Three takeaways from the USMNT’s hard-fought win in Jamaica

While the performance was a positive step forward for the beleaguered USMNT, Pochettino quickly acknowledged that it was far from perfect. 

“Of course, we need to improve in all the areas,” he said. “That is logic, because it’s only been one month we’ve been working [together]. This is only our second camp.”

Thankfully, Pochettino and the USMNT have the opportunity to improve quickly: They’ll face Jamaica in the second leg of this quarterfinal on Monday, Nov. 18, in St. Louis. But what should they focus on as Round 2 looms?

Mark McKenzie is rising, while Tim Ream is falling

McKenzie, the 25-year-old center-back who plays his club soccer with Toulouse, has been one of the standouts of the Pochettino era. He looked excellent against Jamaica and made several key saves to protect the USMNT’s lead. McKenzie excels at positioning and speed; he knows exactly where he needs to be to cover off opposition attackers before they can present a threat. His ascent is one of the USMNT’s most promising developments this year.

When one defender rises, though, another often sinks, and McKenzie’s strong form has highlighted the weaknesses of his veteran partner Ream. The 37-year-old Charlotte FC defender has been a stalwart for the USMNT since the first Gregg Berhalter era, but he simply couldn’t match Jamaica’s pace in last night’s match. McKenzie was able to cover for him on the night, but he won’t be able to cover forever.

We’ll likely see Ream again in the second leg; he’s a St. Louis native and will relish the opportunity to play in front of his home crowd. But as the team builds for 2026, it must invest heavily in players like Celtic’s dynamic defensive duo of Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers. They lack experience, but they’re Ream’s clear successors.

Intensity matters

The USMNT stood up for Christian Pulisic in a big way last night. He was fouled heavily and often by the Jamaican defense, but whenever they tried to hurt him, the USMNT pushed back. Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and Joe Scally weren’t shy about getting in Jamaica’s face to let them know that their violent approach wasn’t going to fly.

That intensity — targeted toward protecting the team instead of destroying the opposition — is healthy, and it’s been lacking in recent USMNT camps. Backbone matters in a physical confederation like CONCACAF. The USMNT is learning under Pochettino that it can stand up for itself without resorting to card-worthy violence, and it’s a wonderful thing to see.

Ricardo Pepi just might be the man

Former USMNT coach Berhalter cut Pepi from the team just before the 2022 World Cup, and that experience seems to have changed the PSV forward. He’s played lights-out ever since and has made quite the case for himself as the USMNT’s starting striker. His goal against Jamaica was clean, simple and effective, and it illustrated just how much trust he and Pulisic have developed while playing with the national team.