Auston Trusty, Julian Hall and Weston McKennie also scored for the U.S., which had its most goals in a match under Mauricio Pochettino.
It was a near perfect start of what will be a brief farewell tour for Pochettino, who has agreed to become the head coach of Manchester United after two years coaching the U.S.
Just three months after announcing a contract to lead the Americans through the 2030 World Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Pochettino will depart next week for Old Trafford.
“We played for him,” Trusty said in a postmatch interview with TNT Sports after opening the scoring in the 10th minute. “Obviously, he’s our gaffer. Obviously it’s sad that he’s moving on. It’s a great opportunity that he’s moving on to. But we played for him. It’s his team. It’s his identity, and the mindset is to win every single game, every single match.”
The second leg of the Nations League quarterfinals will take place Tuesday in Cincinnati.
“Pochettino is an amazing manager and he added a lot to us with the national team,” Balogun told TNT Sports. “It’s always sad to see a top coach leave but it’s a part of the sport.”
