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The wait is over as it is finally time to see the United States men’s national team take the field under Mauricio Pochettino. They will host Panama in Austin, Texas with high expectations. Important names such as Folarin Balogun, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah and Tyler Adams may be absent out of this camp, but that also presents an opportunity for others to step up and impress their new manager. One of those names will be Josh Sargentin good form at Norwich City, he has been able to add creativity to his game, which is music to Christian Pulisic’s ears.
“I think he is a fantastic player, one of the best attacking players in the world,” Pochettino said of Pulisic in his pre-match press conference. Looking at Pulisic’s form with Milan, it’s hard to argue with that. Pulisic scored six goals and two assists in all competitions for Milan, becoming the first name on the team sheet. It’s not that he’s shooting more this season either, Pulisic has just been ruthless with the chances he gets. His shot volume has actually decreased, from 2.23 per 90 minutes to 1.80, but his expected goals per 90 minutes has almost doubled, from 0.28 to 0.52. Likewise, his goals percentage has increased from 0.41 to 0.82 per 90 minutes. The question now is whether he can bring that ruthless efficiency to the national team.
The USMNT will face many compact defenses and it will be up to Pulisic to get through them. With attention shifting more and more to stopping him in Serie A, Pulisic has shown he can still produce a great shot and he will need to continue to do so during this international break.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday October 13 | Time: 9:00 PM ET
- Location: Q2 Stadium – Austin, Texas
- TV: TNT | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Chances: USMNT-215; Sign +290; Panama +550
Storylines
USMNT: With just one win in the last seven games, the team will have to show that they are ready to start under Pochettino. There are good feelings about their potential under Argentina, but those feelings will only last as long as the USMNT shows they are ready to compete. Training has been intense so far and the off-halves they have had recently will not be tolerated under Pochettino, but it is still about how this team can respond under the new manager to a team they have to beat.
USMNT Lineup Prediction: Zack Steffen, Marlon Fossey, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Aidan Morris, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent
Panama: This Panama side has improved and will look to put their own Copa America disappointment, a 5-0 loss to Colombia, behind them. They were able to beat the USMNT in the group stage of that tournament to secure their own promotion to the knockout stages, but the team that takes the field for the USMNT will be very different from the team that lost in the Copa America. Thomas Christiansen has done wonders in charge of Panama, but he will have an uphill battle to beat Pochettino.
Prediction
In what will be a tough match, the USMNT will do just enough to secure a win, which will be a bright spot given their recent form. Choose: USMNT 2, Panama 1