Usmnt_-_asn_top_-_vs._chile_-_2026-9-29
USMNT analysis

Analysis: USMNT defeats Chile 4-2 with standout showings again from Hall & Berhalter

ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks down the USMNT performance after its 4-2 win over Chile behind big games from Julian Hall, Sebastian Berhalter, and a historic goal from Mathis Albert
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
September 30, 2026
7:05 AM

THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL team defeated Chile 4-2 on Tuesday night in St. Louis for its second straight win to open the four-game fall international window. The game was highlighted by another strong performance from Sebastian Berhalter, a second straight game where Julian Hall found the back of the net, and a record-breaking goal from Mathis Albert who became the youngest goal scorer in team history.

Of course, this camp is not necessarily about building the team for a specific tournament but rather a way for Mauricio Pochettino to evaluate players before many, or possibly all, of the young players on the team shift to the Olympic team which will begin preparation in November under head coach Steve Cherundolo.

The win over Chile was entertaining, and many players turned in performances that certainly impressed the coaching staff and the fans. But there were also moments that were not good and highlight concerns for the team moving forward.

The U.S. team opened the scoring with a goal from Berhalter in the 37th minute when Sergino Dest moved into the attack, played a ball across the box that was dummied by Hall, and then smashed home by Berhalter.

From there, however, the U.S. defense struggled, especially in transition, with Chile equalizing just before halftime and then taking the lead in the 49th.

But just like against Peru on Saturday, the U.S. team dominated the second half with Hall heading home a  cross from Gio Reyna in the 51st, Chris Richards heading home a corner from Berhalter in the 72nd minute, and then Albert capping the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time.

 

Here are some thoughts about it all.

 

Youth Report

 

The biggest storyline with this camp was the wave of young American players who were called up to get their first taste of the U.S. national team. The reality is that most of these players will still shift down to the Olympic team and possibly even the U-20 World Cup team following this camp. As outlined earlier this week, there are many telling signs that Pochettino wants these players to still be part of the process – Cherundolo was with the team earlier in camp, the veteran players have spoken about importance of youth World Cups, the federation has said the Olympics and youth teams are a priority, Pochettino said he needs to fix the problem of players opting out of youth call-ups, and Pochettino also said the decision over where to place players won’t entirely be up to him but rather in combination with Cherundolo and the federation.

That’s is some of the most important information to come out of this camp.

 



But regardless of where they play, the performance of the young players has been encouraging. It has not just been the talent on display, but it has also been their collective confidence. None of the players has had a “deer in the headlights” look in their first camp. Some performances have been better than others, but the players all look confident in their ability to help the U.S. team at a very young age.

After a goal and an assist against Peru, Hall continued to be among the bigger winners at this camp against Chile among the young players as his header in the 51st minute equalized the game at 2-2. Hall still has plenty of areas he needs to improve. He needs a better shot from distance and despite this goal, few of his goals for Red Bull New York are in the air. But his movement to be dangerous close to goal is at a very high level.

But also where Hall helps the team is his ability stretch the defense with runs and his ability to press when on defense.

 

Brooklyn Raines, 21, made his first U.S. national team start and while his passing was fairly conservative and short-range, tactically he was very smart. He was in position to win second balls, challenge for possessions, and gradually help the U.S. team win control of the midfield over Chile in the second half.

The Philadelphia Union defensive duo of Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre also both earned their first start and were uneven combining some correct ideas and some avoidable turnovers.

Adri Mehetmi also had some positive ideas but was unable to execute them within the U.S. team. He is also one of the younger players on this squad, which makes it understandable.

Cavan Sullivan was electric off the bench and nearly set up a goal on an dazzling run that began from inside the U.S. team’s own half.

 

The final goal of the game from Albert was a bit of class when he pounced on a ball in the box to hit the underside of the cross bar with a shot that was ruled to have crossed the goal line. Albert came into the game in the 71st minute and was quiet up to that point, but he still had the ability to finish the chance.

It needs to be stressed that both Chile and Peru were subpar opponents that are both struggling. But for an inexperienced and youthful group of players, it was an appropriate first step in the international arena. As a group, they passed the test.

 

Berhalter’s surge

 

The veteran players on this team are also looking to either carve out bigger roles in Pochettino’s plans moving forward or are looking to make important inroads.

Sebastian Berhalter made the 2026 World Cup team and scored a goal at the tournament. He has been in Pochettino’s plans since the 2025 Gold Cup. But the new Middlesbrough midfielder is now trying to push into become a starter for the team. He has come into this camp clearly motivated with a point to prove.

He has also easily been the team’s best player over both games. Berhalter has two goals and two assists in 111 minutes of action. In addition to his set piece delivers, he has also excelled from the run of play.

 

If he continues to play well over the next two games, expect the question to become whether Berhalter starts for a full-strength U.S. team. Pochettino took a risk bringing him into the U.S. team for the first time (after Berhalter had been overlooked for all U.S. youth teams, including the 2024 Olympics). Berhalter has only repaid Pochettino’s trust by exceeding every expectations on him. He’s making a strong case to start for this team.

 

Concerns continue to linger

 

One concern for this team is that many of the key concerns of this team continue to linger during this window.

Transitional defending was the team’s biggest problem in the two losses at the World Cup. Turnovers often led to dangerous chances for opponents. On top of that, the team was too prone to conceding goals at the end of the first half to lose momentum it had been building.

 

In this game, it was more of the same. The U.S. team had all the talent to make this game a no-contest early but was its own worst enemy at times. This game should never have been close, and Chile should never have had a second half lead.

Central defense is Pochettino’s biggest concern right now. Pierre is very promising, but he is not yet ready to log substantial minutes for this team. Expanding the player pool in central defense has been impossible, and with Ream likely on his way towards retirement, the pool is shrinking. As a result, it has been the same players getting called up despite weaknesses.

Miles Robinson struggled again against Chile. Other alternatives such as Mark McKenzie and Cameron Carter-Vickers have been tried repeatedly. The list of central defenders from outside the player pool who Pochettino can seriously hope to compete for a spot on the team is short. George Campbell’s inclusion might help, but U.S. Soccer and Pochettino need to hope that clubs can uncover several more options.

 

The goalkeeping position is nearly as bad as central defense, but at least there are options still to comb through. Chris Brady struggled against Chile while Diego Kochen (against Peru) and Brian Schwake (against Chile) were better in the second half of games despite not being tested much (and there was nothing Schwake could do about Chile’s 49th minute goal).

 

What this means

 

This camp has been about two teams. The U.S. national team core along with what the core of the Olympic team could look like. Despite the success of the young players, the reality of this kickstarting their Olympic campaign remains.

But the success of the young players at this camp is still very important. Any positivity raises the bar of what it takes to be on this team.

There are still many, many important players who are not at this camp. Obviously, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Folarin Balogun are the most known.

But there are also other established veterans pushing to get back into the team. Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, Aidan Morris, George Bello, Alex Zendejas, Jack McGlynn, James Sands, Mark McKenzie, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and many others.

If these players are given a chance to get back into the team, they need to perform well. Even if the young players shift to the Olympic team through 2028, the next step will be for them to break into the senior national team. The veteran players will have a tough task to defend their spot on the team.

 

But aside from the strong start at the 2026 World Cup, it has been refreshing to have positive energy around the team. It has been years since the last time performances in friendlies generated excitement. Ultimately, that is a good thing.

 

Looking ahead to Mexico

 

The games against Mexico and Canada were always the more important games of this window. They are regional rivals and two teams that advanced to the knockouts of the World Cup (where they each won their first game). Mexico will have a ton of support in Arizona and Canada, under Jesse Marsch, wants to continue to make statements against the United States.

Mexico will be the toughest game and Pochettino is likely going to start his best possible team from this roster based on the performances from the Peru and Chile games.

The likelihood is that veteran players like Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, Sergino Dest, Sebastian Berhalter, and now Alex Freeman start. In terms of the younger players, the best players have been Julian Hall and Cavan Sullivan. They might just have played their way into the starting lineup for this game.

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