Behind quick first-half goals from McGlynn and Agyemang, a MLS-heavy U.S. men's national team rolled past Venezuela
Mauricio Pochettino entered his post-match news conference Saturday with a broad smile, and understandably so. His young, MLS-heavy U.S. men's national team had just taken down Venezuela 3-1, perhaps exceeding expectations in the process. It was a fantastic performance, one that felt like it rewarded all of the behind-the-scenes work at the annual January camp.
Pochettino wasn't the only one with a reason to smile. Most members of the USMNT earned the same – and even so, there were some clear winners on the pitch in Fort Lauderdale.
Jack McGlynn is the big one, and it's the Philadelphia Union star who is perhaps best positioned to take that win and apply it to the senior USMNT. McGlynn's skillset is easy to see, particularly his ability to shift a game with one strike of the ball. He had multiple versions of those game-bending strikers, none bigger than his stunning opening goal to kickstart the USMNT win.
Patrick Agyemang and Matko Miljevic joined him on the scoresheet, and both will feel good about the impressions they made. Most players will, to be fair. That's what happens when you win 3-1 in a game that, realistically, wouldn't have been that close if not for one bad moment. For Pochettino, his team gave him plenty of reasons to be happy in this first January camp game.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Chase Stadium.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Jack McGlynn
The scouting report on McGlynn is clear: he has an absolute weapon of a left foot. If you weren't aware of that scouting report – well, just watch his banger of a goal.
McGlynn's stunning golazo was the moment of the match from the Man of the Match, one that showed exactly why he might just be the player most likely to springboard from this camp into something bigger. With the ball at his feet, there might not be a more dangerous midfielder in the USMNT pool than McGlynn, and that really is saying something.
He's shown that plenty of times on the youth level and this was his chance to do it on the senior level. In addition to the goal, he completed 97 percent of his passes, created three chances and was seven of eight on long balls. It was a ridiculous midfield performance, one that will boost his stock immensely.
There was no bigger winner on Saturday than McGlynn, who has already seized this chance.
AdvertisementLOSER: Set piece defending
On Friday, Pochettino spoke about how the team had just completed a solid set-piece training session. Even if he was happy with that session, it was clear that this team wasn't particularly familiar with one another in that part of the game.
Venezuela's lone goal came in the 68th minute from a botched set-piece sequence, one in which Shaq Moore failed to cover goalscorer Jorge Yriarte. Only Pochettino and the defense will really know how that should have gone down – did Yriarte just slip into a dead zone or should Moore have picked him up seconds before the ball was even played in?
It was the one real down moment for the USMNT, but also a sign of January camp. These guys just aren't too familiar with one another, and it certainly showed on that brief sequence.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Patrick Agyemang
As a striker, you want to be able to hold the ball, beat a defender and score. Agyemang showed he can do all three on Saturday.
After winning an early penalty, Agyemang got his own goal midway through the first half, winning a foot race with a defender before slotting between the goalkeeper's legs. It was a true striker's goal, and it was easy to see how much this striker was overcome by the moment after he'd scored it.
"Such a surreal moment," he told TNT after the match. "Every kid dreams to make a debut for their national team and to score, it's hard to put the feelings into words. I'm still excited and I can't believe it, I'm so happy.
He added: "I love using my left foot and when I saw the opening, I had the confidence to see it through and it went into the back of the net… I love the room and I love when I'm one-on-one and there are not many defenders who like running with me. I took advantage of it."
Agyemang was one of the breakout stars of the 2024 MLS season, and there's reason to believe he's just getting started.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Venezuela
Like with the USMNT, this wasn't a Venezuela A-team. There was not Salomon Rondon or Yangel Herrera in this team. This Venezuela team, like their American counterparts, was largely a group of youngsters looking to make their mark.
Few, if any, did. This match was fairly one-sided from start to finish. The U.S. was a deserved winner. On a day where most American players will leave Miami feeling good about themselves, very few members of this team will feel the same way following this clear friendly defeat.
While the USMNT will see this as a chance taken, Venezuela will feel this was a missed opportunity.
