The post-World Cup era began on Saturday, September 26, at a sold-out Inter&Co Stadium. The crowd was 24,228, and the sun-soaked 4:30 p.m. kickoff saw the USMNT beat Peru 4-1. U.S. Soccer billed it as a Fan Appreciation Match and the first of a new four-year cycle toward 2030.

The hype

The buzz started when Mauricio Pochettino named his roster on September 17. He picked 13 uncapped players and left out Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun. The squad's average age was 22 years, nine months, more than four years younger than the World Cup group. That fit the plan Pochettino described when he signed his new contract in August: start from zero.

Philadelphia Union's Cavan Sullivan drew most of the attention. A debut would make him the second-youngest player in program history to play, behind Freddy Adu. Orlando City's Justin Ellis was the local story, arriving after a breakout season, with interest from Uruguay also in the background.

The match

Ellis scored right away. Sullivan and Gio Reyna stood over a 35-yard free kick in the fourth minute, and Ellis headed it in, at his home stadium. Peru answered in the 15th minute. Yoshimar Yotún crossed to the back post, where Gianluca Lapadula slipped behind Peyton Miller and headed it across the six-yard box past Matt Freese. (One match report lists Lapadula's goal at the 23rd minute, but most sources, including ESPN, put it at the 15th.)

The second half belonged to the U.S. Malik Tillman converted a penalty in the 66th minute, one that ESPN called controversial, after 17-year-old Mathis Albert drew the foul. Then 18-year-old Julian Hall came off the bench and scored in the 72nd minute, finishing a Sebastian Berhalter cross. Berhalter added a finish in the 90th. The U.S. had 70% possession, out-shot Peru 16-5 and completed 94% of its passes.

The debutants

Cavan Sullivan (16): He became the fourth-youngest player to appear for the USMNT and the second-youngest starter, playing 62 minutes. Pochettino praised his tenacity, which earned an early yellow card, and said he felt proud.
Justin Ellis (19) and Julian Hall (18): They are the first pair of teenagers to score on their international debuts since Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah in 2018.
Peyton Miller (18): He started at fullback. He got beaten on the Lapadula goal but showed real speed at both ends.
The rest: Eleven players debuted in all, eight of them teenagers. Diego Kochen replaced Freese in goal at halftime.

Pochettino was quick to credit the veterans as well. He said the young players earned big credit, and that the team's play gave him goosebumps at times. ESPN's player ratings gave Berhalter a 10 and Ellis a 9.