Just before halftime in the US Men's National Team's defeat to Portugal yesterday, Christian Pulisic found himself on the break, with the ball at his feet.
Only a goal down at that point, the face of American soccer (and the false 9 for the night) was charging at the Portuguese back line, teammates bursting forward on either side. But as the wave of attackers ran out of open field so too did they run out of ideas. And with one uninspired pass and another uninspired touch, the US turned the ball over.
A couple of minutes later, another Pulisic-led attack would once again come up short in Portuguese box, this time resulting in a yellow card for the 27-year-old as he swiped at Samú Costa after losing the ball.
It was a sequence emblematic of the US’ international window. Chances missed. Mistakes paid for. Frustration in spades.
Still, losing 2-5 to Belgium and 0-2 to Portugal in the span of three days is more deflating than devastating. As enthused as the Atlanta crowds were at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the stakes were low and the context as casual as the kit-clash with Belgium suggested.
These were very much friendlies, and just as it was important to not get carried away with the 5-1 win over Uruguay back in November, it’s equally important to not allow losses to the 5th and 9th ranked teams in the world kill the good vibes.
At least that’s what one hopes US manager Mauricio Pochettino is telling the players.
After all, not everything was bad. Despite the disheartening scorelines, there were genuine positives to take from both games.
Collectively, the US pressed with an energy and intensity that proved challenging for the opposition, creating sustained stretches (particularly in the first halves) where the US looked confident and in control. Individually, Weston McKennie continued his great form with a goal against Belgium, while Patrick Agyemang did likewise, converting with a cool finish after Ricardo Pepi’s pressing forced a turnover.
Perhaps most promising of all, however, was the way the Americans combined for smart, coherent patterns of play that managed to unlock the opposition and create a slew of chances across both games. They just didn’t make the most of them.
Unfortunately, that’s what the best sides do. For every chance the US created, there was one (or more) carelessly offered in the other direction. The difference was Portugal and Belgium were able to put them away and the US wasn’t.
It’s just one cliche among many that fans are going to have to wade through as they try and assess this window: no side played their best 11; Pulisic isn’t fully fit; the manager was experimenting. And on and on.
All of the old chestnuts carry some truth and shouldn’t be dismissed, but none can make up for the fact that neither of these games ever truly felt within reach. Despite the promising spells, the cutting edge simply wasn’t there.
“In details, in small details, I think we lose the game,” Pochettino said afterwards. “It’s only details we need to improve.”
And yet, the tactical changes Pochettino made across the two fixtures were more than small details.
Switching to a back four, playing Pulisic as a false 9, or even swapping Freese for Turner against Belgium, are all indicative of broader experimentation rather than an ironing out of details. And in doing so, the familiar problems that had plagued the USMNT over the last 18 months - error-prone defending and lackluster finishing - were once again brought to the fore.
Whether that was an understood possibility or an unintended consequence is difficult to say. But the distinction is an important one.
If abandoning the back three or reinstating Turner for a one-off start were attempts to identify remaining details, rather than address them, then let’s hope Pochettino found exactly what he was looking for and the squad is reassured as a result.
Otherwise, back-to-back losses of this nature could prove detrimental to the confidence that had been building over the previous international windows.
Experimentation is great if the freedom to fail is preserved. But the feeling of being so casually pushed aside by superior opposition rarely goes down easy. And it’s feelings that Pochettino now needs to manage.