Little by little building something. The objective is 2026," Pochettino said of a game where Musah scored his first U.S. national team goal in his 42nd appearance. “It's only the first step.”

The Argentinian’s first game in charge, imperfect as it was, represented an immediate boost after a summer of setbacks

The face on those posters, though, wasn't Lasso (portrayed in the streaming show by Jason Sudeikis), but rather the new main character of American soccer. Before, during and after kickoff, this tone was set: more than the players on the field,