The US men’s national team opened the 2030 World Cup cycle with a 4-1 friendly win over Peru at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, a match that doubled as an audition for a heavily refreshed squad under head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Eleven players earned their first caps for the United States, and three of them went straight into the starting XI: 16-year-old Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan, Orlando City forward Justin Ellis and New England Revolution defender Peyton Miller. Sullivan’s start made him the youngest player to feature for the national team in more than two decades. Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, captain at the 2022 World Cup, was handed the armband for the first time in Pochettino’s two-year tenure.
Sullivan drew most of the pre-match attention, but it was Ellis who made the earliest impression in his home stadium. In the fourth minute he headed home a Gio Reyna free kick, finishing awkwardly but placing the ball perfectly at the far post. Ellis had been involved in the move that produced the set piece, combining with Malik Tillman before drawing a foul on the near side of the pitch about 25 yards from goal.
Peru responded quickly, equalising in the 14th minute. Midfielder Yoshimar Yotun picked out Universitario forward Gianluca Lapadula with a cross just outside the six-yard box, and Lapadula evaded Miller to head in from close range. Coached by former Brazil head coach Mano Menezes, the 60th-ranked Peruvians are in the middle of a generational turnover after failing to qualify for two consecutive World Cups. Missing several notable players, they were badly out-possessed and found their best opportunities on the occasional counterattack; Menezes rotated heavily but never located real chemistry. Peru were well supported in Orlando, which is unsurprising given that 20% of all Peruvian immigrants in the United States claim central and south Florida as their adopted home.
The US regained the lead from the penalty spot in the 65th minute, after a foul on Real Salt Lake attacker Zavier Gozo’s run into the far side of the box. Tillman converted coolly. Another debutant, Red Bull New York attacker Justin Hall — who has been courted by the United States and Poland alike — made it 3-1 moments later with a flying finish from six yards, and Middlesbrough midfielder Sebastian Berhalter added a fourth in the 90th minute.
Sullivan was effective across his 60-minute shift, combining well in attack with Ellis and proving a difficult assignment for Peru’s defenders. The teenager has been a revelation for the Union since the World Cup break, with six goals and eight assists, and he brought some of that energy to the international stage. That enthusiasm spilled over in the 23rd minute, when a goal-crashing Sullivan collided with Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and collected his first US yellow card.
The 11 first-timers are the most for the US since 2024, when the same number debuted in a 1-0 friendly loss to Slovenia. The national team record for first-time caps in a single match is 12, set twice: against Poland in 1973 and again 15 years later in a friendly against Guatemala.
The US will head to St Louis on Saturday evening before Tuesday’s match against Chile at Energizer Park, then travel to Phoenix and Minneapolis for games against Mexico and Canada.