CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United States manager Mauricio Pochettino expressed his satisfaction with the performance of attacker Christian Pulisic, who ended a five-month goal drought by scoring and assisting in a 3-2 friendly victory over Senegal on Sunday.
Pulisic’s relief was palpable as he celebrated his goal, shouting and sliding to his knees in joy. “I felt this confidence. I’ve been playing well in recent months, but all anyone seems to focus on are goals,” he remarked. “Hopefully, this can quiet those talks. I feel good, though it’s just a friendly, and we have important matches coming up.”
This match served as the first of two pre-World Cup friendlies, with the U.S. set to face Germany on Saturday. The U.S. begins World Cup play against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Pulisic assisted Sergiño Dest’s seventh-minute opener before doubling the lead in the 20th minute, capitalizing on a pass from Ricardo Pepi. He rounded Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw, scoring from a tight angle. This marked Pulisic’s first goal for club or country since December 28 with AC Milan and ended an eight-game drought with the U.S. national team that dated back to November 2024.
Pochettino highlighted that Pulisic’s goals resulted from his hard work in training leading up to the match. “His commitment and energy in practice have been fantastic; now we need to maintain that for the entire 90 minutes,” he noted, acknowledging that Pulisic played only the first half. “I’m happy for him to score again after such a long gap; it’s crucial for players as we prepare for the World Cup.”
Pochettino expressed overall satisfaction with the team’s performance, though he acknowledged there were areas for improvement. “It was positive to finish strong after 90 minutes, with nearly the entire roster getting minutes on the pitch. There were many positive moments, but obvious areas for improvement remain,” he stated.
The U.S. initially squandered its two-goal lead, allowing two goals from Senegal’s star Sadio Mané. The first came after a defensive lapse in transition, while the second followed a careless pass from U.S. defender Miles Robinson, compounded by a hesitating substitute keeper Chris Brady.
The U.S. regained its lead in the 63rd minute thanks to Folarin Balogun, who capitalized on a cross from Timothy Weah. Even with the victory, Pochettino stressed the importance of addressing defensive shortcomings. “From my perspective, the goals we conceded were a result of our own mistakes. If we improve our game awareness, we can prevent these situations,” he said. “While Senegal has quality players, our defensive lapses were things we could have managed better.”
Pochettino added, “We need to focus on improving before the tournament. We will work on refining our approach in training next week.” After their opener against Paraguay, the U.S. will take on Australia and Türkiye as they aim to progress to the round of 32 in knockout play. The World Cup kicks off on June 11, featuring co-host Mexico against South Africa in Mexico City.