The United States men's national team defeated Uruguay 5-1 on Tuesday in Tampa, marking the first time the U.S. has scored five goals against a World Cup winner or any South American side. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino criticized the notion of "regular players" after his heavily rotated lineup dominated a veteran Uruguay squad.

Pochettino made nine changes to his starting lineup, resting stars including Christian Pulisic, Chris Richards, Tim Weah and Tyler Adams. The rotated squad featured less than half the international experience of Uruguay's starting eleven.

The Argentine manager bristled when asked about the impact of a win without several big names at Raymond James Stadium.

"I don't want to be negative, no, but I hate, I hate that, 'not regular players.' What [does it] mean?" Pochettino said postgame. "It's USA playing, it's the national team. Stop with that mindset. Every time that our decision is about to pick a starting XI, it's the U.S. men's national team playing."

"It's so disrespectful because I think we need to give credit to all the guys," Pochettino added.

Alex Freeman scored twice in the player-of-the-match performance, while Sebastian Berhalter and Tanner Tessmann recorded their first international goals. Diego Luna also scored as the U.S. built a 4-0 lead by the 42nd minute.

Freeman, the 21-year-old son of former NFL player Antonio Freeman, impressed Pochettino with his versatility at right center back.

"This is our job, it's our duty, to see the projection of the player," Pochettino said about Freeman's growth. "He can play like a third center back, he can go forward, on the side, going inside."

The U.S. is now unbeaten in five matches under Pochettino with wins over Japan, Paraguay and Uruguay. The coach emphasized last week that no 2026 World Cup roster spot is "safe."