The US men’s national team’s youth movement gets another spin Tuesday night with an international friendly vs. Chile (8 pm ET | TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Universo, Peacock).
And if the group’s first display was any indication, another inspiring performance could await at St. Louis CITY SC’s Energizer Park.
The USMNT cruised to a 4-1 win over Peru on Saturday at Orlando City’s Inter.co Stadium, highlighted by debut goals from Red Bull New York forward Julian Hall and Orlando forward Justin Ellis.
Additionally, Philadelphia Union star Cavan Sullivan became one of the youngest debutants in USMNT history and LA Galaxy academy product Mathis Albert drew a penalty kick shortly after subbing on. In all, 11 USMNT players earned their first cap against Peru.
“They were calm before the game. When we announced the starting XI one day before Peru, they were so relaxed and calm,” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in his pre-game press conference.
“We have a group of young players, but they’re confident in their qualities. I think we have a good balance between this arrogance that they have, which helps them to perform on the pitch and outside it. They are very humble outside, but in the training or when they arrive at the competition, they are very confident in themselves and that is a good thing.”
Pochettino named 13 MLS players to his 28-man roster for this camp, the USMNT’s first since making the Round of 16 as FIFA 2026 World Cup co-hosts. The MLS contingent includes eight players who are 21 years or younger, with Ellis, Sullivan and New England Revolution winger Peyton Miller among the starters vs. Peru.
As the 2030 World Cup cycle begins, a new generation is eager to leave its mark.
“They showed that, with time and being smart in the way that we manage them, they can be very important for our national team,” Pochettino said after the Peru victory.
“We really are enjoying a lot [of] that fresh energy. How they listen, how they want to improve, how they want to train. We were talking about energy; plenty of energy, it’s contagious.”
After facing Chile, closing the South American portion of the USMNT’s September/October window, clashes against regional rivals Mexico (Oct. 3) and Canada (Oct. 6) are on the docket.
Those tests will provide new challenges and a chance to send a Concacaf-wide message that the USMNT youngsters mean business. Then, when the next camp rolls around, USMNT legend Tim Howard believes the young core will be better for it.
“There’s a lot of new players, and not all of them are going to make it,” Howard noted on MLS Countdown last weekend.
“But three or four are going to come to the boil, and they’re doing it together; they’re learning and growing together. When the whole team comes together, there’s going to be a young group that will be able to mature with each other.”
