Pochettino Praises the Bravery of the United States After Draw Against Ecuador
The United States coach, Mauricio Pochettino, highlighted the fighting spirit of his players after the 1-1 draw against Ecuador in a friendly marked by intensity. Folarin Balogun scored the equalizing goal in the 71st minute.Pochettino praised his team’s effort in the second half, especially at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. He acknowledged the difficulty of facing a physical team like Ecuador, but highlighted his players’ ability to find spaces and generate danger. The American team, which was losing 1-0 after Enner Valencia’s goal for Ecuador in the 24th minute, showed resilience and maintained offensive pressure. The tie came thanks to the connection between Malik Tillman and Folarin Balogun. Pochettino expressed his satisfaction with Balogun’s performance, highlighting his goalscoring ability and work ethic. The coach also celebrated the performance of other key players, but faces challenges for the next friendly against Australia. Alejandro Zendejas, who did not play against Ecuador, suffered a knee injury and will return to Mexico. Antonee Robinson was also unavailable for the match, and his physical condition is being evaluated.We were very brave to try to go forward, to try to find the space.
Mauricio Pochettino
Christian Pulisic, who played only 17 minutes against Ecuador, is also not 100% due to an ankle injury. Pochettino will assess his availability for the next match. The United States will seek to improve its performance in the upcoming November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.Zendejas, bad news, because he’s leaving tonight… because he has a small problem in his knee, in the back of his knee. It’s not a serious problem, but he won’t be available for the next match, and he has to go back to his club.
Mauricio Pochettino
