In need of a big performance, the U.S. turned in the team's best shift of the Pochettino era, even against a rotated Japan side

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Mauricio Pochettino made it abundantly clear on Monday: he's sticking with the plan. Ahead of the U.S. men's national team's match against Japan - and in the wake of a 2-0 loss to South Korea - he would not deviate.

In fact, he would double down.

Well, if that was the plan, and this is the path forward for the USMNT, then Pochettino might actually be on the right track. Against Japan on Tuesday night, the USMNT turned into a hell of a lot better performance than last weekend against South Korea, offering everyone a glimpse at the step forward that Pochettino says he's seen in recent days.

Backed by goals from Alejandro Zendejas and Folarin Balogun in the first and second halves, respectively, the USMNT got a much-needed 2-0 win over Japan. It's a win that will quiet some doubters. The pessimists will point out that it did come against a heavily-rotated Japan team, and they'd be right to do so - Japan swapped out the entire starting XI from the squad that settled for a 0-0 draw with Mexico over the weekend.

“It is important to win, because we are going to host the World Cup, and the perception is always we’re not winning, we are not finding the way to play,” Pochettino told TNT. “But I think we need to be calm and relaxed. The critics I always appreciate, because it is always important. But the circumstances are the circumstances. We can’t change the circumstances. We are working with this. I think for sure in the future, the basics and our foundation are going to be there.”

The optimists, though, would point to everything that went into it as a sign of progress for a team that had shown few in recent months. Pochettino triggered that with a tactical switch, going with a three centerback system seemingly tailor-made for this group.

“The thing now is to see a different approach in the game from a tactical perspective,” Pochettino told TNT. “We don’t have many chances to put these things into practice. And that’s important.”

From the opening whistle, the USMNT played aesthetically pleasing soccer. They played winning soccer, too, putting 11 of 19 shots on goal. Making his eighth straight start, goalkeeper Matt Freese got the clean sheet.

"When we're courageous, when we're at our best, we're a difficult team to play against," Freese said after the game.

Christian Pulisic, it should be noted, was clearly the best player on the pitch as he, too, quieted some doubters. This was a big performance for both a number of players, such as Pulisic, and for this team as whole. It won't silence all the outside noise, but it might turn the volume down.

The plan continues on, then, with the September set now over. There are still rough edges to smooth over but, for the first time in what has been - in moments - a difficult year, it was clear to see what Pochettino is cooking up as the road to the World Cup continues.

GOAL rates the USMNT players from Lower.com Field.