How Do You Say “Dos A Cero” in Japanese? 🇺🇸 🇯🇵
Rog writes: Oh what a night. Once again, the United States descended upon its fortress city, Columbus, and was lifted to a signature 2-0 victory when we needed it. Yes, it was against a Japanese B-team that was very much their Gold Cup XI, but a couple of lovely moments sealed the win with a DOS A CERO.
Two fine goals. First, a cross from homeboy Max Arfsten that resulted in a lashed strike from Alex Zendejas. A goal that the man of the day Ray Hudson would call “magisterial.” Then, a second-half fine finish from Folarin Balogun taught the Japanese a lesson from the genius Haruki Murakami, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” We needed this and I am so happy.
Big picture, I think this victory lay in the optics of an upturn. We watched last night – after Poch had gone full “boar on the floor” in the media – to see if there was a plan. Has it been communicated? Do the players believe and buy into it? We have no idea on any of those. The win is nice, finally one against a quasi top-25 side, but the big optical win was not losing. This would have been a long month until this squad – or I would guess, a very different squad – unites again to try and change the mood. This win was narrative changing. Thank you, Columbus – this result was the best thing to come out of your city since Lil Bow Wow. 🇺🇸 🦅
ii. Speaking of great things to happen in Ohio’s magnificent capital this week, we also hosted a fantastic live show there on Monday night, featuring Clint Dempsey, Herculez Gomez, and a few special guests from the one and only Columbus Crew. It was a night of storytelling and wonder, filled with new memories made in a city with deep, deep soccer roots. Watch the full show here in all its glory. 💛
iii. Lastly, for all our friends in New York, we’d love if you joined us at Terminal 5 on Sept. 18 for a night of celebration featuring basketball stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart, and to revel in the magical kingdom that is New York sports and its singular football culture with our friends at MLS and Walmart. If you’re in town, come be with us. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and we start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are here. 🍎
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The Deuce with Clint Dempsey ♠️🇺🇸 - “We needed that ‘A’ to balance out our average.”
Clint Dempsey shares his thoughts on Poch's 15th different lineup in 18 matches in charge after the 2-0 win over Japan 🗣️
"I liked seeing Zendejas in the midfield. I thought Cristian Roldan made a difference as well, in terms of their hunger, ability, and wanting to get forward. And Balogun up top... He gets the balls in dangerous areas, and then he's allowed to bring other players into play. He's cool, calm, and makes the right pass, and he's someone that can create problems.”
On whether Flo Balogan is now the No. 1 No. 9
"I like what he brings to the table. I think he is the complete striker. He's a player that can score with both feet. He's good in the air. He can run behind the defenses. Also, he's able to hold the ball up."
On how many MLS players Clint thinks could make the ‘26 U.S. World Cup roster
"I could easily see five or six breaking into the squad. I do think playing in Europe is more challenging and is at a higher level, but I think it's important to have a good mix, a good balance of domestic and talent that's abroad.”
Clint Dempsey grades Poch's first year on the job, 2-0 win over Japan included
"If they didn't win on Tuesday, it's probably like a D. We needed that A to balance out our average."
Watch the full episode to get all of Clint and Rog’s thoughts on the USMNT's win against Japan (or listen here), and make sure to follow The Deuce on TikTok and YouTube for even more Texas-infused insight.
News & Notes 🗞️
The first phase of ticket sales for next year’s World Cup starts today, with sign-ups for the presale draw open from this afternoon until Friday, Sept. 19. If this all sounds a bit confusing, you can learn all about the ins and outs of buying tickets to the tournament here.
Something for Poch to keep an eye on over the next month: Top 50 USMNT players by club form.
After the loss to South Korea over the weekend, the USMNT fell to 48th in the world in the Elo ratings–a system originally created to evaluate chess players–which is the team’s lowest rank since Brian McBride dawned the red, white and blue (or anytime this century, depending on how you catalog time).
Meanwhile, according to FIFA, Poch’s boys remain 15th in the world. Something tells us that position might be on the move soon.
As of this week, 15 non-host nations have qualified for next year’s World Cup: Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, with the last two making the tournament for the first time.
As a Reminder 🗓️
The U.S. men’s national team have four more friendlies this fall as they look to continue honing their skills as a unit and hopefully generate some good vibes going into 2026:
🇪🇨 Friday, Oct. 10 - USA vs. Ecuador
🇦🇺 Tuesday, Oct. 14 - USA vs. Australia
🇵🇾 Saturday, Nov. 15: USA vs. Paraguay
🇺🇾 Tuesday, Nov. 18: USA vs. Uruguay
At this point, no one knows what kind of squad Poch will assemble for these last four games of the year, but we’ll be with you every step of the way as this collective keeps building towards next year’s World Cup.
PS - Turns out starting Balo and Zendejas was the right call. 😉
Courage,
Rog and the USMNT Only team 🇺🇸 🦅
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