USA thrash Peru as teenage newcomers shine in first step toward 2030

Justin Ellis celebrates with his United States teammates after scoring the opening goal against Peru at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Photograph: Taylor Banner/USSF/Getty Images Playing in their first match of the 2030 World Cup cycle, the US men’s national team crushed Peru 4-1 in at Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, riding goals from newcomers Justin Ellis, Zavier Gozo and Justin Hall to victory. The win marked the US debut of 16-year-old Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan, whose appearance in the US starting XI makes him the youngest player to feature for the national team in over two decades. Sullivan received the lion’s share of the attention in the lead-up to Saturday’s match but it was Orlando City’s Ellis who stole the show early, nodding home a Gio Reyna free kick in the fourth minute to give the US an early lead. Playing in his home stadium, Ellis himself was involved in the build-up that led to the free kick, part of a nifty interchange with midfielder Malik Tillman that ended with Ellis drawing a foul at the near side of the pitch some 25 yards from goal. Reyna’s service was excellent; Ellis’ headed finish was awkward but perfectly-placed at the far post. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s roster for this international window features a blend of regulars alongside a host of uncapped young players, many of whom featured in Saturday’s match. All told, 11 players received their first cap for the US, with three of them – Sullivan, Ellis and New England Revolution defender Peyton Miller – in Pochettino’s starting XI. Bournemouth and 2022 World Cup captain Tyler Adams was given the captain’s armband for the first time during Pochettino’s two-year term as US head coach. Peru answered the US opener quickly, equalizing in the 14th minute. Midfielder Yoshimar Yotun found Universitario forward Gianluca Lapadula with a cross just outside the six-yard box. Lapadula eluded Miller and easily nodded the ball home from close range. Peru were well-represented in Orlando, unsurprising given the fact that 20% of all Peruvian immigrants in the US claim central and south Florida as their adopted home. Led by former Brazil head coach Mano Menezes, La Blanquirroja are in the midst of a generational turnover after failing to qualify for two consecutive World Cups. Missing a few notable pieces, the 60th-ranked Peruvians were badly out-possessed by the US and found their best chances via an occasional counterattack. Just as Pochettino did, Menezes rotated his squad heavily yet never found any real chemistry. The US winner came from the penalty spot and involved another newcomer, Real Salt Lake attacker Zavier Gozo. A foul on Gozo’s run into the far side of the box in the 65th minute led to the spot kick, which Tillman converted coolly. Yet another debutant – Red Bull New York attacker Hall, who has found himself courted by the US and Poland alike – iced things for the US with a flying finish from six yards only moments later. Middlesbrough midfielder Sebastian Berhalter added another to the pile-on in the 90th minute. For his part, Sullivan was effective during his 60-minute shift. The 16-year-old has been a revelation for the Union since the World Cup break, with six goals and eight assists, and he displayed some of that energy on Saturday for the US, combining well in attack with Ellis and others and proving a difficult match for Peru’s defenders. That enthusiasm overflowed a bit in the 23rd minute, when a goal-crashing Sullivan collided with Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, earning Sullivan his first US yellow card. The 11 first-timers for the US on Saturday are the most since 2024, when the same number debuted in a 1-0 friendly loss to Slovenia. The US record for first-time caps is a dozen, having happened twice: against Poland in 1973 and 15 years later in a friendly against Guatemala. The US will head to St Louis on Saturday evening ahead of Tuesday’s match against Chile at Energizer Park before heading to Phoenix and Minneapolis for matches against Mexico and Canada, respectively.