USMNT Beats Uruguay 5-1 in Friendly Win

The U.S. men's national soccer team capped 2025 with a dominant 5-1 victory over Uruguay in a friendly match Tuesday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, extending its unbeaten streak to five games and signaling growing confidence under coach Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a curling shot from a free kick, assisting Alex Freeman's header three minutes later off a corner. Freeman added a second goal in the 31st minute after a solo run, and Diego Luna made it 4-0 before halftime by converting a pullback from Timothy Tillman. Uruguay pulled one back with Giorgian de Arrascaeta's bicycle kick in stoppage time, but their captain, Rodrigo Bentancur, was sent off in the 64th minute for a high challenge on Berhalter. Tanner Tessmann sealed the win four minutes later, heading in a cross from Giovanni Reyna. The performance came without key players like Christian Pulisic, who was sidelined by injury but later expressed approval on social media with the message, "Love to see it."

The result highlighted Pochettino's tactical evolution since September, when the team adopted a 3-4-3 formation...