Sports
Mauricio Pochettino’s week of ‘speaking about confidence’ pays off for Musah and USMNT
It is a rarity to see Yunus Musah without a smile. An ear-to-ear grin is a mostly-permanent feature for the 21-year-old midfielder.
But as he sprinted towards the corner flag on Saturday night in Austin, Texas, having scored his first goal in a U.S. senior men’s national team jersey in his 42nd appearance, the sense of gratification on his face shined through — even for someone who usually has a happy expression plastered on.
“That moment,” said Christian Pulisic, his AC Milan and USMNT teammate who provided the assist, “that’s why you play.”
The 49th-minute goal in a 2-0 friendly win against Panama was also an immediate validation of the instincts of the team’s debuting head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.
Musah’s joy was clear after his success in his new role (Tim Warner/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The 52-year-old Argentinian came into his first camp this week intending to spend time with every player on the roster and understand where they stood. The idea was to ensure each of them was handled the right way. It’s why Weston McKennie stayed on the bench on Saturday night; he had entered camp feeling some discomfort 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 regime.
Musah reported to camp having played just 45 minutes in Serie A for Milan in September and zero minutes so far in October. Though typically a central midfielder cast in a box-to-box No. 8 role, Pochettino met with Musah and proposed deploying him wider on the right. Pochettino knew Musah had played that role before, both in Arsenal’s academy and also when he first moved to Spain’s Valencia five years ago. In that position, Pochettino felt Musah would have more freedom to push forward on the ball, one of his strengths, without the pressures of being a focal part of the build-up at a time when he isn’t playing regularly for his club and thus wasn’t in his best form.
It worked to perfection early in the second half, when the U.S. built up down their left side through Antonee Robinson, Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson, and Musah came crashing into the box from the right to finish off a Pulisic cross.
“It’s always worth trying to build his confidence and to (make him) feel again (that he is) a player that can perform on the pitch,” Pochettino said. “It was an important moment for him, to (show) trust in him, but maybe not to give him too much responsibility in the build-up. It’s only to be in a position that can help the team, and then he arrived there and scored.
“Fantastic for him, fantastic for the team. And now maybe he’ll start to perform and behave in a different way, full of confidence. That is the important (factor) in our decision, is trying to help. We are here to help the player to find their best.”
Pochettino and Pulisic speak during the win over Panama (Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
If there was a theme to the first night under Pochettino, it was exactly that: creating and building confidence. Confidence for each player, but also for a team that was winless in its previous four games. Copa America group-stage elimination was a crushing experience for a squad that knew how expectations were growing and understood how valuable a tournament run would have been on multiple levels, for them, the fanbase and the sport in the United States.
Pochettino’s hire was meant to restore some of the confidence and belief in the program.
Center back Tim Ream said Pochettino was “speaking about confidence all week”, and that it was reinforced and transmitted into the group by what he was asking the team to do against Panama. Mostly, players were told to be themselves, embrace their strengths and, as Musah said, “play free”.
“He wants us to be solid defensively, and then have guys play the way they are comfortable playing and being confident going forward with the ball,” Ream said. “And everybody saw that, especially in the first 15 minutes. Guys were moving, (there was) intricate passing and getting the ball, moving quick and getting in and around their box. When he tells guys to go and be themselves, it’s a sign that he has confidence in you, and you can see that come out with all the guys out here.”
Things were not perfect. Panama had good chances in the game. Matt Turner was forced into a big double save in the second half and they should have found an equalizer late in the game. As USMNT veteran DaMarcus Beasley said on the Turner Sports broadcast, there were also some mistakes in the build-up that top teams would punish.
But, the U.S. won, with Ricardo Pepi adding the second goal in stoppage time.
The result was needed, even if this was just a friendly.
“I looked back at our recent form, and I was thinking, ‘Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve won’,” Turner said. “Since the Bolivia game (at Copa America, on June 23), right, since we’ve won a game and had a clean sheet? So, yeah, it’s nice to set off this era with a win and a clean sheet. It goes in waves, but winning is something that you learn. 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 trust and confidence that the ideas he is installing with the team will lead to success. Musah’s goal reinforced that.
The job now is to keep carrying it forward.
“It’s the first step,” Pochettino said. “To start to grow and be better.”
(Top photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
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All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Kenny Omega blasted a social media user over a remark made about Will Ospreay and Charlie Kirk.
The X user made a critique about Ospreay’s mic skills on Thursday, writing, “Will Ospreay is as bad on the mic as charlie kirk, but can’t sell the neck as well as he did.”
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Kenny Omega enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Wrestle Dynasty event at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 5, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Omega, who is friends with Ospreay inside and outside the ring, slammed the poster.
“What the f— is wrong with you? It isn’t hard to try having some class,” he wrote in response.
“A dear friend battles back from a career threatening injury, is no doubt still fighting pain today, and is somehow mocked and compared to a dude that was murdered. I get that a joke is a joke but these things should really be kept separate in my opinion.”
Kenny Omega looks on after the tag match during the Power Struggle – Super Jr. Tag League 2018 at Edion Arena Osaka on November 03, 2018 in Osaka, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
When one X user came to the defense of the commenter, Omega responded once more.
“Please extend my apologies, genuinely. Perhaps I’ve become too sensitive after my own brush with death. I also know of Will’s efforts behind the scenes more than most so it was sad to see such a harsh comparison,” the current AEW champion added.
Kirk, a conservative commentator and the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in September. Tyler Robinson was arrested in Kirk’s murder.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk spoke during his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk was fatally shot while appearing at the event. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
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Robinson’s trial is currently ongoing.
The final weekend of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is here, with France and England playing for third place on Saturday before defending champion Argentina takes on 2010 winner Spain for the title on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the last two matches of the 39-day, 48-team tournament in North America (all times Pacific).
Saturday’s third-place game
France vs. England
France star Kylian Mbappé smiles during a World Cup semifinal match against Spain on Tuesday.
(David Ramos / Getty Images)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 2 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo | Streaming: Fox One, Peacock
The buzz: This is a game neither team really wants to play. The disappointment of missing the final is fresh and the weather report calls for temperatures in the high 80s with 68% humidity and a chance of thundershowers — a brutal South Florida summer day. The $2-million difference in prize money between third and fourth place isn’t likely to make any of that more palatable. Still, the game will have meaning for France since it will be the final match for coach Didier Deschamps, the winningest World Cup manager in history. And captain Kylian Mbappé, tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for most goals in the tournament (8), has a chance to become the first player to win consecutive Golden Boots. England is playing in the consolation final for the second time in three World Cups; it lost to Belgium 2-1 in 2018. But this one will probably sting even more since the Three Lions were five minutes away from their first final in six decades before collapsing against Argentina. This could be the last World Cup game for England’s Golden Generation of Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, John Stones and Jordan Henderson.
Sunday’s championship game
Spain vs. Argentina
Argentina star Lionel Messi celebrates after a win over England in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday.
(Buda Mendes / Getty Images)
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: Noon
TV: Fox, Telemundo | Streaming: Fox One, Peacock
The buzz: Argentina has a chance to become the first repeat World Cup champion since Brazil in 1962, which would give Messi another grand achievement in his sixth and likely final World Cup. Messi enters the weekend as the all-time leader in goals, assists and games played in tournament history. But unbeaten Argentina hasn’t made things easy, with its winning goals in the four knockout-round games coming in the 92nd minute or later. Spain, the reigning European champion, will be playing to put a second star on its jersey to match the one it won in 2010. La Roja, with the sixth-youngest roster in the World Cup, got to the final on the strength of spectacular defense led by Unai Simón, who has six clean sheets in seven games. Mikel Oyarzabal is the team’s leading scorer with five World Cup goals. The teams had one common opponent in this tournament, tiny Cape Verde, a World Cup debutante. It played Spain to a scoreless draw in its opener, then held Argentina to a 1-1 standoff into extra time before falling.
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One of the most memorable moments of the 2026 Winter Olympics came early, when skier Lindsey Vonn delivered a gutsy performance for the ages by competing at 41 just a week after injuring her knee in a crash.
Unfortunately, as admirable as her perseverance was, she injured herself badly in another crash just 13 seconds into her run in the women’s downhill final.
Five months later, Vonn is still very much dealing with her injuries.
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Lindsey Vonn speaks on stage during the 2026 ESPYs. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
“It’s been a very slow process,” Vonn told People while attending the ESPYs Wednesday in New York City. “It’s been five months since I’ve been able to actually go to the gym in a somewhat meaningful way. And walking is actually still really hard for me. My ankle is still broken.”
Regardless of the outcome, her decision to attempt that run remains one of the most courageous moments of the Games.
Lindsey Vonn was involved in a serious crash during the women’s downhill event at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)
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Remember when I mentioned that injury before the Olympics? That wasn’t just a minor bump in the road; it was a completely ruptured ACL.
There was no questioning her courage, but the aftermath has been difficult.
Lindsey Vonn walks through pit lane ahead of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)
“I was in a wheelchair for so long. I was on crutches for so long,” Vonn said. “It was honestly almost 3½ months that I was unable to walk unassisted. I got very emotional when I was able to walk on my own.”
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This week, Vonn posted an update on her recovery and said she has “a very long road ahead.”
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