FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jack McGlynn, Patrick Agyemang and Matko Miljevic will never forget their first.
The three U.S. men’s national team players scored the first international goals of their young careers in a 3-1 win over Venezuela, during a friendly played in front of 18,008 people at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Saturday.
It was an efficient day at the office for the club and new coach Maurico Pochettino, who improved to 4-1 since taking over last September for former coach Gregg Berhalter.
“Today, not only did we see good players and a good performance, we played like a team,” Pochettino said after the game. “We are so happy.”
McGlynn, 21, scored a long, left strike from outside the box in the 37th minute to break the ice. The Philadelphia Union standout scored his first USMNT goal in his second start, and third match overall with the national team.
“I found myself in a good pocket with a lot of space in front of me, and thought, why not? I have a good shot.” McGlynn said. “I tried it, and thank the Lord it went in.”
Agyemang, 24, scored in the 39th minute for his first goal in his first game with the national team. The Charlotte FC standout delivered a left strike of his own with an assist from Miljevic, through the legs of the Venezuelan goalkeeper Wuilker Faríñez.
Then, Miljevic scored on his own in the 64th minute on an assist from McGlynn for his first goal after missing a penalty kick in the second minute of the match. Miljevic, 23, also made history as the first player signed to an Argentine club to play for USMNT in a game.
Miljevic’s goal certainly diffused some early-game drama. He missed a penalty kick in the second minute of the game, and it was unclear whether he was supposed to take the kick or not while McGlynn also wanted to take the shot. Pochettino said he intently did not designate a penalty shooter before the game so he could see which one of his players would rise to the occasion. The matter was resolved after a discussion between him and the players at halftime.
“We didn’t say who would be the taker in case we take a penalty to see the reaction and see what happened, but I think it was good. It showed the character. Marko took the ball first, and Jack wanted to shoot,” Pochettino said. “It’s part of how we need to grow and our mentality. Fight. I want them to feel like they can help the team scoring.”
Pochettino told a sideline reporter at halftime he was happy with the club’s 2-0 lead in the first half, but still harped on the team’s field position to prevent the opposition from being able to run freely.
Pochettino may have spoken his warning into fruition when Venezuela’s Jorge Yriarte scored in the 68th minute, past goalie Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew, to avoid a shutout.
Still, it was a positive day for the national team in its preparation for the Concacaf Nations League finals in March, and in the Concacaf Gold Cup later this summer. And, of course, the next World Cup in 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
McGlynn said Pochettino told the team to “just be ourselves.” The coach wanted the players to play freely and show their talents.
“Hopefully, we left a good impression out there,” McGlynn said.
USMNT standout Christian Pulisic was among the players not able to join the club filled with mostly MLS players, due to Saturday’s game being outside of the FIFA international window.
“It’s great for us to know all these players,” said Pochettino, who estimates he may have grown his USMNT player pool from 25-30 players to nearly 50 for the next year.
Walker Zimmerman was substituted into the game in the 88th minute, marking his first USMNT appearance since playing against Canada in the Nationals League Final on June 18, 2023.
The U.S. improved to 4-1-2 (win, loss, draw) after its seventh all-time match against Venezuela.
The USMNT will conclude its January camp with a friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.
Check out these highlights from Saturday’s USMNT match:
Jorge Yriarte goal: USMNT 3, Venezuela 1
It won’t be a shutout for USMNT as Venezuela’s Jorge Yriarte scored in the 68th minute to get his side on the board.
Matko Miljevic scores goal: USMNT 3, Venezuela 0
Matko Miljevic scored in the 64th minute to increase the U.S. national team’s lead to 3-0 over Venezuela.
Miles Robinson misses a header in the box: USMNT 2, Venezuela 0
Robinson’s header was deflected by the thigh of Venezuelan goalie Wuilker Faríñez in the 53rd minute.
Matko Miljevic misses shot on net: USMNT 2, Venezuela 0
USMNT’s Matko Miljevic nearly made it three goals in four minutes, but his shot was just a bit wide to the left of the net in the 40th minute. About a minute later, he also had a shot near the net deflected by a defender.
Patrick Agyemang goal one minute later: USMNT 2, Venezuela 0
Two goals in about two minutes for USMNT, this time by Patrick Agyemang. He was able to deliver a left strike, through the legs of the Venezuelan goalkeeper in the 39th minute, for his first international goal.
All of the sudden, the U.S. leads 2-0.
Jack McGlynn scores beautiful left strike: USMNT 1, Venezuela 0
The USMNT is on the board, thanks to a long, left strike from outside the box by Jack McGlynn in the 37th minute of the first half.
McGlynn, who plays with the Philadelphia Union, found the back of the net, past Venezuelan goalie Wuilker Faríñez. It’s McGlynn’s first goal for the U.S.
Jack McGlynn misses long strike toward net: USMNT 0, Venezuela 0
USMNT’s Jack McGlynn delivered a strike with his left boot from outside the box, but was unable to score in the 28th minute.
USMNT’s Benjamin Cremaschi gets yellow card: USMNT 0, Venezuela 0
Benjamin Cremaschi, who played for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics, received a yellow card for pulling Venezuela’s Juan Añor’s jersey in the 19th minute. Cremaschi is wearing No. 6 for USMNT, and playing on his home pitch at Inter Miami.
USMNT’s Patrick Schulte with two early defenses: USMNT 0, Venezuela 0
USMNT goalie Patrick Schulte has defended two early Venezuelan opportunities well. He secured Gleiker Mendoza’s shot in 15’, and a shot by Jan Hurtado a minute later despite Hurtado was ruled offside.
Patrick Agyemang misses sliding kick in front net: USMNT 0, Venezuela 0
Patrick Agyemang nearly put the USMNT on top, but was unable to connect on a sliding kick in the 12th minute.
Matko Miljevic misses penalty kick in second minute: USMNT 0, Venezuela 0
The USMNT had a chance to take an early lead, but Matko Miljevic’s penalty kick was stopped by Venezuelan goalie Wuilker Faríñez in the second minute.
The USMNT’s Patrick Agyemang was fouled by Venezuela’s Daniel Pereira in the goal area before the kick.
When is the USMNT’s friendly against Venezuela?
Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 18.
How to watch USMNT vs. Venezuela on TV
The television broadcast will be available on TNT, with pregame coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Spanish-language television broadcast is available on Telemundo and Universo.
How to live stream USMNT vs. Venezuela
The match will stream on Max and Peacock, with pregame coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Where will the USMNT’s friendly against Venezuela be played?
The USMNT-Venezuela friendly will be held at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Chase Stadium is the home of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer.
What to know about Venezuela
Venezuela has never qualified for a World Cup, but reached the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals, following wins over Ecuador and Mexico in the tournament. They lost to Canada via penalty kicks.
Venezuela is in eighth place through 12 games in the Conmebol (South American) World Cup Qualifying standings, following draws against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
USMNT roster for January friendlies
Here’s the USMNT roster by position with Club/Country; Caps/Goals.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0)
DEFENDERS (7): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 0/0), George Campbell (CF Montréal; 0/0), DeJuan Jones (Columbus Crew; 8/0), Shaq Moore (FC Dallas; 19/1), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 66/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 30/3), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 41/3)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami; 1/0), Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake; 0/0), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 1/0), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; 1/0)
FORWARDS (6): Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 0/0), Caden Clark (CF Montréal; 0/0), Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matko Miljevic (Huracán/ARG; 0/0), Indiana Vassilev (St. Louis City; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps; 1/0)
Upcoming USMNT 2025 schedule
Jan. 20 (friendly) — Venezuela (Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Jan. 22 (friendly) — Costa Rica (Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida)
March 20 (Concacaf Nations League) — Panama (SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California)
Mauricio Pochettino bringing passion to USMNT
With Lionel Messi in Major League Soccer, and Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino taking the helm of the U.S. men’s national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the Argentine presence in American soccer is clear.
Can Pochettino’s Argentine influence translate to U.S. Soccer eventually replicating Argentina’s winning ways in the sport? It may be easier to translate Spanish to English, but it’s easy to see the aspiration.
USMNT Starting XI vs. Venezuela:
Here is today’s starting 11 vs. Venezuela:
1-Patrick Schulte; 18-Shaq Moore, 20-George Campbell, 12-Miles Robinson (Capt.), 15-Max Arfsten; 6-Benjamin Cremaschi, 16–Jack McGlynn; 23-Caden Clark, 11-Matko Miljevic, 17-Brian Gutiérrez; 7-Patrick Agyemang
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