Ok, exhale.

The US men’s national team closed camp with its sharpest performance yet under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, a 2-0 win over Japan that felt both convincing and clarifying, especially on the heels of a disappointing defeat to South Korea last weekend.

This wasn’t just the team’s best result to date under Poch; it may be a pivot point, as he seems to have stumbled onto the right blend of shape and (some) personnel in the process. It felt like the kind of step forward that reshapes the conversation, one that was badly needed with the countdown to 2026 accelerating. Theme of the camp: Formational Flexibility

Poch said it was going to be an experimental camp, both in terms of personnel and approach, and he was good to his word.

How good? Well, he had the team start agains

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