USMNT impress vs. Venezuela as Mauricio Pochettino uses unique social experiment to learn more about his team

The United States men’s national team kicked off 2025 on the right foot defeating Venezuela 3-1 on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, and it was quite the opportunity for young players in the talent pool to make an impression. It was a dominant performance for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as leading his first January camp, the Argentine got a chance to look deeper down his depth chart at a squad of domestic-based players and test their leadership qualities with a unique approach. It’s the longest time that Pochettino has spent leading a USMNT camp in his short tenure in charge of the USMNT but the results showed with the United States ripping off 15 shots during the match and putting 10 on target while only allowing Venezuela to put three on target.

Eight players got their first USMNT caps during the match while all three goal scorers got their first goals for the USMNT as well. While few players put a foot wrong, it’s a good time to take a look at who may have gotten a step closer to representing the USMNT at the senior level on a regular basis.

Jack McGlynn, Philadelphia Union

Always a player who is willing to show off his skill, Jack McGlynn stepped up when the USMNT needed him most. With the team struggling to string passes together, McGlynn ripped a shot from outside the box finding the back of the net with venom. The Philadelphia Union midfielder then played in a great pass to also setup Matko Miljevic for a goal of his own. Doing that after a discussion on who would take the penalty that Partick Agyemyang drew and walking off the pitch with his arm around Miljevic after his miss shows a mature player who is ready to break through.

“We were talking to them at halftime. That was a scene that we tried to manage and a tricky situation that we provided them because we didn’t say who would be the taker in case we take a penalty to see their reaction,” Pochettino said about the penalty discussion. “I think it was good because I think it showed their character like Matko took the ball first and then Jack wanted to shoot. I think it was a nice situation but that I will clarify in the halftime.”

It’s an interesting tidbit that Pochettino is essentially setting up social experiments for the players to make this camp as useful as possible but also that they passed it with flying colors outside of actually scoring the penalty.

McGlynn is a player with an excellent left foot who can make things happen from deep but he’s not the most defensive midfielder. That’s not something that mattered to Pochettino who appreciated the offensive side of his game. After already going to the Olympics with the U-23’s, if there’s anyone from this camp who is ready to break through both to the senior team and also in Europe, it’s McGlynn.

Patrick Agyemang, Charlotte FC

McGlynn may have won man of the match, but Agyemang may be the player who raised his stock the most. He drew a penalty immediately, using his size in the box, and he also could’ve been given two more based on how he was being held on each corner kick. The Charlotte FC man is more than just a striker who can hold you off as shown by his goal where he received the ball, darting right at goal and holding off a Venezuelan defender for an excellent finish.

With the plethora of options at the nine, another has a shot to break through, but he created so much danger while barely touching the ball. With only 19 touches, Agyemang took as many shots as passes, but it didn’t feel like he was pressing to shoot or being selfish either. He continuously got himself into great positions and punished Venezuela when he did it. 

If this team spent longer together, he may have had a hat trick as well considering that there were plenty of great runs made where the team played a ball just in front of him. Agyemang brings something different to the other forwards in the USMNT pool so this is something that can certainly lead to more chances if he keeps up good form with Charlotte this season. 

Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew

If not for John Tolkin’s transfer, Max Arfsten may not have started this game but it was a welcome chance to see someone who has performed extremely well with the Crew. Arfsten overlapped well with Brian Gutierrez but also didn’t let his defensive responsibilities get lost in that. Winning his lone tackle and also making three ball recoveries, the Wilfried Nancy impact is continuing to work its way into the USMNT.

Adian Morris has already shown what he can do and Patrick Schulte is also on the way to making a name for himself and potentially winning the number one role between the sticks and now Arfsten is coming. Considering the setup in Columbus, there are worse things than Nancy having his fingerprints over the USMNT.

Matko Miljevic, free agent

It was a surprise to see Miljevic in the squad considering that his contract with Newell’s Old Boys was terminated due to off field behavior and he went through quite a saga with CF Montreal in Major League Soccer.  He had his contract with Montreal terminated by MLS because when he wasn’t getting consistent playing time, Miljevic used a fake name to sign up for an indoor soccer league in Quebec. 

That alone is enough to get a contract terminated as playing in any league other than MLS violates a player’s contract but it’s how Miljevic was discovered to be playing in that league that takes the cake. The midfielder was banned for life from the league due after reports in Canada surfaced about his participation playing in the indoor league and allegedly punching another player in the face, according to ESPN. One thing led to another and his contract was rescinded and he returned to Argentina but now he has his first USMNT cap, goal, and assist. If this doesn’t show that everyone is on Pochettino’s roster, nothing will.

“He missed the penalty but I think he was good and that’s what we expect from him. I said he’s a very good player and yes always when you make a debut of course it’s never easy, more so for an offensive player but I’m happy with his performance and yes at the end he scored,” Pochettino said about Miljevic’s performance. “The performance was really good and the way they behaved in these weeks and days we are together, I think it’s fantastic.”

Miljevic got involved taking five shots during the match and also scored and assisted a goal along with his penalty miss. His unpredictable nature worked here and with Pochettino trying to instill ideals of Argentine soccer in the team, it’s a good time for having someone who has played plenty of soccer in Argentina around. It remains to be seen how long the midfielder will be moving forward but it’s refreshing to see unlikely players get the call.