By OkayGoal 
The U.S. men’s national team rebounded from Saturday’s loss by earning an important win for morale, and after not getting the starting nod in Saturday’s loss, Folarin Balogun and Alex Zendejas led the way against Japan.
Balogun and Zendejas were both goalscorers in Tuesday’s 2-0 home victory, a result which helped ease the pressure on USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Both players were in the starting lineup on Tuesday after featuring off of the bench against South Korea.
Zendejas opened the scoring with a sublime left-footed volley in the 30th minute, celebrating his second senior goal for the program. Despite being a key player for Liga MX side Club America over the past three seasons, Zendejas has struggled to replicate that success on the international level.
However, the 27-year-old’s impressive outing in Columbus not only propelled the USMNT to a key win on home soil, but also boosted his stock to potentially making the World Cup roster next summer.
“We are so pleased because he, with his performance, makes us to doubt about [our roster ideas],” Pochettino said about Zendejas postmatch. “With this type of performance, he’s in the race for the roster of the World Cup.”
“It’s all about just waiting for my moment,” Zendejas told TNT’s broadcast team during a postmatch interview. “It’s god’s timing man. It’s crazy to take all of this in. I didn’t expect to be called up but it’s all timing. I am trying to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Balogun, who came close to scoring against South Korea, eventually found the mark against Japan. The Monaco forward was denied twice by Japan goalkeeper Keisuke Osako in the first half, but didn’t hang his head ahead of his shining moment after the hour mark.
Christian Pulisic’s deadly through-ball pass allowed Balogun to race onto it before he drilled a shot into the bottom-right corner. It marked his first goal for the USMNT since the 2024 Copa America, a major confidence booster.
Among the favorites to potentially lead the USMNT line next summer, Balogun urged fans to be patient with the team’s preparation ahead of what could be a special moment in U.S. Soccer.
“We’re building something big here,” Balogun told reporters. “He’s obviously a top coach and it takes time, and he tried to emphasize that to us to be patient. Confidence, I think it’s really important. The results are at the end of the day the sort of industry we’re in.”
Both Balogun and Zendejas now head back to their respective clubs, hoping that they will return to the USMNT fold for October’s pair of matches.