Three days after trouncing Peru in Florida, the U.S. men’s national team overcame a stiffer test against a stout South American foe.
World Cup veterans and up-and-coming youngsters combined to lead the USA past Chile in Tuesday’s 4-2 win in St. Louis. Sebastian Berhalter opened the hosts’ account late in the first half after being set up by Sergiño Dest. Then it was teenage striker Julian Hall who scored the equalizer for the USA less than three minutes after Chile had taken its first lead of the match.
Chris Richards then nodded home a Berhalter corner kick with about 20 minutes to help seal the win. Mathis Albert added the exclamation point deep into second half stoppage time, becoming the youngest scorer in program history in the process at 17 years, four months and eight-days-old, breaking the record set by Christian Pulisic a decade ago.
The Stars and Stripes will face Mexico, their fiercest rival, on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona in the third of four late September/early October “friendly” games before closing this FIFA window against Canada next week.
Here are my takeaways from Tuesday’s win:
1. Another Crucial Test Passed
Chris Richards rose up to the occasion. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
While just about everything that could’ve gone right for the Americans against Peru did, the Chileans were expected to provide significantly more resistance. They did. Though the U.S. dominated most of the first 45 minutes, the visitors had the better of the play both at the end of the first half — netting their tying goal in stoppage time — and early in the second. With an intentionally young and inexperienced roster in this, the first international get-together of the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle, it would’ve been easy for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to fold.
Instead, they pulled level almost immediately; just 2:35 elapsed between Gutiérrez’s screamer and Hall’s response, which was made possible by another inch-perfect service from Gio Reyna. With the momentum back in their favor and 2026 World Cup starters Richards, Tyler Adams, Alex Freeman and Malik Tillman all inserted by Pochettino just after the hour mark, a USA winner felt inevitable. And it was.
“You saw the second half, how guys dug. They dug deep,” Berhalter said. “To go down a goal against a good team and to get two more is what it’s about.”
2. Julian Hall Is A Budding Star
Julian Hall has two goals in two games. (Photo by Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
The 18-year-old Red Bull New York forward earned the start on the strength of his debut goal last weekend, but he looked very much like a player making his second appearance a the top level early in Tuesday’s contest when he squandered two golden opportunities in the first half. But Hall made no mistake when Reyna picked him out with a curling pass from the left wing, becoming the youngest player in the century-plus-long history of the U.S. program to score in each of his first two caps.
“It’s been amazing to share the field with some amazing players,” Hall told the TNT crew afterward. “They put me in the right spots, and I’m just doing as much as I can to put them away.”
3. Goalkeepers Auditions Continue
Who will start in goalkeeper in the next match? (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Pochettino split the first match this month evenly between World Cup starter Matt Freese and Barcelona prospect Diego Kochen. On Tuesday, he gave 45 minutes to both Chris Brady — the No. 3 behind Freese and veteran Matt Turner over the summer — and 25-year-old debutant Brian Schwake. Through two games of the 2030 cycle, the Argentine manager has almost as many backstops (four) as he did during his first almost two years at the U.S. helm (five).
Freese figures to get the nod against the Mexicans in what will effectively be an away game at 63-000-seat State Farm Stadium. But Brady played well against Chile, making five saves. Schwake was faultless on Gutiérrez’s blast and Kochen has the highest ceiling of all of them. It will be interesting to see how the competition progresses over the coming week.
4. Let’s Get Ready For Mexico
Will Cavan Sullivan start against Mexico? (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Albert didn’t start either game but still managed to make a major impact. Does Poch see what the kid can do in Concacaf’s SuperClasico? What about fellow 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who came off the bench against Chile? With no senior strikers available this month, will Hall keep his place vs. El Tri, or does 19-year-old Justin Ellis come back into the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss’s 11? Common sense says Pochettino will prioritize experience against Mexico, a team he’s 0-2 against so far at the U.S. helm. But it’s also clear that he believes in the kids, so don’t be surprised if a couple of them get the nod.
Said Richards: “It’s going be really fun to see these young guys get involved in a real Mexico game.”
“That’s never a friendly, and I think everyone knows that,” Berhalter added. “This was a good test, but Mexico’s a different deal.”
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