The Mauricio Pochettino era as USA manager begins on Saturday, when his side play host to Panama in a friendly at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Last month, the reigning CONCACAF Nations League champions played to a 1-1 draw with New Zealand, while the Panamanians have not played a game since being thumped 5-0 by Colombia in the Copa America quarter-finals this past summer.
Match preview
For months, the US Soccer Federation had been searching for a coach they deemed to be a serial winner, and, in the end, they decided that the former Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss would fit that profile after the likes of Jurgen Klopp declined to interview.
Pochettino inherits a side in a slump, with the Yanks winless in their last four matches across all competitions, exiting the Copa America in the group stage, a failure that cost Gregg Berhalter his job.
Playing in the Texas capital seems to bring out the best in this team, with the United States winning all four of their international matches at Q2 Stadium without a single goal conceded.
With fewer than two years remaining before they co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, Pochettino will look to instil some confidence back in a side that have only won one of their previous seven matches played on American soil (2-0 win over Bolivia).
Before hosting the World Cup, the Yanks have a pair of friendlies this month against Panama and Mexico, and then they begin defence of their Nations League crown in November.
On their current winless slide, the US have scored first on two occasions and failed to win, while they have not beaten a CONCACAF opponent since defeating Mexico in the Nations League final back in March (2-0).
The Yanks have not beaten a side from Central America on the international stage since March 2023, when they blanked El Salvador 1-0.
Although their Copa America campaign ended in a blowout loss, there were a lot of positives for Thomas Christiansen to take away from his team's achievements.
Not only did they win two of their three group fixtures, but Panama made it into the knockout stage of a non-CONCACAF tournament for the first time.
Los Canaleros have won two of their previous three matches across all competitions and have won their last three encounters against CONCACAF opponents.
With Mexico, the US and Canada already guaranteed a place at the next World Cup, the door is wide open for the Panamanians to book their ticket to the finals, and so far, they have won their two qualifiers by a combined margin of 5-1.
Since playing to a 1-1 draw with Guatemala in September 2023, the Panamanians have reeled off eight consecutive triumphs when leading or tied after 45 minutes.
On the other side, though, Panama have lost eight consecutive matches across all competitions when trailing after 45 minutes, with their last such triumph coming in a friendly versus Nicaragua in June 2023 (3-2).
La Marea Roja have emerged victorious in their last two meetings with the US on American soil, coming from behind to win 2-1 at the Copa America this summer in Atlanta and ending their reign as Gold Cup champions in the semi-finals of that tournament.
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Team News
With Folarin Balogun, Johnny Cardoso and Tim Weah all having to drop out of the US squad because of injuries, Pochettino called up Tanner Tessmann, Brandon Vazquez and Alejandro Zendejas in their place.
Gianluca Busio and former Manchester City reserve goalkeeper Zack Steffen earned their first call-ups with the national team this year, while Marlon Fossey got his first cap with the senior squad in their draw versus New Zealand.
Christian Pulisic had their only goal against New Zealand last month, surpassing Brian McBride for sixth all-time, putting him three behind Eric Wynalda, while Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie are the only other players selected for this window who have netted in the double-digits for the national team.
John Gunn, who currently plays for the New England Revolution II in MLS Next Pro, is the only Panamanian chosen for this encounter without an appearance for the senior side, with Anibal Godoy of Nashville SC in MLS being their most experienced player at 141 caps.
Houston Dynamo midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla can collect his 60th cap with Los Canaleros this weekend, while Yoel Barcenas and Eric Davis are inching closer to the century mark with 91 and 94 international appearances, respectively.
Jose Fajardo can equal Roberto Brown for ninth in all-time goals for the senior squad with a brace on Saturday as he and Cesar Blackman scored in their 2-1 triumph over the US at the Copa America.
USA possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Fossey, McKenzie, M. Robinson, A. Robinson; McKennie, Musah, Aaronson; Pulisic, Vazquez, Wright
Panama possible starting lineup:
Mosquera; Murillo, Miller, Cordoba, Escobar, Davis; Blackman, Godoy, Carrasquilla, Barcenas; Fajardo
We say: USA 2-1 Panama
There is a lot of excitement surrounding Pochettino's arrival in the US, and we expect to see a group of talented youngsters determined to make an impression on their new boss with some big tournaments upcoming.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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