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U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

USMNT vs. Uruguay: Key takeaways from Americans' decisive win

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Nov 18, 2025 9:18 PM ET

Tampa, Florida — The U. S. Men's National Team beat Uruguay 5-1 in Tampa, Florida, to close out 2025 with a five-game unbeaten streak.

It was a rollicking, stylish performance against one of South America's best teams — one that will define coach Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT era for years to come.

The win was driven by the USMNT's "depth" players. The majority of the team's presumed starters, from Christian Pulisic in attack to Chris Richards in defense, were unavailable for selection in this match.

Here are the key takeaways from the USMNT's chest-thumping win:

If you're still doubting MLS's quality, you're not paying attention

When the USMNT posted its lineup for this match on its socials, the comments ranged from puzzled to furious. What could Pochettino possibly be thinking, they said, fielding all these Major League Soccer guys against a two-time World Cup winning team? It hardly looked fair on paper. Vancouver's Sebastian Berhalter versus Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte? Orlando's Alex Freeman versus Barcelona's Ronald Araujo? Salt Lake's Diego Luna versus Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur? Surely there had to be some mistake.

Nope. Pochettino put an immense amount of faith in his MLS players, and they paid him back in goals. Berhalter's strike came first after a beautiful free-kick one-two with Sergiño Dest; Freeman's brace came next, first a well-worked header at the far post, then a solo run in which he beat Uruguay's center-backs like it was nothing. Luna scored his with a daisy-cutter to the near post.

This right here? This is MLS. It's not a retirement league. It's not an embarrassment. It's a diverse, fast-growing competition churning out high-quality athletes at a rate that should have other nations taking notice. Pochettino saw it from his first day with the USMNT. Now, fans are finally seeing it too.

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Mauricio Pochettino's fitness fanaticism is paying off

Pochettino has brought many changes to the USMNT, but few have had a bigger impact than his focus on fitness. He doesn't care if his players are only with him for a short time: he wants them working, hard, from the moment they join the USMNT camp to the moment they leave it. Players have admitted that Poch's intense training was difficult to get used to, but in this crucial match against one of the most physical teams on earth, it paid off.

Uruguay is no slouch. It's one of South America's most storied teams, and it has a well-deserved reputation for physicality. You wouldn't have known that in this game. The USMNT ran circles around it and won nearly all of its one-on-one duels. It also held up brilliantly to Uruguay's infamous gamesmanship. No tackles were too strong, no words were too sharp, no fights were too hot. Uruguay worked themselves into a lather while the USMNT swatted them away.

Competition breeds competence...and it's easy to see which Americans aren't competing anymore

There are many reasons why this second-tier USMNT looked strong against Uruguay, but one of the biggest is the fact that everyone out there was competing for their spot in the World Cup roster. Everyone, that is, but one.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese dropped into the USMNT in January after previous starter Matt Turner fell out of favor with his club team; he's been unchallenged in that position since, and it shows. He was a little too relaxed against Uruguay, and his mistake kept the team from pulling off a clean sheet. Competition is a good thing; it feels like Freese would benefit from a little bit more pressure.

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The USMNT will break for the winter and return to action in March 2026 in friendlies against Portugal and Belgium.

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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