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Behind The Numbers: The USMNT’s 2025 Year in Review
The U.S. Men’s National Team under head coach Mauricio Pochettino enters 2026 on a five-match unbeaten run and an 8W-2L-2D record in its final 14 matches of the year
We’re just hours away from learning the group stage opponents for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As the holiday season approaches, end of year awards get handed out and the entire soccer world turns its eyes in gleeful anticipation toward a World Cup year, we’re taking a moment to look back on 2025 for the USMNT under head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Turning The Tide
Pochettino and his staff spent little time with the player pool going into 2025. His team went into this summer’s Gold Cup with a 2W-4L-0D record, including losses to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League Final Four.
When the Gold Cup kicked off June 15 in San Jose, California, the team began to write a new script. Reaching the final of the tournament, the U.S. compiled an 8W-2L-2D record in its final 14 matches of the year.
The group ended its 2025 campaign with a signature win for the program under Pochettino, a 5-1 rout over two-time World Cup winner and 14th-ranked Uruguay. The capstone victory at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida establishedseveral milestones for the USMNT:
The largest margin of victory for the U.S. against a South American opponent. The record was set with a 4-0 win against Brazil on May 28, 2016.
It also tied the USMNT’s record for largest margin of victory against an opponent ranked in the top15 of the FIFA WorldRanking. The only other time it occurred was against No. 7 Mexico on June 18, 1995, which the U.S. won 4-0.
The win against Uruguay marked the first time since 2013 the USMNT has gone unbeaten against FIFA top-40 opponents in five straight matches. All five teams were also already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
For three of those opponents, the USMNT shut down unbeaten streaks.
For several players, 2025 brought significant minutes and notable goals:
Seventeen different goal scorers tallied a total of 33 goals for the USMNT: Brenden Aaronson, Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten, Folarin Balogun, Sebastian Berhalter, Caden Clark, Alex Freeman, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, MatkoMiljevic, Gio Reyna, Chris Richards, Tanner Tessmann, Malik Tillman, Brian White, Haji Wright and Alex Zendejas
For 11 of those players, it was their first international goal: Agyemang, Arfsten, Berhalter, Clark, Freeman, Luna, McGlynn, Miljevic, Tessmann, M. Tillman, and White.
A total of six goals were scored from set pieces, five during the first action, including Richards’ phenomenal header off service from Berhalter in the fourth minute of the Gold Cup Final against Mexico on July 6.
Freese made his debut in the June 7 match against Türkiye. His 13 appearances tiesMatt Turner in 2021 for the record for most caps by a USMNT goalkeeper in their debut year. Freese started all matches in the USMNT’s Gold Cup run and allowed just one goal in the group stage.
Matt Freese in the U.S. Men's National Team Match vs. Uruguay in Tampa, Florida
