USMNT Beat Senegal 3-2: Pulisic Breaks Drought Before World Cup Opener

The USMNT beat Senegal 3-2 in Charlotte in their penultimate friendly before the 2026 World Cup . As of June 1, 2026, coach Mauricio Pochettino has named his official 26-man squad, and the Group D opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium is 11 days away. Here is the full roster, every player's form over the last 12 months, and the group-stage schedule for the USMNT.

What happened against Senegal

Christian Pulisic ended a drought (as of June 1, 2026). He had not scored in 21 consecutive matches — club and country — dating back to late December with AC Milan . Against Senegal he assisted Sergiño Dest's opener in the 7th minute, then scored himself in the 20th . The crowd at Bank of America Stadium — 57,741 announced — had something to cheer about for the first time since the March window .

Senegal fought back (as of June 1, 2026). Sadio Mané scored twice — once before halftime, once shortly after the restart — to pull it level at 2-2 . Then Folarin Balogun came off the bench and scored the winner in the 63rd minute . The USMNT finished with 15 shots to Senegal's 7 .

Pochettino made 10 substitutions at halftime . That is not a typo. Turner, Ream, McKenzie, Freeman, A. Robinson, Adams, Dest, Pulisic, Pepi, and Reyna all came on at the break . One more change followed in the 76th minute. The mass rotation revealed depth. It also revealed cracks — the second-half lineup conceded the equalizer before Balogun rescued the result.

After the match, Pochettino said he saw the commitment of everyone on the field and called the result a good point in the team's preparation .

Context: the March collapse

This win mattered because of what came before it. In March, the USMNT lost 5-2 to Belgium and 2-0 to Portugal — both at home . Those results raised real questions about whether this squad could handle top-tier opponents on the biggest stage. The Senegal friendly was not a perfect answer. But it was a needed one .

The USMNT's recent record across the last 12 months: 9 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses, 31 goals scored, 27 conceded. The wins include a 5-1 result over Uruguay in November, a 2-0 over Japan in September, and a 2-1 over Australia in October. The losses include the Belgium and Portugal defeats and a 2-1 loss to Mexico in July (as of June 1, 2026).

The full 26-man squad

Pochettino announced the final 26 on May 26, 2026. Here is every player, by position, with their national-team and club stats over the last 12 months.

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

Players to watch

Pulisic is the obvious name. He has 12 club goals this season with Milan and just broke his international drought at the right time . But he has played only 169 NT minutes in the last 12 months. Fitness and freshness matter.

Balogun is the sharpest striker in the pool. He has 19 club goals for Monaco and showed the super-sub instinct against Senegal . Pepi matches that club total — 19 goals for PSV — but has only 64 NT minutes in the window (as of June 1, 2026).

Tillman leads the midfield in NT production: 769 minutes, 3 goals, 4 assists. He also carries 2,402 club minutes at Bayer Leverkusen, a team that competes for trophies in Europe every week. Arfsten is close behind with 706 NT minutes and 13 appearances — the most of any midfielder (as of June 1, 2026).

Wright has 18 club goals for Coventry City and 3 NT goals in just 166 minutes. That is a quiet but noticeable ratio (as of June 1, 2026).

Freese is the starter in goal. He has 841 NT minutes across 10 appearances — more than Turner and Brady combined (as of June 1, 2026).

Group D schedule

The USMNT open the World Cup at home. Here is the full Group D fixture list.

Two of three USMNT group matches are at SoFi Stadium. The middle game is in Seattle. The draw is manageable. Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey are all beatable opponents for a host nation. But so were Belgium and Portugal, on paper, in March.

One more friendly remains — against Germany on June 6 — before it all starts .

What does the USMNT's recent form look like?

Nine wins, two draws, six losses over the last 12 months. The wins include convincing results over Uruguay (5-1) and Japan (2-0). The losses include Belgium (2-5), Portugal (0-2), and Mexico (1-2). The Senegal result was a step in the right direction, but the defensive record — 27 goals conceded in 17 matches — remains a concern heading into the tournament (as of June 1, 2026).

Who is the USMNT's starting goalkeeper?

M. Freese of New York City FC has started 10 of the team's matches over the last 12 months, logging 841 NT minutes. Turner has 135 minutes across 2 appearances. Brady has played 49 NT minutes. Freese is the clear number one (as of June 1, 2026).

When is the USMNT's first World Cup match?

The USMNT open Group D against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood . The group closer against Turkey is on June 25 at the same venue.

How did Pulisic perform against Senegal?

Pulisic assisted Dest's 7th-minute opener and scored in the 20th minute — his first goal in 21 matches across all competitions since late December with AC Milan . He played in the first half before being subbed off at halftime as part of Pochettino's 10-player rotation .

Who scored the winning goal against Senegal?

Folarin Balogun came off the bench and scored in the 63rd minute after Sadio Mané had equalized twice for Senegal . Balogun has 19 club goals for Monaco this season and 2 NT goals in 269 minutes over the last 12 months (as of June 1, 2026).

See the projected squad
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