A shock equalizer forced the US men's national team to settle for a 1-1 draw in their Tuesday friendly against New Zealand at FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium.
Playing the match on the same day Mauricio Pochettino was officially announced as the USMNT's new head coach, Ben Waine's late leveler denied the Yanks a bounceback win after falling to Canada 2-1 in their return to action on Saturday
The match was scoreless until the 69th minute, when Christian Pulisic struck for an opening goal. The USMNT captain and AC Milan star deposited the finish to the far post, assisted by forward Folarin Balogun.
The US looked primed to see out the victory until Waine's leveler, which saw an attempted clearance bounce off the New Zealand forward and into the net past US goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It was a second straight deflating result for the US, but the biggest news of the day was Pochettino's announced arrival. The famed Argentine manager is set to commence a new era for the program ahead of the 2026 World Cup set to be hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada. What he can do with this talented, but still unproven player pool should add a new layer of intrigue for a team in transition following the departure of Gregg Berhalter.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: New Zealand's leveler flipped the result from a 1-0 US victory to a hard-fought draw for the visitors.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Pulisic gave US their lone goal of the night as part of an influential shift after enterinig the match as a second-half subsitute.
Next Up
- USA: Saturday, October 12 vs. Panama | 9 pm ET (TNT, Telemundo)
