Tuesday's friendly between the U.S. men's national team and New Zealand is atypical, for a number of reasons. It's a game that occupies the space between extremely important and totally inconsequential. There are parts of this game that seem program-defining, but also parts that will have absolutely no impact whatsoever on where the USMNT is going.
In a way, Tuesday's game in Cincinnati is about more than the game; it's about messaging. It's about how the USMNT responds to several self-inflicted setbacks in Saturday's embarrassing loss to Canada.
Realistically, that doesn't really matter. These two friendlies are under an interim coach and, until Mauricio Pochettino walks through that door - which has been reported to happen for nearly a month - the USMNT is standing still. Should that happen, Pochettino will conduct things his way, regardless of what happens during this September international window.
At the same time, it does matter. The players that make up this team need to show signs of life. There are justified concerns about this team's mettle, and it's now up to them to answer them.
New Zealand is coming off a 3-0 loss to Mexico on Saturday in a friendly at Pasadena, California. The All Whites, whose last World Cup appearance was in 2010, start World Cup qualifying next month against Tahiti.
“Once game time hits,” Christian Pulisic said, “it’s who’s going to go out on the field and who’s going to step up and who’s going to not be afraid to get into a hard tackle, to show that they’re there.”
So what can the USMNT do differently against New Zealand? What points does this group have to prove? GOAL takes a look.