The penultimate international match under Mauricio Pochettino turned into a gala performance: the USA laid the foundations against Haiti to ensure there would be no nasty surprises as the manager bids farewell.
However great the sadness over Mauricio Pochettino’s imminent departure may be, his current players seem determined to give him a fitting send-off. In the early hours of Sunday (CET), the US national team defeated World Cup participants Haiti 6–0 in Miami, thereby laying the foundations for a place in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League.
The quarter-final second leg will take place on Wednesday night in Cincinnati – it will be Pochettino’s final match in charge, as he is set to take over as manager at Manchester United and will not face any further unpleasant surprises regarding his departure: An elimination at the hands of Haiti is out of the question following the thrashing in the first leg.
The 6–0 victory marked the biggest win in the charismatic Argentine’s more than two-year tenure, which will at least net the US Football Federation a reported transfer fee of around nine million euros. At the World Cup, the USA had reached the round of 16 (losing 1–4 to Belgium).
Haiti proved to be no great obstacle. Trusty was on hand early on to meet a free-kick cross (10th minute), securing a narrow lead at half-time. After the break, Pochettino’s attack really came into its own: 18-year-old Hall added another (52’), and ten minutes later it was Pulisic’s turn to score twice: the former Dortmund player converted a penalty he had won himself to make it 3–0 and, just a minute later, found the net from distance – 4–0 (63).
Following a corner from Leverkusen’s Tillman, Weston McKennie headed home to make it 5–0 (68’), before Balogun sealed the final score. The substitute, who made global headlines at the World Cup due to his red-card suspension being effectively lifted, capitalised on another Tillman assist (82′), having had a goal disallowed five minutes earlier following a VAR decision.
Who will succeed Pochettino?
Behind the scenes, the search for a successor to Pochettino is in full swing. Alongside Pep Guardiola, who had been in the spotlight from early on, former Bundesliga professional Steven Cherundolo – currently coach of the USA’s Under-23s – is also considered a candidate.