In one of Mauricio Pochettino's final acts, USMNT showed why this coaching job is attractive

The U.S. men's national team took care of business in the first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, defeating Haiti 6-0

Nov 14, 2026 at 6:36 pm ET • 3 min read

In one of Mauricio Pochettino's final games in charge of the United States men's national team before he leaves to take the Manchester United job, his squad took care of business, defeating Haiti 6-0 in Miami on Saturday for their biggest win under Pochettino. 

It has been an emotional week, with the USMNT needing to come into this match knowing that their coach's time at the helm of the squad would be coming to an end soon, and they responded in a big way, needing only 10 minutes to get into the lead, and they wouldn't back down from there.

Now only 90 minutes from a semifinal appearance in the Concacaf Nations League, Pochettino's final games have gotten off to the right start, although he'll still want to cap things off with another victory on Tuesday in the second leg facing Haiti in Cincinnati. Knowing that Pochettino won't be coaching the USMNT after this window, it's tough to have sweeping takeaways, but whoever the coach will be is going to look back at this game knowing that the team has players that they'll want to manage and work with to look to lead the Red, White and Blue past the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Christian Pulisic had a World Cup to forget, but after getting back to his best for Milan after signing a new contract with the squad, he has followed up by scoring three goals in his last four Serie A matches by scoring a brace with the USMNT, his first multi-goal performance for the USMNT since 2023 against Mexico, showing that he still has the top gear that the squad needs. Weston McKennie also joined in the scoring as the World Cup stalwarts led the squad, but the USMNT's depth has shone as well.

With his start, Red Bull New York man Julian Hall is officially cap-tied to the USMNT, and the 18-year-old scored from an Antonee Robinson assist and now has four goals in only five appearances for the team. He shows how high the standard has to be for the squad since anyone can hurt you on any day. Auston Trusty has also had a tough time not playing for Celtic since October 15th due to the death of his father, and with the starting role next to Chris Richards open due to the retirement of Tim Ream, at least for now he has shown why it should be his. Getting on the end of a Sebastian Berhalter assist is a good one, but holding down the defense for a shutout in front of Diego Kochen in net is even better in what was a complete performance.

Everyone who needed a goal got one, as Folarin Balogun also scored from the bench. Balogun has had a season to forget since his transfer to Everton from Monaco fell through. He admitted he is going to try to leave the French side in the January transfer window, but after coming in for Julian Hall, he showed why he's still the top striker for the national team. If the U.S. Soccer Federation is calling a manager after a game like this, why wouldn't they want to consider working with this squad?

There's a core that knows what the standard is and how to compete in Concacaf. Pochettino also used five players who are 20 or younger, so they're only scratching the surface of their potential as a squad. The USMNT were expected to win this game, but these aren't games that they've always excelled in, so rolling with the physical challenge of facing Haiti and getting the job done is something to celebrate. On Tuesday in Cincinnati, they'll now be able to rotate a bit and get even more young players like Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre into the mix.

Pochettino's tenure may be ending in a complete way, but if this standard endures beyond his departure and also ushers in the future of the USMNT, it will be a successful tenure in charge. Now, knowing that they can get a manager of his caliber, there's no reason not to dream and see if they can do it again with people like Pep Guardiola currently available, because looking at this squad, there are plenty of reasons why it's an attractive job as the road to the 2030 World Cup continues.