The U.S. men’s national team’s 2025 schedule began with a flying start.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad earned a 3-1 friendly win over Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale. Jack McGlynn, Patrick Agyemang, and Matko Miljevic all scored their first senior goals while eight players total earned their USMNT debuts.
Despite the overall nature of the victory, the match got off to a rocky beginning for the hosts when Miljevic saw his shocking third-minute penalty easily saved.
The debutant midfielder defiantly grabbed the ball, seemingly denying an inquiring McGlynn the opportunity to try from the penalty spot. Miljevic’s incident raised eyebrows due to his past history of contract terminations by CF Montreal and Newell’s Old Boys for off-field behavior, but the 23-year-old would soon make his impact known.
Before that, McGlynn capitalized on mounting USMNT pressure in the 37th minute with a thunderbolt from distance off to snatch the lead. It marked McGlynn’s first goal in his second international appearance.
Next up was the debutant striker, Agyemang, who got his opportunity two minutes later. A ricochet off Miljevic played the Charlotte FC man into a foot race with his defender leading to a one-versus-one against Venezuelan goalkeeper Wuilker Garinez. Unfortunately for Garinez, that situation is Agyemang’s specialty which he proved once again by slotting the ball into the back of the net for his debut USMNT goal. The Agyemang hive is buzzing with growth.
In the second half, Miljevic responded to any doubters by capitalizing on his continually intelligent positioning to extend the USMNT lead in the 64th minute. Upon arrival at the top of the Venezuelan box on the counterattack, Miljevic delivered clinical control and poise for the 3-0 advantage before promptly being substituted.
Venezuela would continue the trend of first-time goalscorers themselves four minutes later. Debutant Jorge Yriarte took advantage of a lack of defensive concentration from the USMNT to erase the potential clean sheet with a smart header from a corner.
Second-half substitutes Emeka Eneli of Real Salt Lake and Indiana Vassilev St. Louis CITY SC’s would join starters Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), George Cambell (CF Montreal), Caden Clark (CF Montreal), and Brian Gutierrez (Chicago Fire) among the eight USMNT debutants on the day. January camp has always been a time to search the depth of the player pool and Pochettino took advantage in his first friendly of the year.
The players rewarded their manager’s trust with three first-time goalscorers (two debutants) en route to a comfortable victory in the Florida afternoon sun. The team will hope to continue laying a strong foundation for the new year in Orlando on Wednesday night when they close out January camp against Costa Rica.
