Pulisic Gives US Breathing Room

Christian Pulisic’s double left the tie looking less like a quarter-final than an administrative problem for Haiti, as the United States opened the Concacaf Nations League last-eight with a 6-0 win in Miami.

The Guardian reported the match was played against the strange backdrop of Mauricio Pochettino’s apparent exit from the US job, with his final international window turning into a farewell tour before a move to Manchester United. Whatever the boardroom noise, the football part was simple enough: the US were sharper from set plays, more ruthless once spaces opened, and strong enough to turn a lively first half into a punishment.

Auston Trusty scored the opening goal from a Sebastian Berhalter free kick, arriving unmarked at the far post and finishing after a VAR check confirmed he had stayed onside. It was a clean reward for a side that has adjusted one useful habit under Pochettino. Pulisic no longer owns every dead ball by default, and that matters. International football is often decided by small stubborn details, and the US have looked less predictable since sharing that responsibility around.

Haiti were not passive for all of this. Forced to host under what Concacaf called an “exceptional hosting arrangement” because of political unrest and gang violence in Port-au-Prince, they still managed to make Miami feel noisy and awkward for the Americans. Their press caused trouble, Diego Kochen had to save from Danley Jean Jacques, and Chris Richards needed a well-timed block to deny Lenny Joseph. For a stretch, the match had the feel of a contest rather than a procession.

It also had temper. A confrontation near midfield brought yellow cards for Josué Casimir and Berhalter after Casimir appeared to lash out during an exchange involving Tyler Adams. That sort of moment can tilt these ties. Haiti needed the game messy and emotional; the US needed it played at their pace. The second half settled that argument quickly.

Julian Hall made it 2-0 after a fast move down the left, finishing from Antonee Robinson’s pass. The goal did more than pad the score. According to the Guardian, Hall’s appearance also cap-tied the teenager to the United States, ending any possibility of a one-time switch to Poland. In a 6-0, that is the sort of institutional detail easy to miss and difficult to overstate. Deep squads are built by keeping your best young forwards attached before someone else can make a serious claim.

Pulisic then scored from the penalty spot after being tripped by Carlens Arcus, drawing level with Eric Wynalda on 34 international goals. The level lasted only seconds, with the Guardian reporting he moved clear almost immediately as the rout accelerated. Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun were also on the scoresheet by the end.

That is the competitive value of a first-leg demolition: it reduces the return match from a test of nerve to a question of professionalism. Haiti made this uncomfortable for spells, but once the US found the second goal the pressure changed sides completely, and the tie went with it.