United States coach Mauricio Pochettino praised the spirit of his players, who rallied for a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in an aggressive friendly Friday that included a 71st-minute equalizer from Folarin Balogun.
“We were so brave in trying to go forward, try to find the space,” Pochettino said postgame about his team’s second-half efforts as the U.S. upped its tempo at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. “Ecuador is a very physical team. Chasing people at the same time, with the possibility and the calm to play, I think we were capable to find the gaps and challenge [them].
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“I think we improved in the second half. I think we dominate the game in all the aspects.”
Trailing 1-0 after Ecuador’s Enner Valencia scored in the 24th minute, the Americans responded by maintaining attacking momentum and high possession in a combative matchup against the South Americans, who have not lost a game since September 2024.
After a scoreless first half, Pochettino and his players increased their intensity and eventually got a goal from Balogun from an assist by Malik Tillman.
“So happy. Always a striker needs to feel the net, and his work ethic is amazing in the way that he always is available in every single aspect of the game, with and without ball,” Pochettino said about the AS Monaco striker. “I am so pleased about his performance.”
Balogun’s performance, among other standouts, is welcome news for Pochettino, who might not be able to count on others in the final friendly of October’s international break against Australia on Tuesday. In the case of Alejandro Zendejas, who wasn’t in uniform for the Ecuador game, the Club America player will be heading back to Mexico City after suffering a knee injury in training.
“Zendejas, bad news, because he is leaving tonight … because he has a small issue in his knee, back of his knee,” Pochettino said. “It’s not a big issue, but he’s not going to be available for the next game, and he needs to come back to his club.”
Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, who is returning to national team play after undergoing surgery in May, also wasn’t in uniform for Friday’s friendly.
“Antonee, we need to assess. Today, [he] wasn’t available. We’ll see tomorrow if he can train. We will communicate, but today, he wasn’t available,” said Pochettino, who also noted that AC Milan star Christian Pulisic isn’t at 100 percent after an ankle issue.
Pulisic played just 17 minutes off the bench against Ecuador, and Pochettino said after the game that they’ll “see if he can be available again” for Tuesday.
The U.S. now has a win, a draw and a loss since its defeat in the summer’s Gold Cup final against Mexico.
After the October window, Pochettino and the U.S. will play two friendlies in November against Paraguay and Uruguay to close out the year.
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