance of Morris in midfield, Varas’ answer was straightforward but a glowing response.

“He was the boss. He was the boss of the midfield,” Varas said. 

When trying to figure out how this midfield will fit together moving forward due to the health of Adams and lack of playing time for McKennie and Johnny Cardoso, there’s no reason that Morris shouldn’t be in that conversation. His 98 touches were the most of any player on the pitch and he did well with them. Morris has succeeded every time he’s been challenged in his career and so far, and he looks ready for more.

Strong performances in defense

Despite a fluke goal getting the draw for New Zealand, Mark McKenzie, Kristoffer Lund, and Marlon Fossey did well with the chances that they were handed. Fossey created two chances and also took two shots during the match while interchanging well with Ricardo Pepi on the wing. With Dest injured, right back is one of the defensive positions up for grabs moving forward and the dynamism that Fossey showed is encouraging. It’s important to see players like that against stronger opposition than New Zealand who have the ability to get in behind and test an outside back but you can only perform against what’s put in front of you.

For McKenzie, he was accurate with his passing, strong in his tackling and one second away from clearing the chance for the final goal. It’s unfortunate that Ben Waine got onto the end of his header back to the keeper but overall, it was the right play to make at the moment and one that nine times out of 10 neutralizes an attack. Getting his first start for the USMNT since March of 2023, McKenzie’s growth is showing. Moving to Toulouse, he’ll be challenged weekly and the spot next to Chris Richards for the USMNT is up to grabs if he can rise to those challenges.