Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros are joined by Yahoo Sports soccer writer Henry Bushnell to break down if the AC Milan midfielder’s first goal with the U.S. Men’s National Team is a sign that more tweaks to the lineup are coming under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. Hear the full conversation on the “The Cooligans” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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Eunice Moussa at the wing or like a right midfielder.

I'm just like, OK, what is this gonna look like?

And he ends up scoring his first goal, which is, which is just a well and, and not even that he scored the goal, the fact that he was even there to have the opportunity to score the goal.

The dude is basically inside the net.

I'm like, Una Mussa, there's no way he would ever be in a position.

No, no coach ever told him, hey, get up there.

You might go.

Yeah, go, you want, you might get an opportunity.

Maybe my question for, for both of you is like because of that, you know, we're already in the World Cup and we don't really need to the, the, the matches don't really matter for that particular uh tournament.

Is this gonna be a lot of experimentation from Pino?

You think?

OK, I hope so.

I mean, look if Serginho Odes is healthy, I don't know if Mussa makes it onto the pitch in this match.

I think you Musso because he's not playing a lot at Milan.

I think this gave him an opportunity.

But what do you do to us, what do you do to a central midfielder?

You're not comfortable with, you stash him, you hide him on the, on the wing and that's kind of what we saw.

He just happened to look good and score.

You think?

Uh So you, I mean, I don't think it was a negative display for Eunice Moosa, but I don't think it was a negative, I think it was, it was certainly a positive.

But if Sino that's healthy, Moosa is on the bench.

Well, that's the point like he had been on the bench, right?

Whether or not he'd be on the bench of everybody healthy.

Like he hadn't been starting for this team, he hasn't been starting for his club team.

And that's what like Pochettino said, the reason for playing him out there was just to like, like he wanted him on the field to get him a bit of confidence.

Like he wanted Y Musa starting in this first game because he thought Yunus Mussa needed the confidence boost that comes with it.

And Eunice said after the game, like when a when a top manager comes in and not only like, he's gonna put you on the field, but like knows that Alexis, as you mentioned, like he had played on the right wing when he was younger at Valencia, maybe in the Arsenal Academy.

Pochettino knew that.

And when a guy like puccino comes in and knows your background already, um and like, he, so he punch, you know, he didn't want him in the middle because he didn't want a player whose confidence is maybe shaky, having that responsibility of playing in the middle.

Um, and, and having that responsibility in the, in the first game, but he wanted him on the field so he sticks them out on the right.

And like, maybe it did exactly what Pochettino wanted it to do just in that, that little, that little can he fight to get on the pitch at Milan now?

Yeah, that's like a AAA bigger question.

I mean, the, it's, it's frustrating.

I mean, it's, um, it's like bittersweet to see Pulisic thriving and basically looking like the best player in S Yeah.

And then having his US MNT teammate just being like, like, where's my boy at a party with?

Me too?

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