CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The United States Men’s National Team beat (rightful) African champion Senegal 3-2 in Charlotte, N.C., to kick off its World Cup preparations in style.
Sergiño Dest opened the scoring for the USMNT in the sixth minute before Christian Pulisic doubled the lead in the 19th.
Senegal fought back to tie the game at 2-2 through Sadio Mane and an unfortunate USMNT own goal, but Folarin Balogun struck in the 62nd minute to hand the win to the USMNT.
Here are the key takeaways from a confidence-building tune-up match in advance of the World Cup:
Rotations are inherently messy, but the USMNT coped with the chaos
This game was always going to be a practice session for the USMNT and Senegal, and the halftime substitutions proved it: coach Mauricio Pochettino subbed out 10 of his 11 players, including his goalkeeper, to ensure the most men possible got time on the field. It was an expected approach (and probably the right one), but it rightfully left fans with some whiplash.
Rotations are hard for players, too. They’ve got to make their mark in fewer minutes and adjust to an ever-changing cast of characters. The USMNT wasn’t perfect in this anarchic match—spare a thought for debutant keeper Chris Brady in this dark time—but it did hang on to get the result it needed. That’s admirable stuff, especially for the cadre of World Cup first-timers who entered this match with understandable nerves.
It’s important to note that Senegal rotated heavily in this match, too. If you’re wondering why the USMNT looked so dominant in the first half and so edgy in the second, it has less to do with the USMNT itself and more to do with Senegal’s defense. It kicked things off with a rotated goalkeeper, two rotated center backs and two rotated midfielders; it improved considerably when it swapped a handful of those guys out for its regular starters.
Sergino Dest has the tricks to become a fan favorite
The USMNT squads of the past fought their way into America’s hearts by being gritty, bleeding-heart, never-say-die types who thrived on the world stage despite their comparatively weak on-the-ball skill. When we think of the USMNT’s greatest moments, we think of that snarling hustle.
It’s wonderful, then, to see this new iteration of the USMNT feature a player who has every bit of that grit but a whole lot of squeal-inducing skill, too. Sergino Dest made this game interesting when he scored the opener in the sixth minute; he made it his when his tricky stepovers utterly flummoxed Senegal’s back line closer to halftime.