I know it's the two home friendlies of a World Cup cycle, against the worst two teams from CONEMBOL last cycle (La Roja what happened?)...but there's a lot to be encouraged about as Mauricio Pochettino begins a full cycle as USMNT head coach.

He just handed out a staggering number of debuts to a largely Olympic-eligible group of players, and while there are still the same problems as with the World Cup team, at least there are a lot of new faces around to hopefully develop into solutions to the ongoing issues this roster continues to have.

Brooklyn Raines Earns First Start in USMNT Win Over Chile
Another momentous occasion for a Revolution player
The Blazing MusketSam Lattof

With two more friendlies against Mexico and Canada upcoming in the next week, I also expect the USA to pivot away from a mixed veteran/youth starting lineup and into what should be their best lineup against El Tri in particular in a few days. But I have enjoyed the experiment of starting a varied lineup and leaving a few veterans to come in and close out games to take advantage of a lot of hard work from the new guys.

HEART OF THE DEFENSE IS STILL AN ISSUE

This is mostly because for the last two World Cups, Tim Ream has quietly anchored a unit that has lacked a ton of depth, and finally someone is going to have to take his job because he deservedly got his retirement send-off after a renaissance career after 30 as a starter over the last seven-plus years and two World Cups of no one being able to overtake his old age and treachery with youth and exuberance.

Okay, in fairness, Alex Freeman was at least one person who stepped up into the three-man center back line with great success this year, but it's still hard to pinpoint another defender with a solid stint in the middle besides him and Chris Richards. George Campbell paired with these two against Peru and I suspect he'll get the start against Mexico with what I think will be the best USMNT lineup available.

Case and point, this is a lot of fires being put out by Brooklyn Raines, the USMNT holding midfielder against Chile.

We are all well aware of Miles Robinson's struggles of late, and the Union duo of Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre were fine in their first start, though Westfield in particular struggled on the ball a little bit. This trio didn't do anything wrong per se, but Chile enjoyed a pretty dominant spell in this game, and while it took the lead for only a couple of minutes, you could argue it was deserved.

That also has a great part because of Chris Brady flapping twice at the same corner and failing to punch it clear on Diego Ulloa's equalizer right before halftime. While Brady did make a couple of very good saves, I would be completely fine not seeing him at the senior level until after the Olympics.

While getting significant looks at new faces at center back is great, I suspect it's going to take a while to develop a legitimate second unit to support Richards and Freeman and whoever becomes the third starter.

THE KIDS ARE INDEED ALRIGHT

Yes, Julian Hall has had a tremendous first two starts, Justin Ellis and Matias Albert have each scored as well, but we need to have a serious discussion on the pure filth that is Cavan Sullivan.

Oh yes, this is going to a fantastic cycle on heat checks alone.

Now Sullivan and Red Bulls starlet Adri Mehmeti weren't fantastic in their starts against Peru and Chile respectively, but they did have their moments, and Cavan's fiery energy in particular is going to be a great shot in the arm for this team that is still figuring out how to harness one of its greatest assets.

And that is just flat-out speed. It kills, it comes from the wingbacks a lot, and it's the secret to what makes the USMNT so darn difficult to deal with when they're in top form. The downside, as we alluded to earlier, is that you can't expect a ton of defensive help from this group, which is a problem when your defensive line isn't always effective.

Yes, Peyton Miller got bullied in the air a few times against Peru and, as a true left back didn't have the best positioning a few times. But that's to be expected from the Revs star that has largely played as a true winger for most of the year. Miller is a very capable option behind Antonee Robinson at left wing back, and if a backup option is able to produce games like this, then the USMNT is going to be in great shape for this cycle.

Brooklyn Raines going the distance against Chile was a bit surprising (I wanted to see Musah close out the game at CDM after playing a weird stay-at-home RWB against Peru), but Raines being a solid true six means Seb Berhalter and Tyler Adams can go do more aggressive things forward, and you need those types of players off the bench and as spot starters to fill a role and get a job done.

Both Peyton and Brooklyn, showed they're already capable of doing that and hopefully get some more playing time off the bench against Mexico in particular before rejoining the Revs. While everyone probably wants Miller on the scoresheet, having a solid, possession-tidy match in your first start is still outstanding.

THE SEB BERHALTER SHOW

There was also the delightful finish off the Julian Hall dummy against Chile as well as a number of good assists, including the winner off a corner to Chris Richards yesterday, but the fact remains that right now Seb Berhalter is on an absolute unplayable level heater.

Berhalter was able to have a major impact off the bench and as a starter, and I think that highlights a different level of versatility I enjoy seeing from U.S. players. Not just multiple roles and positions on the field, but capitalizing on different game states as well. The USMNT trotted out two very different lineups in two games and subbed on different veterans to take control and see out the game both times.

I really like the planning and thought process Poch put in with these last two games, in what I think is a build-up to a full-strength lineup against Mexico, by letting guys like Berhalter and Richards alternate being starters and substitutes. Obviously not just a load management/long looks and new guys strategy, but a viable game plan as well because there might be a time where the USA is going to need legitimate firepower off the bench.

Gio Reyna has been fantastic in two starts as well as Poch tries to figure out how best to utilize a lot of his attacking players in two not quite wingers/not quite CAM roles behind the striker. And boy is it great having production out of strikers again. Julian Hall blew a breakaway chance, but his off-ball movement and positioning was tremendously impactful, and it really fits the quick, play-on-the-ground ethos the U.S. has been building towards and he got two very different goals to show for his efforts in two games.

One more week to go and a lot of positives already for the USMNT; let's see if they can keep it going against Mexico on Saturday and Canada next Tuesday.

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