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Bill Connelly
Multiple Authors
MARIETTA, Georgia — United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said he’s considering some tactical tweaks to help get star attacker Christian Pulisic back to his best in front of the goal.
The U.S. plays Portugal on Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, after a one-sided 5-2 loss to Belgium on Saturday in which the Americans — including Pulisic — failed to convert chances.
Both Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun were foiled by nice saves from Belgium’s Senne Lammens in the first half, and in the 14th and 52nd minutes, Pulisic created solid opportunities from quick-strike sequences, but failed put accurate attempts on goal.
Pochettino said that while he was encouraged by the chances that his team created in attack — and added that defensive breakdowns were clearly the larger issue — the lack of clinical finishing frustrated him.
“I think when you see the stats of the game,” Pochettino said, “I think we have clear chances to score.” The Argentine also suggested that his muted response to McKennie’s goal, which put the U.S. ahead in the 39th minute, was in part due to this frustration.
“My gut feeling, it wasn’t good,” Pochettino said. “Because when we scored, [it] should be the third goal, not the first one.
Pulisic finished with three shot attempts, but none of those found the back of the net in his seventh straight U.S. match without a goal. His last national team goal came against Jamaica in November of 2024 — and he hasn’t scored at all in 2026 for club or country.
The former Chelsea winger’s last competitive goal of any kind came on Dec. 28, but in his last 12 matches for AC Milan, he failed to score from any of his 29 shot attempts. He’s created just one assist in that span, as well.
After a brilliant start to his club season — Pulisic scored six goals with two assists in his first seven matches in all competitions — he was first slowed by a hamstring issue, then missed time early in 2026 with a knee injury.
While preaching about the need for sustained intensity, even in international friendlies, Pochettino did suggest that he had been thinking of ways to get Pulisic back on track.
“We know that [Christian] can score,” he said, but “maybe tomorrow [they could try] to help him to start.”
That could mean altering the makeup of the lineup to facilitate more opportunities for him, or it could simply mean shifting Pulisic’s positional alignment.
“Maybe we help a little bit to [get him] a little bit more closer to the goal,” Pochettino said, adding that no plan to that end had yet been finalized. “That is an idea after Saturday that is in my mind.
“We need to assess with the medical staff and the coaching staff and the player.”
Regardless of missed opportunities, defensive breakdowns and a let-off in intensity were clearly at the heart of Saturday’s defeat.
“Until we conceded the third goal, I think we did very well with Belgium,” Pochettino said. “After the big chance [for] Christian inside of the box, we concede the [second] goal. And then, another chance that we create with [Tim] Weah, and then we concede the penalty. And this moment was really tough for us.”
Belgium took the lead through Amadou Onana in the 53rd minute, then went up 3-1 thanks to Charles De Ketelaere’s successful penalty. Before the U.S. could attempt another shot, Dodi Lukebakio had scored twice to make it 5-1.
Monday wasn’t the first time Pochettino has expressed frustration with his team’s intensity levels and noted that there were plenty of examples of the intensity he’s looking for.
“Watch football,” Pochettino said. “If you watch the game [between] France and Colombia, that is the intensity.”
France defeated Colombia 3-1 on Sunday in a friendly outside Washington D.C.
“They play like this was the final of the World Cup. And France, when [they] saw the intensity and the aggression of Colombia, said, ‘If we [aren’t] intense, they kill us.'” Pochettino said. “That is the intensity. Do you think that [France head coach Didier] Deschamps or [Colombian coach] Nestor Lorenzo, they told the players: ‘We need to be intense.’ Or did you see some punch, some kill in every single moment?”
Pochettino said he ultimately hoped that Saturday’s defeat could become a useful learning experience.
“I am so happy that happened because there’s still time to realize that we need to compete,” he said. “[France-Colombia] wasn’t a ‘friendly’ game. [It was] really competitive.
“The players need to believe in that. If not, what are we doing here?”
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