USMNT ends year in style with 5-1 thrashing of Uruguay: Absent captain Christian Pulisic’s four-word reaction adds extra layer ahead of 2026 World Cup
The United States men’s national team closed its turbulent year with a resounding, almost cinematic crescendo — a 5-1 dismantling of Uruguay in Tampa — a result that arrived with Christian Pulisic watching from afar. The Milan attacker, who was not called up for November’s friendlies, remained an invisible presence over a night that reshaped the tone of the USMNT’s final steps toward a home World Cup next summer. And as the team walked off the pitch under Florida lights, the storyline deepened thanks to the captain’s reaction.
Seven months before the world arrives on American soil for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the USMNT produced its most commanding performance under Mauricio Pochettino. A year that began with doubts — tactical questions, uneven form, and the painful memory of the Gold Cup defeat to Mexico — ended instead with conviction, energy, and an emphatic statement from a team missing several of its star names.
Despite the absences of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams, the United States delivered a blistering first half, slicing through Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay with a clarity and ruthlessness rarely associated with this team.
A series of precise set pieces, rapid combinations, and clever pressing carved open the visitors. Sebastian Berhalter — with the confidence of someone who has been in the team far longer than his five months — fired in a sensational opener. Minutes later, he delivered a superb corner that Alex Freeman powered home. Freeman then produced a dazzling solo goal in the 31st minute, before Diego Luna finished a sweeping move to make it 4-0 before halftime.
Uruguay responded with a spectacular bicycle kick from Giorgian De Arrascaeta, but any threat faded once Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a studs-up challenge. Substitute Tanner Tessmann headed in the fifth, sealing the USMNT’s highest-scoring outing against a CONMEBOL opponent.
What did Pulisic say?
The win extended the team’s unbeaten streak to five matches, all against FIFA top-40 opponents: Japan, Ecuador, Australia, Paraguay, and now Uruguay. What began as a painful, uneven 2025 turned into a late surge driven by intensity and competition.
And then came the moment that tied the night back to the absent star. After returning from a hamstring injury and mutually agreeing with Pochettino that skipping this window was the “best decision for everyone”, the 27-year-old winger watched the match from a distance.
Only later did he reveal his reaction, posting on Instagram a simple, satisfied four-word message to his teammates: “Love to see it.” It was understated, but telling — a captain returning to full fitness, watching a team evolve without him, and voicing approval for the intensity he will soon rejoin.