On Saturday, the United States men’s national team are back in action for the first time since losing the Concacaf Gold Cup final to Mexico. The USMNT may have relinquished their, “Kings of Concacaf” title to their regional rivals, but that’s something that Mauricio Pochettino and the team will need to quickly move past during this international break, where they’ll face South Korea and Japan. Both sides have already booked their qualification to the World Cup in 2026 and now will be looking to test themselves against top opposition.
The match will bring a bit of a reunion for Pochettino as he’ll face his former player at Tottenham, Son Heung-Min who will represent South Korea, and it’s something that he’ll be looking forward to.
“It’s going to be an amazing opportunity to see each other. We really love each other. [He] was a very important player, one of the most important players during my period in Tottenham. I also was always chasing him because when I was in Southampton also, I wanted to sign [him] but he decided to go to a different club,” Pochettino said. “He moved from Hamburg to [Bayer] Leverkusen. When we moved to Tottenham, we chased him again and we convinced [him] to join us in Tottenham. After 10 years, his relationship in Tottenham is one of the best players in the world. He’s an amazing player, but he’s an amazing person and unbelievable, and yes, it’s going to be really, really nice.”
The reunion will be much better if the USMNT can leave it with a victory. South Korea are the 23rd ranked men’s team in the FIFA rankings, giving the USMNT a chance at a signature win. Japan are ranked 17th, making this one of the most competitive windows that the USMNT have taken part in outside of an international tournament. With a bit of an experimental squad to see what he has ahead of the World Cup, Pochettino will have a chance to test the player pool in tough decisions. It’s both up to him to put them into positions to succeed, and it’s up to them to push for more in those moments.
Previous tests have been failed by the USMNT, with them falling to Mexico and Panama twice, Canada, Turkiye, and Switzerland during Pochettino’s tenure. These aren’t things that provide confidence ahead of the World Cup, but a strong September window can change that.
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How to watch USMNT vs. South Korea, odds
- Date: Saturday, Sep. 6 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Location: Sports Illustrated Stadium — Harrison, New Jersey
- TV: TNT | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: USMNT +125; Draw +230; South Korea +220
USMNT predicted lineup
Matt Freese, Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Noahkai Banks, Max Arfsten, Tyler Adams, Luca De La Torre, Diego Luna, Tim Weah, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent
USMNT predicted XI: Josh Sargent leads the line as Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest return to action
Chuck Booth
Prediction
Mixing in youth and experience, the United States will struggle early in the match with Son Heung-Min continuing his familiarity with Major League Soccer by scoring in another one of the league’s stadiums while playing for his national team. The USMNT will get a goal back, eventually ending the match in a draw, but it won’t be a convincing enough performance to shed the questions that they’re plagued with. Score: USMNT 1, South Korea 1
USMNT Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 7/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 10/1), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg/GER; 0/0), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 7/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 1/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 74/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 31/3)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 6/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 31/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 12/3), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 11/2), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 37/0), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)
FORWARDS (6): Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 17/5), Damion Downs (Southampton/ENG; 5/0), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 78/32) Josh Sargent (Norwich/ENG; 28/5), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 44/7), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 11/1)
