USMNT downs Senegal 3-2 in World Cup Preperation

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated 14th-ranked Senegal. Goals from Sergiño Dest, Christian Pulisic, and Folarin Balogun led the USMNT to a 3-2 victory over the African powerhouse.  It was a good result for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in the first of two warm-up matches before the 2026 World Cup. Recently named captain Tim Ream was able to lead the team out wearing the armband in his home stadium, where he plays for Charlotte FC.

This was the first time this group played together after being named as the World Cup roster. The first twenty minutes looked really good for the home team. Fluid attacking may have partly answered some questions for Pochettino and the U.S. fans as they were clearly the better team.

The initial goal came just over six minutes after the opening whistle. The play started with Ream playing the ball up to Antonee Robinson on the left, who then progressed it to Ricardo Pepi. He was facing the sideline and pulled two defenders to him as they applied pressure. Pepi slid the ball between the two defenders into the vacated space as Christian Pulisic ran through. The AC Milan star drove to the endline and laid a pass across to the penalty spot where Serginio Dest was charging. Dest powered the ball bast the keeper to give the USMNT the lead.

The USMNT doubled the lead in the twentieth minute when Alex Freeman poked the ball through the lines to Pepi as he was making a run past Senegal’s backline.  Pepi received the pass in stride, before putting a perfectly placed ball to Pulisic as he ran into the box. A slight touch took Pulisic past the Senegal goalkeeper before threading the ball at a narrow angle into the goal.

Both teams has a couple chances but it was Senegal star Sadio Mané that gave hope to his side right before halftime. After a poor turnover, the ball was played to Habib Diarra, who sliced through the U.S. defense. A pass into the box to Mané resulted in the goal shortly before half.

Giving up that goal was disappointing after the U.S. dominated most of the first half.

At halftime, Pochettino replaced 10 of the 11 players on the field, only leaving Sebastian Berhalter on the field from the starting eleven

Senegal’s best goal scorer leveled the score in the 52nd minute but Nicolas Jackson deserves the credit. He created a turnover in the U.S, end and then chipped keeper Chris Brady to put it on goal. A mad scramble on the goal line by defender Miles Robinson stopped Jackson’s effort but Mané knocked it in for the goal.

In the second half, the USMNT had a couple of goals called back for being offside or a foul in the buildup but Folarin Balogun gave the Yanks the lead for good a few minutes later. Weston McKennie progressed the ball up to Tim Weah on the right who then slid cross into the box. The ball almost slipped through the Senegal defense untouched but for a slight touch in the center of the box. In true poached style, Balogun repositioned himself and sent the ball rolling just inside the far post.

Three quick points:

1. Pulisic shrugged off his scoring doldrums in this match. A goal and an assist broke his goal drought and bodes well for a player the U.S. needs to do well. Often teams look to give him the ball and let (force) him take opponents on 1v1 or 1v2 or even more. In this match, his teammates found him in stride, in spaces where he already had the momentum. The assist allowed him to look up and place a perfect pass. In the second case, he only had to dribble the keeper before scoring. That goal celebration was clearly an emotional and cathartic release.
2. Sadio Mané is an incredibly talented striker but neither goal conceded should have been that easy. The first was a giveaway that was too easy, followed by a run through the weakest part of the defense. The second was a series of errors, two giveaways, and a keeper that came out a split second late. Both Senegal goals required hustle and talent from Mané, but could have been avoided.
3. Pepi, Balogun, Dest, Pulisic and Tillman all looked very dangerous. The play from the back through the midfield was quick and the combination up top made the USMNT look like a team that can compete at the highest levels. Pochettino played 22 players and with a couple of exceptions the team looked good and confident.

– U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT –

Match: United States Men’s National Team vs. Senegal

Date: May 31, 2026
Competition: International Match
Venue: Bank of America Stadium; Charlotte, N.C.
Attendance: 57,741

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 77 degrees, cloudy

Lineups:

USA: 1-Matt Turner (25-Chris Brady, 46); 16-Alex Freeman (23-Joe Scally, 46), 22-Mark McKenzie (12-Miles Robinson, 46), 13-Tim Ream (capt.) (6-Auston Trusty, 46), 5-Antonee Robinson (18-Max Arfsten, 46); 14-Sebastian Berhalter (26-Alex Zendejas, 76), 4-Tyler Adams (8-Weston McKennie, 46); 2-Sergiño Dest (21-Tim Weah, 46), 7-Gio Reyna (15-Cristian Roldan, 46), 10-Christian Pulisic (17-Malik Tillman, 46); 9-Ricardo Pepi (20-Folarin Balogun, 46)

Substitutes not used: 24-Matt Freese,11-Brenden Aaronson, 19-Haji Wright

Head coach: Mauricio Pochettino  

SEN: 23-Mory Diaw; 15-Krepin Diatta, 4-Abdoulaye Seck (22-Moustapha Mbow, 46), 2-Mamadou Sarr (19-Moussa Niakhate, 71); 13-Ilman Ndiaye (9-Bamba Dieng, 70), 8-Lamine Camara (26-Pape Gueye, 46), 27-Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, 14-Ismail Jakobs (25-El Hadji Malick Diouf, 46); 21-Habib Diarra (17-Pape Matar Sarr, 71), 11-Nicolas Jackson (12-Cherif Ndiaye, 59), 10-Sadio Mané (capt.) (7-Assane Diao, 60)

Substitutes not used: 29-Pape Sy, 28-Ilay Camara

Head coach: Pape Thiaw

Stats Summary: USA / SEN
Shots: 15 / 7
Shots on Goal: 5 / 3

Saves: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 7
Fouls: 21 / 9
Offsides: 1 / 2