The USA started their World Cup preparations with an entertaining 3-2 win over Senegal at the Bank of America Stadium, surviving a second-half scare after taking a two-goal lead.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side raced in front through Sergino Dest and Christian Pulisic before Sadio Mane pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.
Senegal then drew level early in the second period after capitalising on a defensive mistake, only for Folarin Balogun’s strike to restore the Americans’ advantage.
The hosts made a bright start and looked dangerous from the opening exchanges. Pulisic was heavily involved early on, first threatening with a dangerous delivery before helping to create the breakthrough after just seven minutes.
Ricardo Pepi showed excellent awareness to spin away from his marker and release Pulisic in behind the Senegal defence.
The winger surged into the penalty area and unselfishly squared for Dest, who arrived perfectly to slam home from close range and hand the USA an early lead.
Flair on display by USA
Pochettino’s side continued to play with confidence after the opener and nearly doubled their advantage through a series of dangerous attacks. Senegal briefly threatened an immediate response, with Matt Turner producing an excellent intervention to deny Mane after the forward raced onto a through ball.
Nicolas Jackson then wasted a glorious chance to level matters when Iliman Ndiaye’s cut-back found him in space, but the striker blazed over the crossbar.
The USA punished that miss midway through the half. Pepi was again at the heart of the move, exploiting space down the right before threading a precise pass through for Pulisic.
The Milan forward rounded goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf and calmly slotted home from a tight angle to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Senegal gradually improved as the half progressed and began to enjoy longer spells of possession. Turner remained largely untroubled, though he was required to push away an effort from Ndiaye, while Mamadou Sarr produced a crucial block to deny Antonee Robinson what looked a certain third goal for the hosts.
Mane pulls one back
Their improvement was rewarded just before the break. Habib Diarra carried the ball forward from deep inside his own half, weaving through midfield before spotting the intelligent movement of Mane.
The veteran forward timed his run perfectly and swept a composed finish into the far corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1 and giving Senegal renewed belief heading into the interval.
The second half began with wholesale changes from both managers, the USA making ten substitutions as Pochettino looked to spread minutes throughout his squad.
Despite the disruption, the hosts thought they had restored their two-goal cushion almost immediately when Balogun curled brilliantly into the top corner, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
Instead, Senegal found an equaliser moments later. Jackson’s pressing forced Auston Trusty into a costly error, allowing the striker to challenge debutant goalkeeper Chris Brady.
The loose ball broke dangerously inside the area and, although Miles Robinson attempted to clear off the line, Mane’s persistence ensured the ball crossed over, completing Senegal’s comeback and making it 2-2.
Balogun finds winner
The game had suddenly sprung into life. The USA believed they had regained the lead again shortly after the equaliser when Malik Tillman converted from close range, but another whistle denied them as Balogun was judged to have committed a foul in the build-up.
Their persistence paid off in the 63rd minute. Timothy Weah drilled a dangerous low ball into the penalty area and Senegal failed to clear convincingly.
The loose ball fell kindly for Balogun, who reacted quickest and guided a smart finish into the bottom-left corner to finally make it 3-2.
What followed was an end-to-end spell that could easily have produced several more goals. Balogun almost grabbed a second but fired over the crossbar, while Christian Roldan wasted a promising opportunity after cutting inside onto his left foot.
At the other end, Senegal searched for another equaliser, though their attacks lacked the precision required to break through the American defence.
The USA came closest to extending their lead during a remarkable sequence in the closing stages. Weston McKennie forced a fine save from Diouf before striking the post with the rebound, and Balogun was somehow denied again as the Senegal goalkeeper produced another impressive stop.
Moments later, Alejandro Zendejas appeared destined to score, only for Mamadou Mbow to recover brilliantly and produce a goal-saving block.
Senegal continued to push forward in the final minutes and nearly found a dramatic equaliser when a promising opening fell to Bamba Dieng, but a misplaced pass prevented the chance from fully developing.
The Americans defended well through four minutes of added time, clearing a series of late deliveries before finally hearing the full-time whistle.
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