The AC Milan star is attacking defenses on two continents, with the win over Panama serving as the latest reminder of how good he is

AUSTIN, Texas – One major talking point of the U.S. men's national team's victory over Panama Saturday night was tactical tweaks. Rightfully so. Mauricio Pochettino is the man in charge now and the new U.S. manager made his presence and ideas known.

For all of its intricacies and tactical debates, though, sometimes soccer is really simple. For the USMNT, winning games often comes down to one bold strategy: give the ball to Christian Pulisic and watch him make magic.

He made more of it in the 2-0 win. His assist to Yunus Musah was a connection made in Milan, as Pulisic assisted his club teammate's first USMNT goal. The smile on Musah's face was a mile wide. The one on Pulisic's might have been even bigger.

That's the kind of mood Pulisic brings right now. When you're playing at this level, things tend to go your way and, when that's happening for Pulisic, the USMNT is an entirely different team. Pochettino will know that as well as anyone: for this team to succeed, he's certainly going to need his star to… well, be a star.

Pulisic proved, once again, he's that. He'll try again on Tuesday against Mexico. And, based on what we've seen over the last month, it's worth wishingluck.

GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Q2 Stadium..

ImagnWINNER: Mauricio Pochettino

No doubt who the star of the show was on Saturday night. Yes, the players on the field deserve credit, but we know who all eyes were on. It wasn't the players in Red, White and Blue, but rather the man dressed in black on the sidelines.

This was Pochettino's day and, while it wasn't a perfect debut, it was a pretty damn good one. With a win now on his USMNT resume, Pochettino is off and running, and this USMNT is surely running with him.

He didn't make widespread changes, as he promised leading up to the game, but you saw differences. The USMNT pressed aggressively in a new system, one that threw Musah out wide while playing with a back three. Christian Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson, meanwhile, tucked in a bit, at least more so than under the previous regime.

By and large, Pochettino didn't throw away what the USMNT had been doing. Instead, he altered it slightly. That resulted in a performance that seemed like a clear step forward and one that left room for optimism as he gets more time with this group.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Weston McKennie

Pochettino made it clear after the match: don't read too much into Weston McKennie's absence from the lineup Saturday night.

"We're going to protect him," Pochettino said. "He arrived with some not-big problems but some uncomfortable situations. If we believe that he is 100 percent without risk, he could be starting, but I think we didn't want to take a risk."

It's unfortunate, though, because McKennie is one of the players that could be the right fit under Pochettino. He's a do-everything midfielder who, especially over the last month, has proven that he has the mentality and determination to fight through adversity. That's exactly what Pochettino has to be looking for, right?

Perhaps we'll see McKennie in Mexico after a few days rest but, at least on Saturday, it was unfortunate that the world couldn't get a look at what he could look like under the new coach.

ImagnWINNER: Christian Pulisic

Everything Pulisic touches turns to gold right now. That's what happens when you're in this kind of form.

Leading up to the game, Pochettino described Pulisic as one of the world's best attacking players, and he continues to prove it, doesn't he? He didn't get a goal of his own on Saturday, but he was the catalyst behind Musah's opener.

"I barely even saw Yunus, to be honest," he admitted. "I just kind of put it in a dangerous area and it was perfect. He showed up right on time."

That's the kind of luck you have on your side when you're playing this well. Pulisic has now scored or assisted in seven of his last eight games for club and country. He's been great in the past, but this is the best version of him we've seen.

That's good news for the USMNT and good news for Pulisic, who continues to destroy all in his path.

GettyLOSER: Josh Sargent

As a striker, you often only get one chance to score. Josh Sargent got his. Unfortunately for him, it didn't go where he intended.

Outside of that, Sargent was largely good. Getting the start with the injured Folarin Balogun not in camp, he was integral in connecting the play and his ability to both drop back and press high really set a tone for the USMNT.

This wasn't a bad game from Sargent, and you really could argue that he did raise his stock. But that one chance? He'll want that one back, for sure.

What'll make it hurt more is that the guy who replaced him, Ricardo Pepi, buried his chance, further raising the stakes in a crowded striker race.