CHESTER, Pa. — U.S. national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino consistently asks his players to show fight, both for minutes on the field and against opponents. He values competitiveness and fire deeply.

In the dying minutes of the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Paraguay Saturday night, perhaps Pochettino got more than he asked for.

U.S. defender Alex Freeman and Paraguay captain Gustavo Gómez wrestled for a loose ball before a throw-in just yards away from both benches. Neither player let up. Within seconds, both benches came together with shoves, grapples and more.

“That situation is very, very dangerous,” Pochettino said after the match. “Anything can happen, I don’t like this type of situation.”

So perhaps things went a bit overboard, as seemingly every player from both matchday squads joined the fracas. But the greater takeaway didn’t stray far from Pochettino’s desire for his team.

“I’ll keep it diplomatic — I was very happy with the way we supported each other,” U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese said. “There were a few cheap shots thrown from their end, to be honest. But that’s part of being a team, we’ll be sticking up for each other no matter the moment. That’s what it means to be a team.”

Defenders Tim Ream and Max Arfsten felt the same. They all wanted to fight for each other.

“It shows that guys are in it, willing to protect each other, wanting to get involved,” Ream said. “Make sure we’re not going to be pushed around. … It’s a point of pride for both teams.”

Arfsten added: “Pochettino always tells us to fight, fight, fight. I think we embody that. These games are gritty and physical, I think this plays into our identity.”

Pochettino himself entered the fray attempting to diffuse the situation, but ended up getting knocked into the camera bank. Thankfully, Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro saw and lent his friend a hand.

“I was trying to get in front of my players to avoid all the pushing and Mauricio tried to do the same, but he fell in front of the camera,” Alfaro said via a translator. “I saw him and tried to help him up.”

“I’m lucky that Alfaro saw me and helped me up,” Pochettino said with a smile.

Even before that altercation, the match was intense.

The fight that Freese, Ream and Arfsten spoke of was on display for the majority of the match against a strong opponent. As the dust settles, the U.S. has now put together a four-match unbeaten run (three wins and a draw), with each game coming against opponents that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

It is exactly what the USMNT wanted in scheduling friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay this window. Every duel was met with the venom of a World Cup match.

“We needed this type of game and the next one is going to be the same, it’s going to be competitive,” Pochettino said. “These are not ‘friendly’ games. That is important.”

Goals from Gio Reyna — in his first appearance with the national team in nearly a year and a half — and Folarin Balogun sealed the win, as the USMNT started out of the 3-4-2-1 system that has been the driving force behind the run of form. (The group did move more to a 4-2-3-1 with second half subs to bring on Freeman and Diego Luna for Joe Scally and Sergiño Dest.)

Folarin Balogun’s second-half strike clinched victory for the USMNT. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

This has been the most positive period of Pochettino’s time as USMNT boss, building real momentum as the World Cup looms next summer. While there hasn’t been much continuity in lineups with players in and out of camps, Pochettino has preferred this system since the turning point in September, and an identity and structure have come with the shift. Without the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie this window, the U.S. still had positive moments against Paraguay and came away with a positive result, if an imperfect performance.

“Things are clicking now,” Ream said. “When you start to fully understand the ideas, the movements and the rotations, now all of a sudden you don’t have to think. … It’s a better understanding of what it takes to play this way.”

For the first time in a while, the USMNT feels like it has a foundation to build from. It’s certainly a far cry from where the vibes around the pool was in the summer, after a 4-0 thrashing by Switzerland showed how far away the project was from being at the level they wanted. Ditto for the first 60 minutes against South Korea in September. But now, after four straight games and a little extracurricular physical activity to boot, the requisite fight is there.

“Paraguay is very competitive and difficult to beat,” Pochettino said. “Big credit (to the players), but this is not enough. We are happy, but we need to keep going. We need to improve, improve, improve to arrive at the World Cup.”