A little more than a month ago, the U.S. men's national team seemed to be in disarray. The results were poor, the individual performances offered little in the way of hope, and the push for competition within the team seemed based more on wishful thinking than reality.
Yet with the October window now concluded, it's clear that the recent gathering of USMNT players was a success, and there has been discernible progress made in terms of the team's preparations for next summer's FIFA World Cup. The team's momentum has never been higher this cycle. Granted, that's a low bar given where they've been, but they're evolving nonetheless.
The results have improved to the point that the U.S. is now unbeaten in its past three games, two of them wins, all against teams who have punched their ticket to the World Cup. More importantly, there is competition for places everywhere on the field.
At forward, Haji Wright has emerged to challenge Folarin Balogun, even as the latter still has an edge in terms of securing a starting spot.
The midfield seems jumbled, but in a good way. Before there didn't seem to be many candidates actually making a strong case for inclusion on a World Cup roster; now the likes of Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Cristian Roldan -- the ultimate late bloomer if there ever was one -- all look capable of making a contribution on the biggest stage.
The attackers sitting behind the central striker are making cases as well. Weston McKennie looks to have come in from the cold after being frozen out by manager Mauricio Pochettino in September. Against Australia, Diego Luna reminded everyone why he's a Pochettino favorite, with his high-energy and incisive play giving the USMNT a boost. Malik Tillman looked sharp against Ecuador.
The backline, with the help of a 3-4-3 system (at times) looks to be more stable than what was on display in the sobering 2-0 defeat to South Korea barely a month ago.
Yet for all the progress made, in some respects, the October window left one wanting more.
Christian Pulisic was a bit-part player, limited to a total of 45 minutes over two games due to an ankle injury and a hamstring ailment sustained against Australia. Tillman was limited as well, unable to take the field against Australia due to a tender hamstring of his own. Alejandro Zendejas, one of the heroes of September, was sidelined with a knee issue. Left back Antonee Robinson, whose return from offseason knee surgery had been hugely anticipated, never made it onto the field, with his recovery from the aforementioned procedure dragging on and on. This is on top of players like Tyler Adams, Ricardo Pepi, and Johnny Cardoso also being absent, with the latter two ruled out due to injury.
Getting all of the U.S. teams' best players on the field at the same time -- or even most of them -- remains an elusive goal, and there aren't many more opportunities to see what that looks like prior to the start of the World Cup.
The positive is that despite these absences, the U.S. was still able to not only get results, but for the most part look good doing it. The competitiveness within the squad has also reached a point where those who were absent -- besides Adams and perhaps Robinson -- have fallen down the depth chart, and are at risk of being left behind.
Harder to overlook is the USMNT's maddening habit of slow starts that have resulted in conceding the first goal -- something that has happened seven times in 16 matches in 2025 -- which was the case this window against both Ecuador and Australia. Even aside from the goal against the Socceroos, the USMNT seemed flummoxed by Australia's high defensive line. The U.S. recovered in both matches, even securing a comeback win against the Socceroos, the first come-from-behind win of the Pochettino era.
The U.S. manager alluded to the "good and not-so-good" of the team's comeback ability. When the World Cup stars for real in June, the Americans won't be able to afford to make the kind of defensive mistakes that led to them falling behind in these matches.
But the USMNT's resolve, oftentimes suspect this cycle, now seems to possess more solidity. Pochettino noted that "it's no coincidence" that the U.S. recorded a comeback win now that the team's culture is in a better place. "Culture" has long been one of those squishy, imprecise words that gets thrown around a lot to explain both successes and failures, but when Pochettino talks about it, the picture conjured up in the mind's eye is more like razor wire than a down pillow. There is steel behind his words and actions.
The U.S. manager's message appears to have been received loud and clear by the players, with McKennie among those who have taken it to heart the most. The Juventus midfielder was active in both matches, and against Ecuador seemed especially adept at finding Balogun in behind the defense. The question now is whether he fend off the likes of Tillman and Zendejas to keep his spot on the field as an attacking midfielder. McKennie at his peak would be hard to displace from the lineup.
That is the kind of battle that adds plenty of intrigue to the November window, which will include matches against Paraguay and Uruguay. The battle for the two double-pivot spots in midfield will be intense, too, as will the starting striker position.
Health will play a part in determining who rises and falls. No team enters a World Cup completely injury free. There are always players who miss out. All the more reason why the sight of performers stepping up -- be it Roldan or Luna or Wright -- is encouraging.
Now the U.S. finds itself on an upward trajectory again. The looming World Cup, once looked at with a certain level of dread, is generating excitement again. There is a greater sense that this team can do the country proud.
Credit Pochettino for the turnaround, although he knows better than anyone there is still work to be done.
