USMNT vs Uruguay
Photography by: Peter Bonilla
The USMNT sent Marcelo “El Maestro” Bielsa back to school. Said being in MLS made players lazy, and our local stars took it personally. Berhalter, Freeman, and Luna all on the scoresheet by halftime. A lesson he won’t forget. Sure, it was a friendly, but we couldn’t have wished for a better way to end the year than this. A morale boost that will undoubtedly help in these final months of prep ahead of the biggest tournament of our lives. The cherry on top was that every goal yesterday was a beauty, sending Raymond James Stadium into rightful delirium. Great to see the puzzle pieces finally starting to fall into place. Poch vindicated. What an absolute honor to get to cover this historic result down in Tampa.
For a U.S. men’s national team searching all year for identity, momentum, and a signature win, Tuesday night in Tampa delivered all three at once. With nine changes to the lineup and several stars unavailable, Mauricio Pochettino’s experimental XI rose to the occasion and dismantled Uruguay, 5–1, in one of the most emphatic performances of his tenure.
Sebastian Berhalter lit the fuse early, curling a gorgeous right-footer into the top corner from a clever set-piece routine in the 17th minute. It was his first international goal, but he wasn’t done making his mark. Moments later, his corner kick found the head of 21-year-old Alex Freeman, who towered above the Uruguayan back line for his own maiden goal. Freeman’s second, a bulldozing solo run finished with confidence far beyond his age, put the U.S. up 3–0 before the half-hour.
Diego Luna added a fourth before the break — a tidy finish after a fluid move up the left flank — and although Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s spectacular bicycle kick briefly lifted Uruguay’s spirits, the night belonged entirely to Pochettino’s young cast. Even at 4–1, the U.S. manager cut an irritated figure on the halftime broadcast, demanding more control and intensity. His team responded accordingly.
The second half brought more rotation, more auditions, and another debut moment. After Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a reckless challenge on Berhalter, substitute Gio Reyna floated in a cross that Tanner Tessmann nodded home for the fifth and final blow. It was Tessmann’s first U.S. goal, capping a night in which three players opened their accounts and several strengthened their World Cup cases.
Pochettino’s sweeping lineup changes weren’t just for rest. They were a statement of trust — and a test. Freeman, Luna, and Berhalter, emblematic of the coach’s youth-driven recalibration, rewarded him with the best collective performance of the year. “Our job is to create the platform for them to show their quality,” Pochettino said afterward. “The credit is theirs.”
The numbers underline the significance: the U.S. scored five against a World Cup–qualified South American opponent for the first time ever, tied their largest-ever margin over a top-15 FIFA team, and extended their unbeaten run against World Cup-bound sides to five. For a program that has spent much of 2025 searching for reassurance, Tuesday offered clarity: the depth is real, the mentality is sharpening, and the internal competition Pochettino has demanded is taking root.
With no matches until March, this unfamiliar, energized U.S. side couldn’t have picked a better moment to deliver their most convincing performance. If the lingering question all year was whether the Americans could produce a true statement win, the answer finally arrived — emphatically, unexpectedly, and from the players most eager to seize their chance.
