USMNT beats Venezuela 3-1 in friendly to open 2025: Who stood out?

The United States men’s national team won its first game of 2025, beating Venezuela 3-1 in a friendly at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A pair of goals late in the first half gave the hosts a comfortable lead heading into the break.

The crowd seemed to skew favorably for the South American visitors, with their efforts to progress upfield garnering far louder support than the home side. Although Venezuela was able to sully the USMNT’s efforts to keep a clean sheet, La Vinotinto didn’t seem particularly likely to threaten the result at any stage.

A host of fresh faces

The international friendly came in the middle of the USMNT’s annual January camp. Mauricio Pochettino gave eight players their senior debuts in the fixture, while all three goalscorers opened their international accounts Saturday.

The United States worked to strike early, with Charlotte FC forward Patrick Agyemang drawing a penalty in the second minute. Matko Miljevic, a midfielderwho iscurrently without a club, stepped up to take the penalty kick, with a poor effort being comfortably saved by goalkeeper Wuilker Faríñez. Philadelphia Union homegrown midfielder Jack McGlynn found a breakthrough in the 37th minute, scoring his first goal in his second USMNT cap by placing a shotfromroughly 30 yards out just inside the post.

WHAT A MOMENT. WHAT A GOAL!

Agyemang scored on his debut two minutes later, finishing a one-man fast break by outrunning his defensive mark before catching Faríñez with his legs akimbo for a tidy nutmegged finish. The goal saw Miljevic get credited for an assist, as his defensive disruption sprung the ball free into Agyemang’s path.

“Such a surreal moment,” Agyemang told TNT after the game. “I think every kid dreams tomake adebut for their national team. To be able to score, I can’t put it into words. I think the excitement is still there. I can’t even believe it.”

Miljevic got a debut goal of his own in the 64th minute, progressing the ball into the attacking third and passing wide to McGlynn before running toward the top of the box andplacing a finishto Faríñez’s far post.

All players to debut Saturday were: Agyemang, Miljevic, George Campbell (defender, CF Montréal), Max Arfsten (defender, Columbus Crew), Brian Gutiérrez (midfielder, Chicago Fire), Caden Clark (midfielder, CF Montréal), Emeka Eneli (midfielder, Real Salt Lake) and Indiana Vassilev (forward, St. Louis City).

An emphatic introduction

Agyemang could not have made a stronger first impression under Pochettino. The Charlotte forward was among the biggest breakout domestic players in the 2024 MLS season, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists, outperforming his expected goals by +1.74.

The 24-year-old striker carried that momentum to start 2025 off right. His movement frustrated the Venezuela defense throughout his 65-minute shift, from the drawn penalty two minutes into the match to his goal just over half an hour later.

After the game, Agyemang was all smiles speaking with the TNT pitchside analysts. After USMNT legend Damarcus Beasley gave a helpful hint as to how to hold the broadcast microphone, the striker spoke about the confidence Pochettino seemed to display ahead of his debut.

“Obviously,it’s a little intimidating coming into your first camp,” Agyemang said. “Pochettino told me straight away, ‘I like your game. I want you to play exactly how you know to play.Don’thave to feel pressure to do anything specific.Know your defensive roles, but at the end of the day,justshow what you can do.’And I was able to do stuff.”

Striker is among the strongest and deepest positions in the USMNT poolthese days. Folarin Balogun, Josh SargentandRicardo Pepi are regularly called into camps and scoring with their clubs when healthy, whileBrandon Vázquez returned to MLS to ensure he was a club’s main man during the final 17 months before the 2026 World Cup.

Still, Agyemang could feasibly work into Pochettino’s plansin short order. Standing 6-feet-4, he became the tallest USMNT goalscorer in eight years and is a threat to win aerial balls given his size. However, he profiles more closely to Balogun’s approach to the role, a more finesse-based forward who can sprint past any opponent and prefers having the ball played to his feet rather than winning headers in the box and in build-up like Pepi, Sargent and Vázquez.