During the afternoon of last Sunday, May 31, the selection of the USA faced his similar Senegal at the Bank of America Stadium, located in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, where almost 74 thousand spectators witnessed the penultimate test of the USA before the start of the World Cup. 2026 in North America.
Those led by the Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino They achieved the 3-2 victory, but the victory raised more doubts than certainties, since, after taking a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard, the Senegalese managed to tie the match. However, the forward of France’s AS Monaco, Folarin Balogunscored the final goal.
The USA is one of the three hosts of the next World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, and will share the Group D with the teams of Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye. So, on paper, the Stars and Stripes team is one of the favorites to remain at the top of the group and advance calmly to the round of 32.
However, eleven days after his World Cup debut in Los Angeles, California, The American team still has a lot to improve, and what was learned in the match against Senegal should be applied in the last test before the World Cup: Germanya team that will be measured next Saturday, June 6 in Chicago, Illinois.
What did the US go wrong against Senegal?
The first 40 minutes were completely favorable for the United States and were dominated by three players: the defender Sergiño Destthe attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic and the forward Ricardo Pepiwho participated in the two USA scores, at minute 7 and 20, before the fans of North Carolina.
However, despite Senegal’s goal in the last minute of the first half, everything seemed to point to a quiet victory of the United States, until the changes. The Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino made ten substitutions during the break and the team that played the second half was completely different.
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The United States lost the two-goal lead due to tactical and concentration failures by the substitutes, who took the field with overconfidence. Faced with this situation, the team lowered its intensity, became predictable and adopted a passive stance that was taken advantage of by Senegal, who equalized ten minutes later.
The poor management of the defensive switches was evident, as instead of securing the result, the USA ended inviting the rival to attack. Fortunately for the locals, Senegal allowed comfortable centers into the area and front shotsso Folarin Balogun, who replaced Pepi, was able to rescue the victory.
Germany: The last test
The US team will face Germany next Saturday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m., at the Soldier Fieldfrom Chicago, Illinois, with the hope that the substitutes of Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino will be able to show a better version in front of their fans, who dream of reaching the semifinals of a World Cup for the second time.
According to the United States coach, the German team is characterized by a game based on tactical disciplinefocused on careful positioning, collective coordination and the execution of methodical plans over actions impulsiveso it will be a big final test for the US before the World Cup.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/bKSHLKMEUs
— US Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) June 1, 2026