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USA-Chile: What to look for as USMNT returns to action

United States forward Damion Downs. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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USA-Chile: What to look for as Mauricio Pochettino's new-look USMNT returns to action

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Sep 28, 2026 4:30 PM ET

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The United States Men's National Team returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 29 against Chile in St. Louis, Mo.

The match comes just three days after the team's 4-1 demolition of Peru in Orlando, Fla., orchestrated by a handful of teenagers making their national team debuts.

Here's what to look for as coach Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT gears up to face another tough South American opponent:

A hero's welcome for veteran Tim Ream

38-year-old ex-captain Tim Ream isn't on this roster, but the St. Louis native will make an appearance at this match anyway. He's set to receive a pre-match honor for his dedication to American soccer in front of his hometown fans.

This isn't on the books as a retirement announcement — Ream hasn't said anything indicating that he's done with the national team and vice versa — but it with the younger generation stepping up in a big way, it's a sobering reminder that everyone's USMNT career is temporary. Ream has been with the USMNT since Cavan Sullivan was an baby in a Philadelphia suburb in the fall of 2010, after all. He's more than earned this moment in the Missouri sun.

@ussoccer Our captain. Get to know Tim Ream in our latest episode of 26 Stories to '26, presented by @sensodyneus #USMNT #USSoccer ♬ original sound - U.S. Soccer

Physicality galore

This Chile side is ... shall we say ... spirited. It's earned a whopping four red cards from its last 10fixtures and picked up two in its friendly against Canada last Saturday. With so many teenagers on this USMNT roster, Chile is set to present a physical challenge more than a technical one. Will these young players hold up to la roja's bone-breaking tackles?

The return of an underrated striker

The USMNT is trying out several new strikers in this post-World Cup window, from Orlando City teenager Justin Ellis to Red Bull New York phenom Julian Hall, but one of its most interesting striker prospects is the one it's seen before: Damion Downs.

@foxsoccer DAMION DOWNS SENDS THE USMNT TO THE GOLD CUP SEMIFINALS #goldcup #soccer #soccertiktok #usmnt #usa #concacaf ♬ original sound - FOXSoccer

Downs is no stranger to the USMNT; he earned six caps with the team in 2025 and was a part of Pochettino's Gold Cup tournament squad. A rough season in Europe kept him out of the team's World Cup plans, but a last-minute transfer — to MLS' St. Louis City, no less — revitalized his national team career and earned him another look. Downs didn't take the field against Peru, but he's likely to make an appearance against Chile, his new home city.

Downs' biggest asset is his right foot. He's known as a stellar dead-ball merchant and has a reputation for being the most lethal striker in USMNT training — just ask Sebastian Berhalter, one of the team's other dead-ball specialists.

"It's actually a joke," Berhalter said of Downs' skill in a pre-match news conference. "I'm not even trying to be funny. He's one of the best ball strikers I've ever seen.

"Now it's just him getting comfortable and finding a place where he can keep driving, because he has all the tools needed to be a very good striker."

The USMNT will take on Chile on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in St. Louis, Mo.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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