The United States Men’s National Team continue their 2026 World Cup hosting preparations when they take on South Korea in a friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium, New Jersey, on Saturday 6th September at 10pm (UK time).
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are still reeling from their 2-1 Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico in July and will be looking for a massive improvement on recent performances.
Diego Luna anytime goalscorer (12/5 with Betfred)
Diego Luna has enjoyed a breakout year at senior national team level and scored all three of his USMNT goals so far in the Gold Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals. The Real Salt Lake player has scored eight goals in MLS this season, already matching his total for last season in the competition.
Time of first goal: 0-10 minutes (10/3 with Bet365)
The USMNT have opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes in three of their last four matches; twice after four minutes and once in the 10th. Those quick starts have put the side on the front foot and they’ll be keen to have another quick start in this one and take the early advantage against South Korea.
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How both teams go into USA vs South Korea
The Stars and Stripes haven’t made a great start to life under Pochettino, losing six of their 16 matches under his management so far. The most recent 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final hurt the most, but a four-game losing streak earlier this year — including defeats to Panama and Canada in the Nations League, and a 4-0 thrashing to Switzerland — also raised red flags as to the readiness of this team for a World Cup.
Goals haven’t been a problem for the USMNT, averaging two per game under Pochettino. However, they’ve also kept just five clean sheets since the Argentine took over, including none in their last four — conceding against teams they’re expected to dominate like Haiti and Guatemala along the way.
Next up is another serious test against South Korea, who haven’t lost a game in any competition since going down 2-0 against Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-final in February 2024. The Taegeuk Warriors dispatched Kuwait 4-0 in their last match and have scored at least once in each of their last nine outings. PSG man Kang-in Lee has been the star of their World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals and six assists in 15 appearances.
USMNT team news
Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Tim Weah and Sergino Dest have all been recalled to a strong roster by Pochettino for this double-header against Asian powers South Korea and Japan. Premier League stars Tyler Adams and Chris Richards are also present, as well as Damion Downs and Josh Sargent, who play in the Championship for Southampton and Norwich, respectively.
Fulham’s Antonee Robinson wasn’t deemed fit enough for a call-up, while PSV striker Ricardo Pepi has also been given extra time to work back to full fitness following knee surgery.
Other notable absentees include Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson and new Atletico Madrid signing Johnny Cardoso.
South Korea team news
South Korea’s squad features two MLS-based players, with legendary captain and record goalscorer Son Heung-min now playing for LAFC, while St. Louis City’s Jeong Sang-bin is looking for just his second cap and first since a goalscoring appearance against Sri Lanka back in June 2021.
The likes of Kang-in Lee, Kim Min-jae and Lee Jae-sung are all present, as is dual-national Jens Castrop of Borussia Monchengladbach, who is looking for his first cap having represented Germany at youth level.
USMNT vs South Korea head-to-head
This is just the eighth meeting between these two nations and the first since a Chris Wondolowski double delivered a 2-0 win for the USA back in February 2014. South Korea haven’t beaten the USMNT in any of their last three meetings, with their last victory coming back in December 2001.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 01/02/14 | USA 2-0 South Korea | Friendly |
| 10/06/02 | South Korea 1-1 USA | 2002 World Cup |
| 19/02/02 | USA 2-1 South Korea | Concacaf Gold Cup |
| 09/12/01 | South Korea 1-0 USA | Friendly |
| 12/03/94 | USA 1-1 South Korea | Friendly |