In playful moments, the USMNT’s new youth movement is already paying off

Justin Ellis and Alex Freeman celebrated in front of Orlando fans, with both having come up through the club’s youth system. Photograph: Mark Thorstenson/ISI Photos/Getty Images The fans who witnessed the United States’ 4-1 thrashing of Peru in Orlando on Saturday did not have to wait long to get their flashbulb moment. It came just four minutes into the match, only moments after 19-year-old Orlando City attacker Justin Ellis headed home the US opener. Ellis, making his first appearance for the US, sprinted toward the near corner to celebrate, then turned and faced the US supporters in the north end of Inter.co Stadium – a supporters’ section nicknamed “the wall”. Quickly, he was joined by Villarreal defender Alex Freeman, himself an Orlando City product. For a moment, the two former teammates posed arm in arm, gazing up at the home crowd. Then they embraced, laughed, and attempted to run back to the center circle. Gio Reyna, who’d assisted on the goal, shoved him back toward the fans. “Celebrating that goal with Alex – it was ridiculous,” Ellis told reporters after the match. “He’s like family to me. It was unbelievable … I think Gio also just understood the moment, being back home in front of the wall, it was just super special.” Related: USA thrash Peru as teenage newcomers shine in first step toward 2030 Youthful, playful moments like this resonated on Saturday, not entirely unexpected given the fact that the US rolled out eleven newcomers, just one player shy of the program’s all-time record. The game pulsed with a carefree, free-spirited energy; an ideal palate-cleanser to US fans still reeling from the team’s stiff crashout against Belgium in the World Cup. That last-16 match was arguably the most important game the US has played in years. This one had zero stakes whatsoever, more a fact-finding mission than anything else. Which is precisely what made it so lovely to watch. On Saturday, the US kids played with an uncommon familiarity, particularly for their age. Ellis and Reyna were far from the only two who connected. Sixteen-year-old Cavan Sullivan – American soccer’s latest “next big thing” – threatened throughout the entirety of his 60-minute shift. Julian Hall scored the United States’ third on his debut, crashing the back post on a Sebastian Berhalter cross as if they had been club teammates for years. “In the language of football, good players do not need much time together,” Pochettino said after the match. “They only need a few training sessions. It’s the same if they don’t have quality – you can train them for a year and that natural, organic connection never happens … I feel really proud [for Cavan.] 16 years old? Performing and fighting and playing with personality and character? I am so happy with him …. There’s no doubt that he’s very smart, he’s so great, he just needs time. Like [any of the other newcomers.]” Sullivan has been under the microscope for years, the subject of rampant speculation and an uncommonly high level of media attention in the sometimes dim spotlight of American club soccer. “It was a really special day,” Sullivan told reporters after the match. “For me, my family, it’s crazy. It is crazy that I represent my country at the highest level, with the men’s national team. I am just really happy to have done this – it was a really amazing night.” Pochettino spoke at length in the run-up to this match about the “contagious” nature of having so many young players in camp, and how it’s rubbed off on his entire staff. In the moments after Saturday’s dismantling of Peru, that much felt very apparent. The Argentine said that the postgame sight of players embracing, wandering around to find family members and soaking in the moment gave him goosebumps. "It was amazing,” said Pochettino. “We know what it means for these young players that they made their debut. That means a lot for them, but it also means a lot for us … We really are enjoying that fresh energy a lot – how they listen, how they want to improve, how they want to train, we were talking about energy, it’s very contagious. We can win or lose, we can perform OK or we can’t. But we really enjoy the journey together.” But while the US team’s last generational turnover took place without many established veterans sticking around, this time around those young players have latched on to those who came before – even if the “vets,” this this case, are sometimes still in their early 20s. In his remarks to media pregame, Ellis praised his connection with Gio Reyna, and the rest of the US debutants have mentioned emulating other more senior players on the roster. “Players like Tyler Adams,” said Pochettino, “and how he was out there on the field mixed with [Red Bull New York midfielder] Adri [Mehmeti], who is 17 … the senior players deserve massive credit in the way that they treat and guide and support and welcome, in the way that they create an environment that’s very comfortable, to feel like home. That is I think massive, massive value for us to have these senior players helping in this way.” It was a feeling mirrored by Hall, a player who finds himself at the center of a tug-of-war between the United States and Poland over his services. He had little to say about that on Saturday, choosing instead to savor the moment. “I grew up with a lot of these guys, playing against them,” said Hall. “I know how hard they’ve worked, as well as I have, to get to a stage like this. I think we’re just really, really happy to make our debuts and make an impact.”