Is the US Men’s National Team a beauty without bite? Earlier today, the American boys managed to dodge a bullet in their friendly clash against Ecuador, coming from behind to secure a 1-1 draw. While a draw may not seem flashy on paper, considering they survived a stern test against a red-hot CONMEBOL side, one has to pat their backs for such a commendable effort. Yet, ardent fans remain unimpressed with the USMNT.

Not to mention, such is the case even though Mauricio Pochettino and co. dominated large stretches of the game, registering 11 shots to Ecuador’s seven, with five on target compared to the visitors’ three. Furthermore, the Americans controlled 66% of possession and completed 569 passes, almost double Ecuador’s 298, signaling their intent and organization—at least on paper, if not on the scoresheet.

Notably, Ecuador drew first blood with the help of its signature strength: transition play. On a quick counter, John Yeboah advanced the ball to Enner Valencia, who extended his record as Ecuador’s all-time top scorer with a precise right-footed shot to put La Tri ahead 1-0 in the 24th minute. However, the United States responded with determination, generating several opportunities before halftime.

That proved unfavorable at least until before the 71st minute, where their persistence finally paid off. Pressuring an Ecuadorian goal kick, Malik Tillman forced a turnover and received the ball back from Tanner Tessmann in a tight spot. The midfielder delivered a cross along the six-yard box, with Florian Balogun finishing expertly to level the score.

Despite showcasing more resilience and making significant changes, the home side couldn’t find a winner, settling for a draw. After full-time, head coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his team’s performance. “I think we dominated the game in all the aspects,” said the Argentinian tactician in the aftermath of the game, as compiled by The Athletic.

“The performance was a very, very serious performance, very professional. I think we need to improve in some details, but that is the way that we want to compete,” he added. While the USMNT were expected to garner similar pats on their back from their ardent fans, they rather seemed to have turned their backs against them!

The USMNT still has a long way to go!

The post-game reactions were quite evident on the internet. While some were impressed with the way things panned out for the USMNT, others simply. Well, everything was fine until a notion began on X that whether it was “Best performance of the USMNT thus far in the Mauricio Pochettino era?” mainly because of how the team dominated against a team like Ecuador. So it was only natural for fans to give the confident ones a reality check!

Like this one fan tweeted, “They looked disorganized and like they’ve never met each other before. Should have won. No Pulisic until late? Yikes.” In defense, there was a valid reason for Christian Pulisic to start the game from the bench. As far as being disorganized is concerned, this was something that even Pochettino admitted in the post-game presser, saying, “Tactical details,” which cost them dearly during the Ecuadorian counterattack that resulted in Enner Valencia’s opener. “We need to improve in our communication,” Poch added.

Speaking of the rivals, the USMNT should be lucky they faced a rather incomplete Ecuador. That’s because the rivals lined up without their key players, including Moisés Caicedo and Piero Hincapié. So it was only natural for fans to question USMNT’s display. “Damn, USMNT is bad. Ecuador played without Hincapie and Moises Caicedo, still came with a draw,” wrote one netizen, before another echoed a similar sentiment, “Ecuador was missing the best defensive mid in the world, I’m not impressed.”

Simply put, the USMNT could have done better. Sure, playing a draw against a team that was on quite an emphatic form, having entered this game as an unbeaten side for the past 11 games, is indeed remarkable. But one has to agree that the Stars and Stripes had a lot to capitalize on today. “I saw minimal pressure in the attack zone. Most of those “passes” were retreating back into their own zone. In addition, Ecuador’s stars Moisés Caicedo, and Piero Hincapié did not play. Don’t fool yourselves, this was NOT a good performance. Color me unimpressed,” wrote another.

For others, frustration also stems from the fact that they are celebrating a mere draw, which, by the way, came after quite a hussle. Not to mention, this is the very team that enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the host nation. Expectations and bar should be a mile high, yet here we are, only forcing netizens to be blunt: “That’s a discouragingly low bar,” added one.

Instead, Mauricio Pochettino and Co. should be focused on winning every game. No wonder this fan echoed similar views, expressing his concern about how the team will perform where it matters the most: “The bar is this low if we’re celebrating draws. Just group us from the WC now…”

Be that as it may, this is the least of what you saw as many came to question the USMNT, potentially finding joy in this mere draw. Let’s see how they perform in their next clash against Australia on Tuesday at DSG Park, Colorado.