The USMNT Is So Back | OneFootball

A strong November FIFA window saw the USMNT convincingly defeat two potential World Cup opponents. We take a look at the winners and losers of a camp that produced the program’s first marquee win in over four years.

Mauricio Pochettino is all smiles, and he should be. His United States men’s national team is turning the corner at precisely the right time. A year ago, the program was in shambles, with very little to be optimistic about. The October and November international windows have USMNT fans hopeful that 2026 could mean big things not just for the team at the World Cup, but for the sport as a whole.

A hard-fought and controlled 2–1 win over Paraguay, a match that could have gone either way, served as the appetizer for what became a historic November window. The USMNT then faced Uruguay and wiped the floor with a team that had previously shut out opponents in 15 of manager Marcelo Bielsa’s 30 games in charge. Under Bielsa, Pochettino’s mentor, Uruguay had never conceded more than two goals in those 30 games. Well, the U.S. put five past them — all while missing Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson, and with Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, and Tanner Tessmann coming off the bench.

It was the marquee win fans had been clamoring for over the last four years and gave the national team a huge shot in the arm. Since Pochettino implemented his three-man backline, the formation is undefeated with four wins and one draw.

Here are the takeaways from the November 2025 camp — one that might have changed the course of the USMNT and soccer in America.

Pochettino the Big Winner

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Since his arrival, Pochettino has preached “trust the process,” insisting he knows what he’s doing. It showed in spades. Using two different lineups and fielding the “weaker” team against the supposedly more “powerful” Uruguay, Pochettino earned two major wins over opponents known for defensive solidity.

Pochettino has evaluated a large pool of players since taking over, but it’s the players he has empowered who have delivered: Tessmann, Matt Freese, Maximilian Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Diego Luna, Sebastian Berhalter, and Aidan Morris.

Massive roster decisions await him in the March window, where newer and — yes, for some, cringe-inducing — MLS players may have overtaken established Europe-based names. Picking a 26-man roster won’t be easy, but at this point, Pochettino has earned the right to select his team, even if that means some players at “fancy” clubs in Europe might be watching the World Cup from home this summer.

All Hail Matt Freese

Photo by Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images

Freese is now officially the USMNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper. Recent hints pointed in that direction, but starting both the Paraguay and Uruguay matches was the final affirmation that Freese is fully in command of the U.S. net.

He’s not a finished product, but game by game, the NYCFC goalkeeper looks more comfortable and could be a massive surprise at the World Cup. It took almost two years, but the U.S. finally has its definitive netminder.

The Quality of Sergiño Dest

Photo by Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images

Sergiño Dest continues to grow into his own, and while his talent has always been obvious, the Dest of this window showed maturity to match his skill. Firmly settled at PSV and much improved defensively, Dest is becoming the player everyone hoped he’d evolve into.

A move away from PSV seems unlikely until after the World Cup, but one thing is clear: Dest has outgrown the Dutch league. He now looks like a player ready for one more major transfer as he enters his prime. Does Dest have one more big leap in him? Stay tuned.

More Winners

Berhalter has eaten a lot of dirt for being labeled an “MLS lifer,” but the reality is he delivered two solid games against Paraguay and Uruguay. He’s emerging as a dangerous set-piece taker and was praised by Uruguayan broadcasters for his skill and physicality. Pochettino may have unearthed a gem, and it certainly helps that his father is the former national team coach and that he’s now being mentored by Thomas Müller, one of the best players of the last decade.

For Reyna, what can we say that hasn’t been said? Talented, maddening, skillful, and at times disinterested, Reyna remains a mixed bag. But when he’s on, he’s on. It was an impressive camp for the prodigy, and at this point, if Reyna can walk, you take him to the World Cup. What he does at the club level may not matter much anymore.

John Tolkin delivered a surprisingly complete match against Uruguay. While he may not be on many radars, Tolkin was the man of the match versus La Celeste. The Holstein Kiel defender completely controlled the Uruguayan midfield, linked well in attack, and showed grit and fight. Whether it’s enough to secure his spot long-term is unclear, but he absolutely impressed.

Biggest Loser

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

While Ricardo Pepi’s World Cup spot doesn’t appear to be in danger, it was telling that he didn’t start either match — and even worse, he saw zero minutes in the 5–1 dismantling of Uruguay.

What’s going on with Pepi? With three league goals in nine games for PSV and 33 goals in 83 matches since arriving, injuries and stylistic mismatches have kept him from locking down the USMNT No. 9 role.

Known for his goals-to-games ratio, Pepi must continue to produce in the Netherlands and in the Champions League — where he has two goals in three games — to prove he can help the U.S. But not playing a single minute in a match tailor-made for him to shine is concerning.

What’s Next?

Calm… after a year in which the USMNT finished strong against World Cup-caliber opponents, the U.S. closed 2025 with a 10-6-2 record — a mixed bag of growing pains and a major rebound.

Pochettino found his formation and key players, but also blew a Gold Cup and Nations League that could have lifted the program. The U.S. remains an unbalanced team, but the fighting spirit is slowly returning.

Next up: Europe. Belgium and likely a Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal will be the final opponents before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Both matches will be played in Chicago and Atlanta — the unofficial homes of U.S. Soccer — one last chance to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.

Are the USMNT world beaters? No. Are they much better than where they started the year? Yes.

Can the U.S. go far at a home World Cup? It’s not written in stone, but over the last five games, the USMNT has made huge strides to give a broken, pessimistic fanbase some hope. And that alone is a massive mountain climbed.