Three thoughts as USMNT ends rough window with New Zealand draw
On a night when the game itself was secondary news, the U.S. men's national team was stunned by a late New Zealand equalizer in a 1-1 draw at a sparsely attended TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
The game was quickly overshadowed by the long-awaited announcement that Mauricio Pochettino had been hired as USMNT head coach, which came just 30 minutes before kickoff.
With its new coach finally confirmed, the USMNT delivered an improved performance over Saturday's dismal defeat to Canada, though that bar was not at all tough to clear.
Matt Turner was called into action twice as the USMNT nearly went behind, before gradually asserting itself in the game's final half hour. Christian Pulisic came off the bench to net what appeared to be the winner in the 69th minute after a well-worked sequence from the U.S.
But there would be one final twist, as a series of defensive mistakes led to a fluky 89th-minute equalizer from Ben Waine — who wouldn't have known much about it.
Here are three takeaways as the USMNT ended a rough September window with a draw.
Pulisic spares USMNT blushes
After watching his team lose its fourth match out of six in an awful display against Canada, Pulisic vowed improvement against the Kiwis.
"You're going to see a team that's hungry and is not happy about the last result, a team that is going to want to go out and fight and take this game very seriously," Pulisic said prior to the match.
The U.S. wasn't exactly playing like its lives depended on the result, but it was an improved effort on Tuesday against the All Whites. But with Pulisic on the bench, the team couldn't muster much of an attacking threat, save for a Ricardo Pepi goal in the 20th minute that was chalked off after a questionable foul call.
The AC Milan star was introduced in the 57th minute, and it wasn't a coincidence to see the USMNT put together its best sustained moments of attacking pressure after its talisman was on the field. His goal was a just reward for a display that gave his teammates a needed lift.
Pochettino will be left with plenty of questions after this window, but the identity of his team's most vital player won't be one of them.
CB position continues to be problematic
Tim Ream is 37, back in MLS, and had a rough outing against Canada. Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman are out of favor. Auston Trusty was called up for this camp but didn't play. Cameron Carter-Vickers is hurt, and had a tough summer anyway.
That leaves Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie as (perhaps by default) the top USMNT center back pairing at present. On Tuesday, the pair started alongside one another for the first time and the results were decidedly mixed.
Richards committed multiple turnovers that put his team in difficult spots and also only won three of his eight aerial duels. McKenzie was better, but his clearance ricocheted off Waine for New Zealand's equalizer.
Passing is a strength that both players offer, but each center back was under 90 percent on their passes on Tuesday.
The USMNT center back position is still very much up for grabs. That isn't a good thing.
A dismal window
U.S. Soccer clearly would have wanted to get Pochettino in prior to this FIFA window, but talks with Chelsea over his contract payout prevented that from happening.
Against Canada, the USMNT exerted itself with the effort of a class in its last day under a substitute teacher. Buoyed by Pulisic, the team's desire at least appeared to be better against the Kiwis, but the result again was lacking.
That has become a theme in recent months: The USMNT has a 1W-2D-4L record in its last seven matches, which of course included the Copa América that saw Gregg Berhalter lose his job.
Pochettino will undoubtedly have been watching during the September window. If it wasn't apparent before, it will be now: he's got work to do.