6 Lessons We've Learned From USMNT's Win vs. Senegal

The U.S. men's national team bested Senegal by a 3-2 scoreline in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday.

With the World Cup nearing, a deserved victory over a competitive outfit is a pure positive for Mauricio Pochettino's team.

What did we learn from the USMNT's latest outing, their second-to-last before kickstarting their World Cup slate against Paraguay on June 12? 

Let's dive in.

Christian Pulisic Gets Back to His Best

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Heading into his first game of a (hopefully) busy summer without a goal for AC Milan in 2026 and without a goal for the United States since 2024, questions swirled around Christian Pulisic's form. Thanks to his strike in the 19th minute against Senegal, those questions were put to bed early in Sunday's affair.

The goal, which followed an assist on Sergiño Dest's opener in the sixth minute, featured Pulisic at his best. With space to run into behind a retreating Senegal backline, the USMNT's talisman raced onto the end of a ball from Ricardo Pepi, created just enough space inside the 18, and slotted it home. The relief in Pulisic's celebration was palpable:

Pulisic didn't just play the part of finisher against Senegal. He played the provider role, too. This assist to Dest was purposeful, assertive, and featured pin-point accuracy:

The best version of Pulisic is one that drives towards the goal as quickly as possible, rather than one that takes ponderous touches deep in midfield. It was the best version of the 27-year-old who showed up in Charlotte, sparking the imagination of what could be for the USMNT at the big show later this summer.

Matt Turner States Latest Case to be USMNT's No. 1

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Pochettino's lineup for the USMNT featured plenty of surprises. There was Pepi starting up top instead of Folarin Balogun. There was Sebastian Berhalter starting next to Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna getting the nod in the attacking midfield line. And there were Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman rooted to the bench to begin the match. Still, with many U.S. players coming off long European seasons, Pochettino's decision to opt for a not-quite-first-choice lineup wasn't a surprise.

What was a surprise, though, was seeing Matt Turner start between the posts.

Unlike outfield spots, the goalkeeper position doesn't require rotation. So Pochettino's decision to begin the game with Turner, rather than Matt Freese, who had played 500 more minutes under the Argentine, is notable. It seems that the door is hardly closed on Turner starting for the United States at the World Cup – and given his strong showing against Senegal, it's easy to see why.

With savvy movement off his line to stymie Senegal attacks and quick reaction saves, the New England Revolution goalkeeper was bright on Sunday. Turner only had 45 minutes between the posts with Chris Brady coming on to make his debut at halftime, but he put every one of those minutes to good use.

It's hard not to feel increasingly confident about Turner, should he start for the U.S. later on this summer.

Sergiño Dest Showing Promise as Winger

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While Sergiño Dest has spent the vast majority of his club career playing as a fullback, he's become a winger for Pochettino's team. The experiment began in earnest last fall, when Dest started back-to-back games on the right wing against Paraguay and Uruguay. It continued in the win over Senegal, where Dest played his 45 minutes as a true winger on the right side of the USMNT's setup.

With a goal to his name and other dangerous moments created via his one-v-one dribbling ability, it's safe to say that Pochettino got what he wanted out of the PSV man. It's Dest's on-ball flair that separates him from almost every other player in the U.S. pool – and it's what has enticed Pochettino to use him further towards goal.

Now that Villarreal defender Alex Freeman has emerged as a viable starting right back option, the United States is free to use Dest higher up the field, where he can cause problems closer to the opposition's goal. On the back of a strong showing in his 45-minute appearance on Sunday, don't expect Pochettino to return Dest to the fullback room any time soon.

Defensive Frailties Remain

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Plenty went right for the USMNT against Senegal. They created plenty of chances, got strong individual showings out of a slew of players, and, crucially, earned a belief-inspiring result against a very good team. However, the performance wasn't perfect. 

Sadio Mané's brace emphasized the United States' biggest concern as the World Cup approaches: what happens if Chris Richards isn't in the lineup? While Richards is in camp with the U.S., he didn't play on Sunday as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained with Crystal Palace. In his absence, Mark McKenzie started next to newly named captain Tim Ream in the middle of the backline. While those two centerbacks weren't wildly off the pace, they couldn't keep tabs on Mané on Senegal's opener:

Auston Trusty, who played the second half next to Miles Robinson at center back, couldn't avoid calamity either. It was his poor back-pass that forced Brady into a difficult situation (one the young goalkeeper executed poorly) for Mané's second goal:

Without Richards, the USMNT's center back options are grim. It's that simple. His health is of paramount importance to the United States.

Starting Striker Competition Heats Up Between Pepi and Balogun

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Folarin Balogun

Few expected Pepi to get the nod from the jump on Sunday, but the PSV striker was excellent in his 45 minutes of action. His hold-up play and clever progressive pass to Pulisic led to Dest's opener and his double-move against Chelsea center back Mamadou Sarr helped create Pulisic's goal. Though Pepi didn't end up on the scoresheet himself, he showed off more on-ball quality than we're used to seeing and was a true menace in the No. 9 position. 

Balogun, of course, scored the coveted goal. It was the Monaco forward's strike that served as the eventual game-winning goal when he fired the ball past Mory Diaw and into the back of Senegal's net:

With his clever positioning inside the box, Balogun regularly picked up the ball in dangerous areas during his 45 minutes. He had a goal disallowed for offside and managed four total shots on the day. Unlike Pepi, Balogun started a game for the U.S. in the March window and could be in line for a start against Germany in the team's final pre-World Cup friendly.

Still, regardless of who gets the nod from Pochettino when the World Cup is underway, it can only be a good thing for the United States to have two high-performers ready to lead the line when it matters most.

Gio Reyna Playing Into Shape After Disappointing Season

For the first time since December, Gio Reyna found himself in a starting lineup. 

That's right, he hadn't begun a game for the USMNT or for Borussia Monchengladbach since 2025. And yet, Pochettino tossed Reyna directly into the fray against Senegal – and the 23-year-old kept up. Now, it's not as if Reyna was the best player on the field. Still, he didn't look out of place in an energetic affair.

Playing in the right halfspace for the United States, Reyna had the authority to help run the show for his team in the attack. With a level of press resistance and passing vision that's still largely unmatched in the USMNT's player pool, Pochettino made the right decision to call Reyna into his 26-man World Cup roster. That he was fit enough to play 45 minutes on Sunday helps validate that choice.