Christian Pulisic broke a five-month goal drought, scoring his first international goal since November 2024, while Folarin Balogun netted the go-ahead goal in the second half, leading the United States to a 3-2 victory over Senegal on Sunday during a World Cup warm-up match.
Pulisic assisted Sergiño Dest‘s opening goal in the seventh minute, then doubled the lead in the 20th minute following a pass from Ricardo Pepi. Pulisic skillfully rounded goalkeeper Mory Diaw before finishing into an open net from a tight angle, marking his 33rd goal in 85 international matches.
This match was Pulisic’s eighth game for the U.S. where he has recorded both a goal and an assist; only Landon Donovan, with 13, has more such games in U.S. men’s team history.
Having ended his club season with AC Milan without a goal in a career-high 19 consecutive games since December 28 and a drought in his last eight international matches, Pulisic celebrated enthusiastically by dropping to his knees and pumping his fists after scoring.
Meanwhile, Sadio Mané capitalized on American errors to score both of Senegal’s goals, extending his record to 54 international goals. He found the net in the 44th minute off a pass from Habib Diarra after a giveaway by Antonee Robinson, then tapped in his second goal in the 52nd minute after Nicolas Jackson lifted the ball over the rushed goalkeeper Chris Brady.
Brady made his international debut after being substituted in among 10 changes for the U.S. team at halftime.
Balogun, a second-half substitute, initially had a goal disallowed due to offside in the 49th minute, but he scored his ninth international goal in the 63rd minute, following a deflected cross from Tim Weah that bounced off Moustapha Mbow.
The U.S., ranked 16th, will face 10th-ranked Germany on June 6 before starting the tournament against Paraguay six days later. Senegal, ranked 14th, will play Saudi Arabia in a friendly on June 9, followed by their World Cup opener against France on June 16.
The American starting lineup had an average of 44 international appearances, the highest it has been since the U.S. lost to Trinidad and Tobago in October 2017, which ended a streak of seven consecutive World Cup appearances.
Turner, the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. in the 2022 World Cup, made just his second appearance since a 4-0 loss to Switzerland last June.
With Chris Richards sidelined due to an ankle injury, the U.S. started Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, and captain Tim Ream in a three center-back formation. Additionally, Gio Reyna made his first start for club or country since December 19.
This recap incorporates information from The Associated Press and ESPN Global Research.