Mauricio Pochettino heaped praise on Malik Tillman after the midfielder scored and produced a dominant performance as the United States beat Haiti 2-1.
The win saw the USMNT clinch top spot in Gold Cup Group D and set up a quarter-final tie against Costa Rica in Minneapolis on Sunday.
Tillman was effective at both ends, opening the scoring with a header from Brenden Aaronson’s cross, and producing a team-high seven recoveries.
A third consecutive victory as we head to the knockout round!
MATCH RECAP 👇
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) June 23, 2025
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What a player – Pochettino
Pochettino said: “Malik, it’s difficult to define him because what a player, no?
“What a player that is showing this, all his talent and capacity. Because this type of player, the talent that he has shown with every single game and then with the capacity without the ball, the work ethic in the way that he really is aggressive, he recovered a lot of balls. He’s always trying to help the deep press, chasing back, playing in different positions.
“He can appear like a number 10 in training, between the lines, using the half space, but can be in the right or left side, wide. Or he can drop and play like a No. 8, No. 6. I think, ‘What a talented player.’ So pleased with him.”
Patrick Agyemang scored a second-half winner for the States after a mistake from goalkeeper Matthew Freese had handed Haiti a route back into the game.
Freese made a mess of a backpass from Tim Ream, sending it straight to Louicius Don Deedson, who scored with ease.
“The best way to trust in a player is not to [say anything]. Not to be careful with this or careful with that,” Pochettino said of Freese. “No. Move on. Remember, the most important action is the next one. If you think [about] the last one you are dead, you are going to do another mistake.”
🔝🔝🔝 pic.twitter.com/IdjZal0tUy
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) June 23, 2025
Pochettino happy with progress
The Gold Cup has enabled the US to bounce back nicely after coming into the tournament with four successive defeats.
Pochettino said: ”I think overall it was a good performance. Maybe we were not as clinical with the chances that we had. I think we should score more.
“But I think when we score and we lead the game and then an accident, I think that we concede the goal. I think that created a little bit doubt in us. Again, I think it was tough to deal with that, but I think overall the performance was good.”
