Christian Pulisic's brace powers USMNT to 6-0 rout of Haiti in Mauricio Pochettino's farewell tour

MIAMI — The U.S. found itself Saturday inside a handsome stadium that usually showcases Lionel Messi, taking instruction from a coach who is abandoning it for Manchester United and playing an away match on home soil because the opponent wasn’t allowed to host. All the peculiarities of the day manifested themselves into a riotous result: USA 6, Haiti 0. In Mauricio Pochettino’s penultimate match before leaving for England, the Americans gave a ruthless performance in the first leg of the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals at Nu Stadium. In his first appearance since the World Cup, Christian Pulisic recorded his first two-goal game for the U.S. in 3 ½ years as the U.S. all but secured its place in the semifinals next spring. The second leg — and Pochettino’s farewell — is Tuesday in Cincinnati. THAT'S ✌️ FOR #️⃣🔟! #USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/QMEzNmAtPA — U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 14, 2026 Auston Trusty provided an early lead and the U.S. posted four goals in about 16 minutes of the second half before World Cup star Folarin Balogun applied the finishing touches on the largest victory margin since the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago. Saturday was designated the Haitian home leg, but because of ongoing security issues in Port-au-Prince, they were forced to play elsewhere. Initially scheduled for Kingston, Jamaica — the venue for Haiti’s two home matches in September — the first leg was moved to Miami to take advantage of the large Haitian diaspora in South Florida. Coming off its first World Cup appearance since 1974 — and with a supportive audience — Haiti saw a massive opportunity to get the upper hand on CONCACAF elite. A three-time champion, the U.S. is seeking its fifth trip to the Nations League semifinals in five attempts. The final four will take place in late March at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles. The Americans were coming off the high of a four-match sweep in the September-October window. Those were friendlies, though. The Nations League is an official competition, with an automatic berth in next summer’s Gold Cup at stake. Pochettino’s roster was incomplete following the injury withdrawals of midfielder Gio Reyna last weekend and right back Sergiño Dest on Thursday. However, with Pulisic, Balogun and Weston McKennie back for the first time since the World Cup, the U.S. possessed the power to get past Haiti. Pulisic and McKennie started but Balogun, who has played sparingly for Monaco this fall after recovering from injury, was on the bench. In Balogun’s place was Julian Hall, the teenager who burst onto the scene earlier this fall with goals in each of his first three appearances. Reyna’s absence opened a spot for Sebastian Berhalter, whose role grew substantially under Pochettino since his debut almost 18 months ago. Diego Kochen, a 20-year-old who stood out among four goalkeepers in the previous window, won the job over World Cup starter Matt Freese. Haiti rode the stadium energy to apply early pressure, but in the 10th minute, the U.S. went ahead. Moments earlier, Berhalter, a set-piece specialist, had overcooked a free kick. This time, he dropped a 30-yard service onto Trusty’s foot for a six-yard, left-footed volley. After a long delay for video replay to determine whether he was offside, the goal stood. Trusty, who scored against Turkey in the World Cup, returned to action for the first time in a month after taking time off from Scottish club Celtic to mourn his father’s death. Six minutes later, Kochen rose to the occasion by thwarting Danley Jean Jacques on a clean run behind the U.S. defense. It was the kind of save that should help strengthen his hold of the top job following Freese’s dodgy performance in the World Cup Round of 16 against Belgium. Lively and dangerous through the rest of the half, Hall was offside depositing Alex Freeman’s cross into the net and failed to solidly strike a ball deep in the box. The U.S. expanded the lead in the 52nd minute on a delightful counterattack involving six players going end to end. Freeman won the ball. McKennie worked a combination with Berhalter before supplying Pulisic. Pulisic liberated Antonee Robinson surging on the left flank. Robinson’s cross met the charging Hall for an easy finish. The lead swelled in the 62nd minute. Pulisic was tripped in the box after receiving Hall’s clever backheel pass, then converted the penalty kick. Another minute and 42 seconds passed before Pulisic added his second, on a 23-yard left-footer into the low left corner for his 35th international goal. The last time he scored twice for the U.S. was the 2023 Nations League semifinal against Mexico in Las Vegas. Five minutes later, McKennie added to the rout with a short-range header off Malik Tillman’s corner kick. An offside call bailed out Kochen, whose ill-advised decision to come off his line on a long ball resulted in an easy finish for Haiti. Video replay overturned it. Balogun appeared to score moments later, but after a long review, he too was denied a goal for a handball or foul. Balogun finally got one that counted in the 82nd minute, putting the finishing touches on the rout.