Son Heung-min Torments Pochettino Again as South Korea Dominates USMNT 2-0
The United States men's national soccer team took the field for their first match following their defeat to Mexico in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup championship game. However, their struggles persisted as they suffered a 2–0 defeat to South Korea at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.
Los Angeles FC's Son Heung-min found the net in the 19th minute and set up Lee Dong-gyeong's goal in the 43rd minute, capitalizing on facing his former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite the match being completely sold out, the crowd was predominantly Korean supporters, creating an unwelcoming atmosphere for the USMNT even though they were playing on home soil.
The defeat dropped the USMNT's record to 10-0-7 under Pochettino's leadership, marking their seventh defeat in eight contests against nations ranked in the world's top 30.
Below are Sports Illustrated's observations from the contest, as the USMNT prepares to face Japan this Tuesday.
Defensive Experiments Backfire
Throughout the Gold Cup campaign, Pochettino had established a reliable center-back partnership between Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Charlotte FC's Tim Ream, providing stability to his defensive setup.
However, he chose to experiment with his defensive personnel against South Korea, bringing back the previously sidelined Sergiño Dest at right-back and handing Vancouver Whitecaps center-back Tristan Blackmon his inaugural start.
Richards was relegated to a second-half substitute role, while Blackmon partnered with Ream for his debut USMNT appearance, despite being considered unlikely to make the final World Cup squad.
While Ream delivered a steady performance, both Blackmon and Dest showed clear struggles, being overrun by South Korean offensive plays in the opening half. Dest's issues centered around crucial transitional moments.
Simultaneously, Blackmon seemed overwhelmed by the pressure of donning the American jersey for the first time, failing to maintain pace, execute penetrating passes, or contain Son and other attacking threats.
South Korea's two goals resulted from defensive mistakes that the backline should have prevented but couldn't due to insufficient coordination and skill against world-class attackers.
With the World Cup approaching, Pochettino must establish a reliable defensive unit, particularly at center-back, as this position influences the entire team's central play.
Forward Position Still Uncertain
After netting five goals in four Championship fixtures with Norwich City this season, expectations were elevated that Josh Sargent could finally emerge as the USMNT's leading striker. Unfortunately, those hopes diminished as he struggled to generate opportunities against South Korea, once again failing to transfer his club success to international competition.
Saturday's match, however, marked the return of Monaco's Folarin Balogun, who posed a much greater threat during the final portion of the game after entering midway through the second period. While Sargent recorded 17 touches, zero shots, and created no chances in 62 minutes, Balogun managed 19 touches, four attempts, and one chance created in merely 28 minutes.
Additionally, Balogun connected effectively with Club América striker Alejandro Zendejas, who operated in a deeper second striker position behind him.
Though Balogun may not be in peak form at club level, his international performances have consistently been superior, and he demonstrated again versus South Korea that he deserves to be the top choice. The question remains whether his display earned sufficient confidence from Pochettino to earn a starting role against Japan.
Defensive Pressure Issues
As the USMNT continues to play more matches, the available player pool becomes increasingly defined. Beyond the main personnel challenges, Pochettino's team failed to apply coordinated pressure against South Korea, permitting their opponents to slice through the midfield effortlessly.
As demonstrated in the footage above, Diego Luna stands as the sole American player applying pressure while the Koreans build from the back. Once they bypass him, he becomes ineffective, and no secondary pressure wave emerges to regain possession, enabling the opposition to exploit available space and launch systematic attacks.
For the USMNT to achieve success, Pochettino must not only identify his optimal starting eleven but also ensure tactical unity among all players to press and advance with clear intent.