Youth Still Going Wild - Justin Ellis, a Perfect Window, and Pochettino’s New-Look USMT
Updated: Oct 8
October 6, 2026 St. Paul, Minnesota
A gritty 1-0 win over Canada in St. Paul capped a 4-for-4 restart, and the teenagers are the reason why.
For three games this window, the young USMNT dazzled. On Tuesday night against Canada, it had to scrap, and that may have been the most encouraging part of all.
19-year-old forward Justin Ellis scored the only goal as the USMNT beat Canada 1-0 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to complete a perfect four-for-four international window. After beating Peru 4-1, then Chile 4-2 and Mexico 3-0, Mauricio Pochettino’s side closed out the break with a gritty, physical win over its rival. Four games, four wins, twelve goals scored, and a whole new generation announcing itself.
The goal
Around the 19th minute, it looked like Justin Ellis’s night might be over. Canada was setting a physical tone early, and one of its fouls sent Ellis to the turf, where he needed brief medical attention. He appeared to be headed off with an ankle injury. The bench was watching. Pochettino had options. But Ellis got up, tested the ankle, and waved off the substitution. He fought through the injury, and ten minutes later he made Canada pay.
In the 29th minute, Alex Freeman and Malik Tillman combined on a one-two down the right, and Freeman fired from inside the box. The shot was likely going wide until Ellis arrived at exactly the right moment to turn it in. The kid who had been limping minutes earlier was suddenly wheeling away in celebration. Freeman is the son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman.
It was a nod to the pipeline feeding this team, too. Freeman and Ellis came up together at Orlando City, and both are South Florida kids. Like Freeman, who now plays for Villarreal after a winter transfer, Ellis caught on in Orlando’s youth system after leaving Inter Miami’s.
That’s now his second goal in three appearances for the USMNT, following a goal just four minutes into his debut against Peru. For a 19-year-old to shake off a knock against a rival intent on roughing him up, then score the winner, says as much about his mentality as his finishing.
The lineup
Pochettino set up in a 4-2-3-1, with Chris Richards wearing the captain’s armband and Brian Schwake making his first career start in goal.
Starting XI: Brian Schwake; Alex Freeman, Chris Richards (C), George Campbell, Auston Trusty; Brooklyn Raines, Yunus Musah; Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Mathis Albert; Justin Ellis
Substitutes used: Julian Hall (46’, for Ellis), Sebastian Berhalter (46’), Sergiño Dest, Tyler Adams, Cole Campbell, Adri Mehmeti (74’), Neil Pierre (74’), Antonee Robinson
The bench got heavy use after the break, and the second-half changes reshaped the team. Reyna and Musah each played 45 minutes, and the U.S. shifted to a back three, with Trusty sliding inside from left back and Dest coming on as a left wingback. Cole Campbell made his national team debut off the bench, while Julian Hall, who had scored in each of his first three caps, replaced the hobbled Ellis but couldn’t keep his streak going. Notably, Cavan Sullivan stayed on the bench.
Winning ugly
This wasn’t a showcase. Canada piled up 10 fouls within the first 25 minutes, and Jesse Marsch’s side set out to rattle a young American group. Canada was missing Alphonso Davies, who is away on a postponed honeymoon, but Jonathan David started up top, though the U.S. kept him off the scoresheet.
The Americans weren’t perfect. Their giveaways let Canada create threats, though none that seriously tested goalkeeper Brian Schwake until the second half. In the 64th minute, Schwake reacted well to get a slight touch on de Fougerolles’ running volley, pushing it off the crossbar. He finished with three saves as Canada managed seven shots in the shutout.
There’s real value in a young team learning to win a game like this. Blowing out Peru at home is one thing. Absorbing a physical rival’s best punches and still walking off with a clean sheet is another.
Pochettino’s bet is paying off
Remember how this window started. After a World Cup run that ended painfully against Belgium in the Round of 16, Pochettino made a statement with his roster. He picked 13 newcomers for the first roster of his second term, and Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun all missed this first camp of the 2030 cycle. The message was clear: nobody’s spot is guaranteed.
The kids responded immediately. Against Peru, Dortmund’s 17-year-old Mathis Albert earned a penalty that Tillman converted, and Philadelphia Union wunderkind Cavan Sullivan became the fourth-youngest USMNT player in modern history, debuting at 16 years and 363 days old. That starting XI averaged 23.5 years old, and 11 newcomers made their debuts in that game alone. Before the window was over, 18-year-old Julian Hall had scored in each of his first three caps, and Sullivan had become the youngest scorer in USMNT history.
The results back it up historically, too. This was the USMNT’s first four-game winning streak in FIFA windows in more than five years, and the first such run in a window that included South American or European opponents since 2016.
The smart move here is to keep the excitement measured. These were friendlies, and the opponents were in their own post-World Cup reset. But what Pochettino got from this window goes beyond results. He now knows Ellis can finish at this level, that Sullivan, Hall and Albert aren’t overwhelmed, that Schwake can hold a clean sheet under pressure, and that Freeman is becoming a genuine two-way weapon on the right. That’s a lot of answered questions for the first year of a four-year cycle.
What Pochettino said
Pochettino didn’t pretend the Canada game was pretty. After the final whistle, he pointed to the challenge of playing four games in two weeks and keeping the same intensity, commitment and passion throughout. He gave the credit to his players and acknowledged that Canada had been a really difficult opponent.
He was more expansive on TNT’s postgame show, calling the camp just about perfect. What mattered most to him wasn’t the four wins. It was the belief the group took away from the window. He said the newcomers had earned their opportunities by showing character and quality and fitting into the team, and that their performances vindicated how his staff had evaluated them. With all 13 newcomers earning their senior debuts, Pochettino called it “an amazing start” to the 2030 cycle.
What’s next
The games start to matter again soon. The USMNT faces Haiti in a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal. The first leg is November 14 at a neutral site that hasn’t been announced yet, since a U.S. government travel ban rules out playing in Haiti. The second leg is November 17 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, and it will be the first official competitive match of the 2030 cycle. Haiti won’t be a pushover. Under new head coach David Badía, it opened its group with three straight wins, including a 2-0 result over Costa Rica. The prize for the winner is a spot in next March’s Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium.
The big question is how Pochettino blends this youth movement with the returning veterans. If Pulisic and company come back into a squad where teenagers are scoring winners, the competition for places will be the healthiest it’s been in years.
For now, though, enjoy it. A new USMNT is taking shape, and it’s young, hungry, and 4-0.
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