Goals from Alejandro Zendejas and Folarin Balogun led the United States men’s national team to a 2-0 victory over Japan in a friendly at Columbus, Ohio’s Lower.com Field on Tuesday.

Following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to South Korea, the USMNT quickly bounced back with a more proactive attack through an experimental 3-4-3 formation. In a first half that included 63% possession, the home side created danger through high-pressing fullbacks Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman. After a clever dribble from Arfsten in the 30th minute, the 24-year-old launched a cross that found Zendejas, who impressively volleyed the ball into the back of the net.

The U.S. continued its attacking influence in the second half.

In 64th minute, the Americans doubled their lead after a pacey run from Christian Pulisic led to an assist for Balogun’s goal. Despite Japan shaking things up with second-half subs that wrestled back some of the momentum, the 2-0 result was cemented by the final whistle for the home team that had a late second wind in the dying minutes of the match.

Looking ahead in their ongoing World Cup preparation, coach Mauricio Pochettino and his U.S. roster will take part in friendlies next month against Ecuador on Oct. 10 and Australia on Oct. 14.

Manager rating (scale of 1-10)

Mauricio Pochettino, 8 — Credit where credit is due. Pochettino took a tactical gamble after not only ringing in five different changes from his previous XI but also testing out a 3-4-3 formation. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, there were some questionable defensive moments in the new setup and goalkeeper Matt Freese was kept fairly busy by Japan’s opportunities. Nonetheless, the overall performance is a step forward after the loss to South Korea.

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USMNT Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)

GK Matt Freese, 9 — USA’s starting spot in net appears to be his to lose after earning a clean sheet thanks to his six saves. He fumbled the ball during one of those interventions, but it didn’t end up hurting the scoreline.

DF Tim Ream, 6 — An inconsistent but decent evening for the captain. While he was a vital distributor that was able to get forward, Ream also found himself losing aerial deals and occasionally chasing attacking players.

DF Chris Richards, 7 — Not bad from the Premier League player who added more confidence to the backline. Provided crucial interventions but also had some imprecise passes going forward.

DF Tristan Blackmon, 6 — An improvement after his shaky debut last week. Although his decision-making may not be at an elite national team level, Blackmon still dished out some important clearances.

MF Max Arfsten, 8 — Looked much more comfortable in an advanced role. Wasn’t the strongest during defensive moments, but that may not matter much when you consider his attacking presence that created the assist for the first goal.

MF Cristian Roldan, 6 — A mixed bag from the central midfielder that was able to win back possession, but also didn’t regularly win his duels in the heart of the XI.

MF Tyler Adams, 7 — It wasn’t a vintage Adams performance, but it was still a big improvement from last week. Some crucial interventions in the midfield and plenty of accurate passing.

MF Alex Freeman, 7 — Granted, Freeman wasn’t superb defensively and could have done a better job with his distribution, but he should hold his head high with the ground he covered on the right flank and his overall involvement in the attack. A promising 90+ minutes.

FW Christian Pulisic, 9 — Roamed around, created his own opportunities with recoveries, dropped deep and then clinched the well-earned assist for Balogun’s goal.

FW Folarin Balogun, 8 — A clear upgrade over Josh Sargent. Balogun linked well with the frontline and created plenty of danger with his attacking presence. Briefly went quiet before scoring the second goal of the match.

FW Alex Zendejas, 9 — Zendejas dove into a tackle that earned a yellow card early on but quickly bounced back with his goal and clever movement in the final third. A statement performance from the highly involved Club America winger.

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

FW Diego Luna, 8 — An energetic cameo from the young player that was a focal point in the buildup and almost earned an assist in the final minutes.

MF Jack McGlynn, 8 — Nearly scored twice, with the second shot rocketing off the crossbar.

MF Sergiño Dest, 7 — Provided the pass that led to McGlynn’s shot that hit the crossbar. Another player that could benefit from Pochettino’s change in formation.

MF Luca de la Torre, 7 — Accurate with his distribution and almost secured an assist from McGlynn’s first short-range opportunity.

FW Damion Downs, N/A — Subbed on in the 79th minute.

DF Nathan Harriel, N/A — Subbed on in the 84th minute.

Nottingham Forest have appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager, the club confirmed on Tuesday.

Postecoglou replaces Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked by Forest on Monday.

Sources have told ESPN Postecoglou has signed a deal through to June 2027.

It is Postecoglou’s first job since he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in June. He spent two seasons at Spurs, winning the UEFA Europa League in May, the club’s first trophy in 17 years.

Postecoglou will oversee Forest’s match against Arsenal on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.

“We are bringing a coach to the club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies,” Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said in a statement.

“His experience of coaching teams at the highest level, along with his desire to build something special with us at Forest, makes him a fantastic person to help us on our journey and achieve consistently all our ambitions.”

Nuno’s exit from Forest was abrupt, and came just three games into the new season.

He led Forest to a seventh-place in the Premier League last season as they qualified for European football for the first time since 1996.

The club were promoted to the Europa League following Crystal Palace‘s demotion to the UEFA Conference League due to multi-club ownership (MCO) rules.

Sources have told ESPN Nuno fell out with Forest’s head of global football Edu Gaspar, while his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis also grew increasingly strained despite having signed a new three-year deal in June.

Doubt was cast over Nuno’s future earlier in the season when he said he was “not close” with Marinakis, and that their “relationship had changed.”

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I know how things work, but I’m here to do my job,” Nuno said at the time.

For Postecoglou, the job will end his three-month break from the game.

During his two-season spell with Spurs, he led them to fifth in the Premier League in 2023-24, before they finished 17th last term.

That disappointment was offset by their European run where they won the Europa League, beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final.

But, 16 days after that triumph in Bilbao, Postecoglou was dismissed.

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“After gaining promotion to the Premier League, then building consistently season after season to secure European football, we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies,” Marinakis said.

“Ange has the credentials and the track-record to do this, and we are excited he is joining us on our ambitious journey.”

Postecoglou brings a wealth of experience to Forest having coached in Australia, before taking charge of the Socceroos from 2013-2017.

He then coached in Japan, managing Yokohama F. Marinos, before moving to Celtic where he enjoyed a successful two-season spell from 2021 to 2023.

Then came the move to Tottenham and now he’s swapped north London for the City Ground.