USMNT's draw shows why Pochettino needs to hit the reset button - ESPN

CINCINNATI — The Mauricio Pochettino era can't begin soon enough.

The United States men's national team closed out the September international window with a disappointing 1-1 draw against New Zealand on Tuesday. It was a match the U.S. largely controlled, and it deservedly took the lead in the 69th minute thanks to an 11-pass sequence that was ably finished off by substitute Christian Pulisic.

And then, as has often been the case during this cruel summer for the USMNT, it couldn't close the deal, conceding in bizarre fashion. A long ball in the 89th minute wasn't dealt with by Caleb Wiley, and Mark McKenzie's attempted clearance caromed off New Zealand forward Ben Waine and looped over a stranded Matt Turner and into the U.S. net.

The result, against a team the U.S. should have beaten easily, in front of a two-thirds-full TQL Stadium proved to be an apt ending to a brutal three-month stretch. Including a pair of Copa America warmup matches, the USMNT prevailed only once in that time, a 2-0 win over an overmatched Bolivia side. Overall, the U.S. went 1-4-2. It's the end of a chapter the players won't look back on with any fondness.

«We didn't have that killer instinct in the final third,» Turner said. «Something was missing, something was lacking. We couldn't really put the game to bed in the moments where we had it. And then there's just a freak goal. And that sort of sums up sort of where the program is right now.»

All the more reason to look forward. Earlier in the evening, it was announced Pochettino had finally — after a drawn-out saga over the last month — been tabbed to be the next U.S. manager. That, on its own, was reason for raucous celebration. The players were informed Saturday that Pochettino was likely to