USMNT Draw with Ecuador in Texas 🇺🇸🇪🇨

Balogun Bags Another in 1-1 Draw with Ecuador 🇺🇸🇪🇨

Rog writes: Soccer’s coming home! Well, eventually… On Friday, the USMNT returned, like Landon Donovan’s hair, for a 1-1 come-from-behind draw against mighty Ecuador – population: 18.14 million, or roughly the same as New York State. Shorn of their best parts with no Moisés Caicedo or Piero Hincapié, as were we with no Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams and no fit Christian Pulisic until the 73rd minute. A goal from Everton legend Enner Valencia was matched by one from that great American Folarin Balogun, who was the best player on the field by some distance. As @tcook in our Discord said, “When it comes to Ecuador, you should generally expect things to split right down the middle.” Much more on this game below, but here’s the one-word match summary in the meantime. 🇺🇸

ii. Just 241 days until the World Cup. A draw against Charles Darwin’s second-favorite team, not a bad result. Poch in Texas went full, “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose Can Draw,” while hitting his one-year mark in the process, now with a 10W-7L-2D record. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a friendly or because of the lack of fans or the absence of Pulisic and Adams, but it all feels joyless and like work. The shortage of noise around this team, in which a WNBA final is all over Twitter and the baseball playoffs have risen for the dead. I follow pretty much everyone in football and the conversation around this game was a trickle compared to the Argentina match going on at the same time in Florida. The U.S team have become a footballing footnote in our own backyard. 🫨

iii. One bright point: we now have an emerging system featuring a three-man backline with ambitious wingbacks and a double-pivot in midfield. This is now our formation. When Poch says trust the process, this is the process. The other half of the transformation is the team’s culture. This visual from the tactics board is probably the greatest clue we have as to what is going on behind the scenes. Culture eats strategy for breakfast is so true at the international level. Think Morocco 2022, Iceland 2016, USA 2002. 📈

iv. I also want to shout out Ecuador. Their trajectory is inspiring: investing in their domestic league, youth development, their best players soaring in Europe, great coaching and a real coherent identity. I look forward to watching them at the World Cup like I savor their famed fish soup, which cures hangovers. 🇪🇨

v. Next up: Australia’s Socceroos tomorrow night. A team with a fine culture of their own, as well as a robust backline. They were gritty in beating Jesse Marsch’s Canada 1-0 Friday with a goal from their 19-year-old starboy, Nestory Irankunda. This game is winnable. How the narrative will go into overdrive if we pull off the result we cry out for. We’ll be breaking it down all week on VAMOS, our new content hub at the Men in Blazers Media Network for that passionate Hispanic-American soccer community, led by the mighty Herc Gomez and The Give N Go, where we cover USMNT, CONCACAF and more. 🦘

Tell me what you thought about the USMNT. I would love to hear from you at [email protected]. 🍻

MiB HQ Bulletin Board 📣

The Deuce with Clint Dempsey ♠️🇺🇸 - “I’m starting to see this team look more dangerous.”

Clint Dempsey on which former USMNT duo Flo Balogun and Christian Pulisic remind him of 🗣️

“In terms of how me and Jozy [Altidore] played, I see a lot of similarities in terms of Christian and Balogun. Jozy was able to stretch the field and bring others into play… Christian is able to get on the half-turn like I was able to and create goals. I didn’t have the pace that Christian has, but I’m excited about seeing more from them and what can come.”

Clint on another impressive outing for Poch’s go-to striker 🗣️

“I've always been a big fan of Balogun. He can score with both feet, he can stretch the back lines. He can get on the end of things and create for other people. I think it's his spot to take, and he showed again why he's our No. 9."

Clint’s four players who are stepping up as the core of the USMNT squad 🗣️

"You've got Chris Richards. You've got Tyler Adams. You've got Christian Pulisic, and you've got Flo Balogun. I think that's the spine of your team."

Clint weighs in on Weston McKennie's performance against Ecuador 🗣️

"I think he's a player who will continue to fight when his back's against the wall... I would say he did pretty good, but I think there's better from him still to come."

Clint shares his thoughts on Malik Tillman 🗣️

“I just think he's a complete player… He can slow the game down and the vision that he has, he never looks panicked at all. He always looks like he's in control, I see him being a starter for us in the World Cup."

Clint on what Poch is building towards with this team 🗣️

"I'm starting to feel more optimistic. I'm starting to see this team look more dangerous. For me, a big thing is what I see in the attack, and I feel like that's moving in the right direction."

Watch the full episode to get all of Clint and Rog’s thoughts on the USMNT's draw with Ecuador (or listen here), and make sure to follow The Deuce on TikTok and YouTube for even more Texas-infused insight.

📬 Enjoying USMNT Only? Check out our other MiB newsletters:

🔍 The Correspondent: Rory Smith’s thoughts on the world of soccer, culture, food, and how they all connect – every Thursday.

🐦‍⬛ The Raven: Our Monday and Friday newsletter where we preview the biggest matches around the world (and tell you where/how to watch them) and recap our favorite football moments from the weekend.

🌞 The Women’s Game: Everything you need to know about women’s football, sent straight to your inbox each week.

One on One with Christian Pulisic 🦅 🇺🇸

Rog recently had the chance to sit down with the one and only Christian Pulisic to talk about his scorching-hot start to the season, what drives him and how his new club coach has helped him elevate his game. You can listen to the full conversation here, and below you’ll find a short selection of some of their best exchanges. Note: this language has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Roger Bennett: It's an amazing time to speak, what a start to your season. Milan in third place and you are playing in the form of your life: four goals, two assists, Serie A’s top goalscorer. So, how do you explain it in your own mind?

Christian Pulisic: Yeah, I think it's been really positive, honestly. Starting with the team, you know, we've made some adjustments. And our new coach [Massimiliano Allegri] has come in and, first and foremost, we've been defending really well, which which makes my job a lot easier. So that's been great. I feel very confident in the position I've been playing with my teammates, and I'm just trying to enjoy every moment of it right now.

RB: There's a constant conversation about whether a footballer is world class or not. We had Tyler Adams on the show recently, your friend since your early teens, and he talked about how watching you this season, it's been a joy for him. He said he has no doubt that you are world class. Do you think about that concept? Is that something that drives you, the desire to be seen as globally elite?

CP: Oof! It's a good question. I think it does, it pushes me. For example, when I see the Ballon d'Or ceremony and watching one of my former teammates, Ousmane Dembélé, who's such an awesome guy, win… I couldn't be happier for him. Seeing that inspires me for sure. So you want to be looked at as a top player in the world. That's not why I do it, but that absolutely gives me inspiration. You want to be among the best, because that's where I want to challenge myself.

RB: I saw an interview with Jack Grealish, which made me think a bit about you also this season. [He was asked] to explain why he’s scoring again, at the greatest club in the world. And he said something like… managers are important, but sometimes he prefers it when a manager says, “You're the footballer, go and do what you do.” Do you relate to that?

CP: I would say to a certain extent, I definitely know what he means. You want to have some freedom on the field – especially as an attacking player. I think it's one of the most important things and a lot of the best in the world will have a bit of that freedom. I'm not going to go tell Coach Allegri, “Hey, I'm going to do what I want today.” But at the same time, it's important to do your defensive responsibilities to do the right things, help the team when you need to, and make sacrifices.

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Next Up: The Socceroos 🇦🇺

Australia’s Socceroos confirmed their sixth consecutive World Cup appearance with a 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia in June, a victory that typified the dynamic team ethic instilled by manager, Tony Popovic. He’s put an emphasis on “belief” since he took the reins of the country he once played for in September 2024, something epitomized by goalkeeper and captain, Levante’s Mat Ryan.

Now that they’ve secured their ticket for next year’s American extravaganza, friendlies against hosts Canada and the USMNT trigger a run of auditions for players on the frays of the squad. One of those is third-generation Socceroo, Cardiff playmaker, Alex Robertson, who’s been summoned back after an almost two-year standoff. Popovic can also call on Football Hipster Final Boss, St Pauli skipper, Jackson Irvine, as well as 22-year-old left-back Jordan Bos, who’s just become the first Australian to win the Eredivisie’s Player of the Month award after moving to Dutch giants, Feyenoord, in July.

More: A full breakdown of Australia’s squad and the diversity of countries they play in.

News & Notes 🗞️

• For those of you keeping track at home, these are the 21 nations that have qualified so far for next year’s World Cup and how each made it in.

• Three of the world’s best strikers are in the forms of their lives with 57 goals among them. Which one do you choose?

• Just in time for tomorrow’s game with the Socceroos: why Aussies are coming to MLS for soccer opportunity.

• Great face paint, absolutely wild story: Malaysian football rocked by naturalization scandal.

• ICYMI last week: Ex-USMNT midfielder, MLS great Darlington Nagbe set to retire.

• Just going to leave this as is: A World Cup preying on Fomo: Fifa’s 2026 ticket scheme is a late-capitalist hellscape.

• And a bit of joy to round things out: This men’s national team, from a country of only 55,000 people, pulled off the upset of the weekend.

As a Reminder 🗓️

We won’t be sending a newsletter on Wednesday to recap tomorrow’s game with Australia (9 p.m. ET on Peacock), but make sure to subscribe to the Raven to get all of our thoughts on the result and what’s next for the USMNT on Friday. Otherwise, we’ll be back next month for the last international break of 2025:

🇵🇾 Saturday, Nov. 15: USA vs. Paraguay

🇺🇾 Tuesday, Nov. 18: USA vs. Uruguay

Until then, courage!

Rog and the USMNT Only team 🇺🇸 🦅

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