Pulisic breaks drought in US win over Senegal
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- Pulisic assisted Sergiño Dest's seventh-minute opener, then doubled the lead in the 20th minute by rounding Senegal keeper Mory Diaw and finishing from a tight angle.
- The goal was Pulisic's first for club or country since scoring for AC Milan on Dec. 28, and ended an eight-game scoring drought with the US national team dating to November 2024.
- Pulisic said the weight was evident after he celebrated and added that he hopes "people can stop talking about it," despite believing he'd "played really well in recent months."
- Pochettino credited Pulisic's strong training sessions in the lead-up to the match, saying the goals reflected the "attitude, commitment, energy" Pulisic showed daily in practice.
- The USMNT squandered a two-goal advantage as Sadio Mané scored twice for Senegal — one goal following a midfield turnover, the other on a sloppy Miles Robinson pass and hesitation from substitute keeper Chris Brady.
- Folarin Balogun restored the lead in the 63rd minute off a Timothy Weah cross, securing the win in the first of two pre-World Cup friendlies before the US faces Germany on Saturday.
- Pochettino acknowledged defensive issues remain, saying both conceded goals came from US mistakes they had "the capacity to read better" and could have avoided.
- The US opens World Cup Group D play against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, followed by group matches against Australia and Türkiye in a round-of-32 format.
Why it matters: Pulisic's first goal in five months eases scrutiny on the USMNT's most recognizable attacker less than a month before the World Cup opener against Paraguay, giving Pochettino a clean confidence narrative heading into Saturday's test against Germany. Pochettino still flagged self-inflicted defensive errors — two gifts to Mané — that must be cleaned up before the tournament.
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