Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun lead the USMNT to a 3-2 win over Senegal
Pulisic had a goal and an assist, while Balogun scored the winner to give the U.S. a victory over one of Africa's powers in its first World Cup warmup game.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The U.S. men’s soccer team started its countdown to the World Cup with a 3-2 win over African power Senegal on Sunday.
Christian Pulisic was the star of the first half, assisting the Americans’ opener, then scoring his first goal for club or country since December. Folarin Balogun was the star of the second half with a lively performance that included the eventual game-winner.
Pulisic brought the game to life right away, making two sharp runs down the left wing in the opening six minutes. The first produced a low cross that Giovanni Reyna shockingly left untouched. The second produced another low cross, and Sergiño Dest knew not to make the same mistake.
He slammed the ball in, the crowd erupted, and the team gathered for a celebration near the corner flag with Pulisic at the heart of it. After months of criticism for a long scoring drought at his club, Italy’s AC Milan, this was the star player making a star’s impact.
Even better from a team perspective, the goal capped off a string of over 20 passes after a throw-in, with all 10 American outfield players (everyone except goalkeeper Matt Turner) touching the ball in a 50-second span.
The second goal was faster, but no less pretty. Turner started it with a throw to Dest, who fed Alex Freeman, who sprung Ricardo Pepi with a defense-splitting pass. He was off to the races, Pulisic ran in parallel, and though the pass was a little short, Pulisic took it and dribbled around Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
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When the game was stopped midway through the half for a hydration break — get used to that, as FIFA turns soccer into a game of quarters at this World Cup — the crowd of 57,741 gave a standing ovation.
Mauricio Pochettino used the stoppage to talk tactics with his players, even picking up a laptop and gathering them around it to make a point. That likely won’t be possible during the World Cup, but for a friendly game, it wasn’t an issue. (TNT and Telemundo showed it live, to their credit, instead of profiting from a commercial break.)
The half ended on a sour note for the U.S. with Senegal’s opener. Antonee Robinson gave the ball away high up the field, the counter was on, and Habib Diarra set up Sadio Mané to shoot low past Turner.
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A goal by the superstar, formerly of Liverpool and now with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, was what the vibrant pockets of Senegal fans in the stands came to see. They added some fun to the atmosphere for the Lions of Teranga’s first matchup with the U.S., and their first game on U.S. soil since a 2016 friendly vs. Mexico.
The ground rules of the day allowed for 11 substitutions per side, with avoiding injury obviously the priority. Pochettino took full advantage at halftime, subbing 10 of his starters. Berhalter was the only one who stayed in.
Senegal equalized in the 53rd off an awful error by third-string goalkeeper Chris Brady. Nicolas Jackson blocked an attempted pass by Miles Robinson, the ball jumped high in the air, and landed at the edge of the 18-yard box. Brady came off his line, but hesitated as Jackson bore down on him.
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Jackson flicked the ball up, ran right past Brady, then sent the ball toward the net. Robinson chased, but couldn’t get there in time.
The U.S. could have scored many more times in the half, from Balogun being offside in the 49th to when he fed Weston McKennie in the 61st but was called for a foul.
Two minutes later, the third time was the charm. McKennie played Timothy Weah down the right, he crossed low, and Balogun profited from a deflection for a first-time hit.
There was still time for a sequence of two hit posts and a save in the 75th, plays that could be laughed at in a friendly but would be horrific in a World Cup game.
After that, Alejandro Zendejas became the last U.S. sub, replacing Berhalter. The Americans were able to see the game out from there, with Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright the only healthy players who did not feature.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.
