ST. LOUIS – U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino said it was “fantastic” to see his players perform in the team’s 4-2 win over Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League, a victory that won the USMNT yielded a 5-2 victory on aggregate.

The US took a 3-0 lead at halftime thanks to a pair of goals from Christian Pulisic and a goal from Ricardo Pepi. Jamaica responded in the second half with a pair of goals from Demarai Gray, but they were sandwiched between a thunderous strike from Tim Weah to keep the Reggae Boyz at bay.

It left Pochettino – who has now been in the job for just over two months – impressed by the extent to which the American team has adapted to the concepts he was trying to convey.

“I’m so happy. The first 45 minutes is the way we want to grow, build our journey together and I’m excited to see the player perform,” he said.

“In a short period of time, and with not too much time to work, I think in the way they adapt and receive all the concepts and in the way we try to play they show that we have incredible players with the ability to understand quickly, learn quickly and that is (thanks to) our talented players.”

Pochettino noted that he was unhappy with the way the second half went, with Reggae Boyz scoring twice. He said his side had to find a way to change the tempo before conceding a goal.

“We didn’t approach half the way we wanted to,” he said. “We talked about the challenge being to win the second half and that was the only thing that was a bit worrying. Not to go into the second half with the same mentality and the same aggressiveness and the approach that we started with.” I think we can call it mentality, or we can use another word, but I think these are things that we still need to improve.”

Pochettino created a tactical wrinkle for Jamaica in the first half, with usual left-back Antonee Robinson pushing into midfield to not only aid in the build-up but also to help thwart counter-attacks. He said the setup for the first camp he held in October was simpler, but the current camp allowed for some more experimentation.

“That rotation, that mobility to appear and change positions, I think is in the way we like to play and we want to play and I think what we found is that we see the player perform in a different position, maybe a non-natural position, but will become natural over time,” he said of the tactical switch involving Robinson. “But I think it’s something we’ll continue to improve and continue to test. Also, I think the goal in 2026 is to get to our best condition with the capacity and all the characteristics we have from the player. with the player we have, to find the best way to perform.”

Pochettino said that after two games he is happy with where the team is and optimistic about the path the team is taking.

“I’m so happy because in these two camps in two months, I love the way we are one team,” he said. “I think it’s a team that is very careful with each other, that we fight for each other. other, how the staff takes care of the player, but the player looks at the staff. I think we create that idea of ​​all being together and feeling confident, and that’s the most important thing.”