ORLANDO, Florida -- The words "fun" and "enjoy" aren't usually associated with international soccer matches. You are more likely to hear terms like "suffer" and "grind" instead. But the vibes before, during and after the United States men's national team's 4-1 victory over Peru on Saturday definitely veered into "fun" territory.
The reason for the upbeat emotions was the presence of a passel of young USMNT players. All told, 11 players -- eight of which are teenagers -- made their international debuts. Two of them -- forwards Justin Ellis and Julian Hall -- found the net, making them the first pair of teens to score on their international debuts since Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah did the trick back in 2018 against Bolivia. Other newcomers impressed as well.
"I think they were so good," U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said about the debutantes. "I think they played like experienced players. I think they were so comfortable on the field."
But this was a complete team performance, with veterans providing the kind of composure and know-how to provide a platform for the newcomers to strut their stuff. Malik Tillman converted a controversial penalty -- the foul on another debutante, Mathis Albert, looked to be outside the box -- while Sebastian Berhalter capped of the proceedings with a mammoth strike from distance that nearly broke the sound barrier. The starting midfield of Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah and Tillman in particular oozed experience.
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"The headline is the senior player deserve massive credit in the way that they treat, in the way that they guide, in the way that they support, in the way that they welcome, in the way that they create an environment very comfortable [for the new players] to feel like home," Pochettino said. "I think it's massive, massive value for us to have this senior player helping in this way."
For Adams, bringing the young players along requires him to wear two hats. There's the positivity that comes inside the camp. Then when the game starts, it's all business, and time to compete. It's a role that Adams has long filled for the USMNT, even though Saturday's match was the first time he'd been named captain under Pochettino.
"I don't think you want to have too big of an ego around these young guys when they come in," Adams said. "You just want to show them that they're equal to you, that they deserve to be here, that they have an amazing opportunity in front of them and a great runway into the next four years of what it can be like in a lead up to a World Cup.
"So for me, I definitely take a little bit of a different initiative. I think I'm positive as well, but on the pitch, I treat them exactly how I would treat anyone else. I don't care. I want to show them that you need to be competitive, you need to win. Quality speaks for itself, but it doesn't matter if you don't have the right mentality."
On Saturday, most eyeballs were fixed on the young players -- and for good reason. This is youth movement is precisely what Pochettino promised when he signed a new contract back in August, saying that he would "start from zero." Pochettino's starting XI featured three debutantes in Ellis, Peyton Miller and Cavan Sullivan. A fourth player, defender George Campbell, was making just his second international appearance.
It didn't take long for the influx of youth to make its presence felt, as Ellis' glancing header from Giovanni Reyna's free kick put the U.S. up in the fourth minute, with the Orlando City SC forward left to celebrate in front of his club's fans.
"It's the perfect moment now," Ellis said. "I play in the stadium often, but to play in the stadium for my national team is unbelievable. I think you can see I was just thanking God.
"It's probably one of the best moments of my life."
The connection with Reyna was one that Ellis had been touting all week, with Ellis saying that Reyna was a player he looked up to. Reyna even told him the night before that he was going to assist on a goal for Ellis.
"We knew we were going to play yesterday together, and we have some mutual friends who sort of made us connect quickly and our relationship has been great," said Reyna. "[He's like a] little brother here in camp for me, so he's been awesome. Yeah, I told him I just want to give him an assist. He's been working really hard at training and obviously performing very well in the MLS, so he deserves it."
Reyna, as much as anyone on the current roster, knows the highs and lows of being saddled with high expectations at a young age. He's back playing regularly again with Strasbourg, and with the U.S. has been willing to take players like Ellis under his wing.
"They just have to be themselves," Reyna said of the younger players. "Obviously, the consistent work and enjoying the play with your teammates and enjoying the guys every day goes without saying. But yeah, just keep being themselves, play the sport because we love it, work hard. Obviously, the senior players are here to help them, but they've done it all themselves. They have it from within."
While the anticipation surrounding the match was about all the young players, and the potential they carry, Sullivan sits top of that list. His age -- just 16 -- plays a significant part in that, but so has his form of late with six goals and eight assists in his last eight league games for the Philadelphia Union.
For Sullivan it was a game of near misses, but also tantalizing possibility. To his credit, he was dynamic down the right wing, and didn't look overawed at all. He had one goal-bound effort in the first half blocked, and linked well with the likes of Reyna. Just the ultimate end product was all that was missing. He even earned a yellow card when he crashed into Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese in the 23rd minute as he crashed the net. But nothing could diminish the occasion for Sullivan.
"It's crazy that I represented my country, the highest level with the men's national team," Sullivan said afterward. "So I'm really happy just to have done this. But overall, I think it was a really amazing night. Learning a lot, learning a lot for sure. And really proud of all the guys and the win is most important."
Sullivan said he approached the game with confidence, but admitted he felt nerves beforehand. Those jitters didn't last.
"I just think when the whistle blew, sort of all nerves went away," he said.
That Sullivan didn't light up the scoresheet the first time out is probably a blessing in disguise, as it might serve to lower the volume on the expectation level that has accompanied the start of his national team career. His talent likely means he won't have to wait long for his first goal contribution, but for now, he's willing to soak things in.
As Sullivan put it, "I'm still learning. Chemistry's a real thing. So yeah, we're taking it day by day, game by game."
That approach will serve the entire U.S. program well. There were moments when the youngsters inexperience showed. Campbell lost the ball in his own defensive third, which was the first domino to fall in the sequence that led to Peru's 14th-minute equalizer. The last domino was Miller getting on the wrong side of goal-scorer Gianluca Lapadula. But Campbell was fairly steady the rest of the way, and Miller showed off his blazing speed on both sides of the ball.
It's worth remembering then that it's crazy early for the young players on multiple levels. In the big picture, these performers are just getting started for both club and country. But that's true of this window as well. There are still three games to go, including the final two against Concacaf rivals Mexico and Canada. Each of those two games will bring their own unique intensity. Some players will rise above it. Others will take their lumps.
Either way, there are legitimate reasons to be encouraged by the process that has begun. The hope is that the journey will be as fun as the initial ride.
