USA defeated Chile 4-2 in a thrilling friendly match played at Energizer Park in St. Louis, fueled by a historic performance from its young talents, who rose to the challenge under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino.
The star of the night was Mathis Albert, who sealed the victory in the 93rd minute to become the youngest player in the history of the U.S. men’s national team to score a goal, at just 17 years and 131 days old.
“It feels incredible,” Albert said after the match. “I was happy to score and to be the youngest ever. I didn’t even know it until I got to the locker room, but it’s really great.”
The road to victory, however, was not easy. The United States opened the scoring in the 37th minute when Sebastian Berhalter sent the ball into the back of the net after capitalizing on a cross from Sergiño Dest. The Chileans, coming off a loss to Canada, responded in stoppage time of the first half with a goal by Diego Ulloa off a loose ball in the six-yard box, and took a 2-1 lead just as the second half began (49th minute) thanks to a solo effort by Maximiliano Gutiérrez that beat U.S. goalkeeper Brian Schwake.
The reaction from the Stars and Stripes was decisive. Just two minutes later, 18-year-old Julian Hall headed in a pass from Gio Reyna to tie the score at two. With this goal, Hall became the youngest American to score in consecutive matches, having made his scoring debut against Peru the previous Saturday.
Defender Chris Richards restored the home team’s lead in the 72nd minute, anticipating the ball with a lethal header off a corner kick taken by Berhalter, setting the stage for Albert’s historic game-winning goal.
The intensity of the friendly was on full display in the 94th minute, when the benches of USA and Chile emptied after Leandro Hernández tried to take the ball away from goalkeeper Schwake just as he had it secured. Richards didn’t hesitate to confront the South American player, which cost both of them a yellow card.
“As a center back, you have to protect your goalies and everyone on this roster,” Richards said of the incident. “It’s very important, once again, to show the newcomers that this is a family and that if you mess with the family, this is what happens.”
Coach Mauricio Pochettino was extremely pleased with his players’ competitive spirit and character, singling out Berhalter’s performance in particular and describing him as a “role model” for his energy and commitment. “The resilience and everything else were fantastic. Matches like this are priceless for the team and the players,” the coach said.
Pochettino used the match to reinforce his commitment to youth, giving their first starts with the senior national team to Chris Brady, Hall, Adri Mehmeti, Neil Pierre, Brooklyn Raines, and Frankie Westfield, and providing playing time to Cavan Sullivan, who just celebrated his 17th birthday on Monday. With this result, USA improves its record to 4-5-3 against Chile and maintains a perfect 5-0-0 record playing in St. Louis.
A Captain’s Farewell: The night of debuts stood in contrast to the farewell of a legend. Before the match, veteran defender Tim Ream—who is actually from St. Louis—confirmed his retirement from international soccer. Ream leaves the national team with 86 appearances since his debut in 2010, having served as captain during the 2026 World Cup.