To close out 2025, the U.S. men’s national team lined up two final tests. The first was handled with ease - a 2-1 win over Paraguay that stretched the unbeaten run and nudged the U.S. into their final exam against Uruguay, one of the world’s true heavyweights.

If Paraguay was a passing grade, then Tuesday was an A+++. Extra credit was on the table, and somehow the U.S. claimed all of it in a stunning dismantling of Uruguay.

Goal after goal went in and, by the time the U.S. finally eased off, the scoreline read 5-1. With manager Mauricio Pochettino rotating heavily - nine of 10 outfield players changed - the U.S. lined up against Uruguay and absolutely dominated. Alex Freeman scored twice, Sebastian Berhalter added a goal and an assist, and Tanner Tessmann and Diego Luna chipped in as well, sealing the USMNT’s most emphatic win of the Pochettino era. It marks the first time the USMNT has scored five goals against a CONMEBOL nation, a World Cup winner, or a FIFA top-30 opponent - according to TruMedia Sports' Paul Carr.

It started early, and from Uruguay’s perspective, it unraveled quickly. Berhalter’s superb finish in the 17th minute set the tone, and the U.S. were four goals up by the 43rd, when Luna punished an overwhelmed Uruguay side yet again. A bicycle-kick strike from Giorgian De Arrascaeta gave Pochettino something to bark about, and the U.S. seemed to take the hint. Four minutes after Rodrigo Bentancur’s 65th-minute red card, Tessmann made it five, putting the final stamp on a statement win.

This was the last time the USMNT will take the field until March, when they enter their final pre-World Cup window. And as sendoffs go, this was a remarkable one for Pochettino’s first full year in charge - a year full of hurdles that somehow ends with the U.S. looking better than ever.

GOAL rates the USMNT's players from Raymond James Stadium...