It is a rarity to see Yunus Musah without a smile on his face. An ear-to-ear grin is a largely permanent feature of the 21-year-old midfielder.

But as he sprinted to the corner flag Saturday night in Austin, Texas, after scoring his first goal wearing the U.S. men’s national team jersey, the sense of satisfaction shone on Musah’s face — even for someone who normally wears a smile.

“At that moment,” said Christian Pulisic, his AC Milan teammate who provided the assist, “that’s why you play.”

The goal was also an immediate confirmation of the instincts of new USA manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Musah’s joy was evident after his success in his new role (Tim Warner/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

The 52-year-old Argentinian came into his first camp as an American coach with the intention of spending time with every player on the roster and understanding where they stood. The idea was to ensure that every player was treated appropriately. That’s why Weston McKennie stayed on the bench on Saturday night; he entered camp feeling uneasy after playing in each of Juventus’ last six games, and Pochettino felt it was crucial not to take any risks with the midfielder. It was also why Musah was tested in a new role in his first game under the new boss.

Musah arrived when the US played just 45 minutes in Serie A for AC Milan in September and zero minutes so far in October. Pochettino was typically a central midfielder with a box-to-box No. 8 role. He met Musah and suggested he play more wide on the right. Pochettino knew Musah had played that role before, both in Arsenal’s youth academy and when he first moved to Valencia. In a wider role, Pochettino felt Musah would have more freedom to move forward with the ball, one of his strengths, without the pressure of being a central part of the build-up at a time when he was not playing regularly played and was therefore not active. not in its best form.

It worked to perfection early in the second half, as the US built up on the left through Antonee Robinson, Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson, and Musah crashed into the box from the right to finish a Pulisic cross .

“It’s always worth trying to build his confidence and give him the feeling again that he is a player who can perform on the pitch,” Pochettino said. “It was an important moment for him to show confidence in him, but perhaps not to give too much responsibility in the build-up. It’s just to be in a position that can help the team and then he got there and scored.

“Fantastic for him, fantastic for the team. And now he may start to perform in a different way and behave with confidence. That’s the important (factor) in our decision, trying to help. We are here to help the player get the best out of themselves.”

Pochettino and Pulisic speak during the win over Panama (Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

If there was a theme for the first night under Pochettino, it was just that: creating and building confidence. Confidence for every player, but also for a team that was winless in the previous four games. Elimination from the Copa America was a crushing experience for a group that knew how expectations were growing and understood how valuable a multi-level tournament run would have been, for the group, the fanbase and the sport.

Pochettino’s appointment was intended to restore some of the trust and belief in the programme.

US centre-back Tim Ream said Pochettino “talked about confidence all week”, and that this was reinforced and passed on to the group by what he asked the team to do against Panama. Mostly, the players were told to be themselves, embrace their strengths and, as Musah said, “play freely.”

“He wants us to be solid defensively and then for the boys to play the way they feel comfortable and be able to go forward with the ball with confidence,” Ream said. “And everyone saw that, especially in the first fifteen minutes. The boys were moving, (there was) complicated passing and taking the ball, they were moving quickly and getting in and around their penalty area. When he tells guys to be themselves, it’s a sign that he has confidence in you, and you see that reflected in all the guys here.

Things weren’t perfect against Panama. Los Canaleros had good chances in the match. Goalkeeper Matt Turner was forced into a big double save in the second half and Panama should have found the equalizer late in the match. As USMNT veteran DaMarcus Beasley said on the Turner Sports broadcast, there were also some mistakes in the lead-up that top teams will punish.

But the US won.

The result was necessary, even if it was just a friendly match.

“I looked back at our recent form and thought, ‘Wow, it’s been a while since I won,'” Turner said. “Since the match against Bolivia (at the Copa America), right, since we won a match and got a clean sheet? So yeah, it’s nice to start this era with a win and a clean sheet. It comes in waves, but you learn to win. You can’t just take it for granted. It takes energy and focus for 90 minutes, especially at this level.”

Pochettino will know that this win was important in building confidence and trust that the ideas he is installing with the team will lead to success. Musah’s goal reinforced that. The task now is to continue this.

“It’s the first step,” Pochettino said. “To start growing and getting better.”

(Top photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)