Christian Pulisic sets tone for USMNT in historic 7-1 win over Grenada

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Christian Pulisic had a goal and two assists, and Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi each scored twice as the United States men's national team routed Grenada 7-1 Friday in its first competitive game since the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It marked the first time the U.S. has scored seven goals away from home.

Brenden Aaronson and Alex Zendejas also scored for the Americans, who'll play the second of two CONCACAF Nations League games this month Monday against El Salvador in Orlando.

Here are three quick thoughts on Friday's match.

Captain Pulisic sets the tone

With World Cup captain Tyler Adams unavailable because of a hamstring injury, the USMNT's most accomplished and experienced player wore the armband instead. And from the opening whistle, Pulisic led the way for his team. It took him less than four minutes to pick out Pepi in the box with a pinpoint cross for the opening goal.

Pulisic then set up the second, by Aaronson. Both of McKennie's two tallies came following Pulisic free kicks, and although he didn't get credit for the helper on either, he got in on the action himself by scoring the visitors' fifth goal early in the second half. Pulisic's first-time finish came off a slick dish by Luca de la Torre:

The first hour of the match was a masterclass by Pulisic, who was replaced by debutant Taylor Booth after 63 minutes. It was also a statement. By his own admission, Pulisic in often became frustrated during away games in the CONCACAF region in the past.

"The more experience that I get in big games, I just feel more and more comfortable down the line," Pulisic said Thursday. "What I've really tried to do in recent times is sort of embrace the atmosphere and take it on with kind of with a smile, and just go and play and fight for my team."

It's a sign of Pulisic's growing maturity. He's a World Cup vet now in addition to being a Champions League winner. And while it's probably wise not to draw too many grand conclusions from Friday's game, Pulisic's performance in the first real match of the 2026 World Cup cycle suggests that he's ready, willing and eager to put this team on his back and carry it for the next three-plus years.

Pepi takes his chance

Again, some context is necessary here. Grenada is FIFA's 173rd-ranked team, out of 211. The population of the country, about 125,000, is smaller than some neighborhoods in major American cities.

That said, you can only play the opponent in front of you. After missing out on the trip to Qatar, Pepi was hugely motivated to start the 2026 cycle with a bang. He did.

Sure, the defending on both of his strikes was poor. Of course the fact that he started the match over fellow center forward Daryl Dike would mean more if the man who picked the lineups, interim coach Anthony Hudson, was likely to be at the helm a year or two from now.

But this is what Pepi had to work with, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. We'll see if it's enough for him to keep his spot in the lineup on Monday, or if Hudson has already decided to split the minutes and give Dike the nod against the Salvadorans at Exploria Stadium, where he used to play for Orlando City before moving on to England's Championship, where he now stars for West Brom.

Either way, on Friday Pepi only helped his case to lead the line for the U.S. this cycle.

A quiet night from Reyna

Much of the pregame chatter surrounded two players who either didn't go to the World Cup or barely played there: Folarin Balogun and Gio Reyna. The U.S. is doing all it can to land rising striker Balogun, the Arsenal product who met with Hudson in Orlando this week after being left off from England's senior squad. (Balogun, on loan to Reims in France, can also represent Nigeria.)

It already has a prized young talent in Reyna, the Borussia Dortmund attacker who has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons since the Americans were eliminated in Qatar. Hudson starting Reyna in Grenada sends a clear message: That circus is over. And nobody will have been more relieved to just get back to playing soccer than Reyna, who has also been used sparingly by Dortmund over the last three months.

Reyna didn't do much in St. George, but it doesn't matter. With his first match since the fued between his parents and World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter exploded into an irresistible mainstream news story now behind him, Reyna can concentrate on doing everything he can to rehabilitate his reputation and help the U.S. in the buildup to 2026.

Hudson will no doubt rotate his lineup heavily with less than 72 hours between matches, but Reyna should get his minutes on Monday one way or another. However long he plays, expect a better, more relaxed performance with his closely watched first game back with the national team finally out of the way.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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