Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna Score as USMNT Beat Northern Ireland in Friendly

Make it two in a row for the United States men's national team. 

The U.S. followed up a 4-1 win over Jamaica Thursday by beating Northern Ireland 2-1 at the Windsor Park in Belfast. Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic each found the back of the net for the USMNT.  

An absolute golazo from Niall McGinn in the 88th minute made an otherwise comfortable advantage for the United States a bit more stressful in the final moments. 

Reyna got the USMNT on the board in the 28th minute, attempting a shot on goal from outside the box. That effort took a lucky bounce off Northern Ireland's Ciaron Brown, careening into the net past a helpless Conor Hazard. 

Northern Ireland played a big part in the second goal as well, as Daniel Ballard was given a foul for clipping Pulisic in the box as the shifty forward attempted to dribble into space.

McGinn's thriller cut the lead in half late, but on balance, it was another strong showing for the USMNT. 

Pulisic yet again looked like the creative keystone of the attack, troubling Northern Ireland with his crafty dribbling, advances forward into space and incisive passes. He was the best player on the pitch. 

But youngsters like Reyna and Yunus Musa impressed yet again. Daryl Dike made several fantastic runs through on goal and was unlucky to not get on the score sheet. The USMNT, which likely will mostly run a 4-3-3 with the personnel it has, opened in a 3-4-3 and played well enough in the setup. 

Because the team has questions at center back, it's worth questioning if a 3-4-3 makes the most sense going forward. But the U.S. showed on Sunday it at least has that option in its back pocket. 

Granted, Northern Ireland didn't bring its A-squad to the match, with its top players being rested for its World Cup qualifier vs. Bulgaria on Wednesday. For all of the excitement surrounding the USMNT and its young talent, those players aren't regularly being tested against top countries in international play. 

Ultimately, you play the team on the pitch. The USMNT and its young talent looked very, very promising in wins over Jamaica and Northern Ireland. 

The future is bright for the Americans. The present isn't half-bad, either.