USMNT routs Haiti in first leg of Mauricio Pochettino’s swan song
MIAMI — Julian Hall celebrated being cap-tied to the U.S. men’s national team by doing what he does best.
Score goals.
The breakout star from the USMNT’s September/October international window picked up where he left off on Saturday, scoring in the 52nd minute of the United States’ 6-0 victory over Haiti in the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Hall was one of five American players to score in the blowout win that will mark one of the last matches that Mauricio Pochettino will coach before he leaves to take over at Manchester United.
Christian Pulisic scored twice, including his first goal for the national team since May 31, in the 62nd and 63rd minutes. Austin Trusty opened the scoring 10 minutes into the match, Weston McKennie scored in the 69th minute and World Cup star Folarin Balogun scored in the 82nd minutes.
Saturday’s match ended any concern for American soccer fans that the rising star Hall would take his international talents to Poland, where he would be eligible to represent because of his mother’s heritage. He entered the game against Haiti needing one competitive match to meet FIFA’s requirements, and Pochettino put him in the starting lineup, tying him to the USMNT.
Hall has become one of the U.S. men’s national team’s best strikers since Pochettino turned to the youth in the national team program, which caused some concern among fans when the Manhattan native did not fully shoot down the idea of playing for Poland.
In an interview with The Post, he left the door open following his first call-up to the senior national team in September.
“I appreciate the opportunity and I’m going to do as much as I can to make an impact, but I’m definitely still open to my Polish side,” he said. “That’s a side that I cherish a lot, especially because my mom is from there. I wouldn’t say it’s solidified.”
But it’s been hard to question his commitment to the national team even before he scored on Saturday. His goal in the 52nd minute was his fourth goal in five appearances for the U.S. men’s national team.
Hall’s goal came off an impressive counter-attack that led to Antonee Robinson feeding Hall with a crisp pass into the box before the teen buried the finisher to extend the U.S. national team’s lead to two.
It was a fitting moment considering Pochettino’s embrace of the youth since the 2030 World Cup cycle began. Prior to the start of the November camp, Pochettino had said that Hall “fully deserves” the call-up.
Not only seeing one of the program’s young stars shine was a good sign, but also the dominant performance that the team overall had amid a chaotic week.
The American players spent the week following Manchester United’s push to bring in Pochettino as their new manager.
Reports first started to surface early in the week of Man United’s interest in the USMNT coach. Things quickly developed as the team went through camp in Georgia.
Pochettino will be at the helm on Tuesday in Cincinnati, when the U.S. men’s national team plays its second leg against Haiti.
With Saturday’s dominating win, Pochettino is all but guaranteed to depart the USMNT by sending them off to the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League.
