ORLANDO, Flordia: The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) opened its road toward the 2030 FIFA World Cup with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Peru on Saturday at a sold-out Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. The victory marked Mauricio Pochettino’s first match since signing a new contract that keeps him as U.S. head coach through 2030. The match also featured a strong showing from a new generation of American players, with 11 players earning their first senior international cap, including eight teenagers.

Justin Ellis and Julian Hall both scored on their international debuts, while Malik Tillman converted a second-half penalty and Sebastian Berhalter capped the victory with a spectacular long-range goal.

The United States made a fast start when 19-year-old Justin Ellis scored less than four minutes into his senior international debut. Ellis drew a foul on the left side of the field, earning the U.S. a free kick. Gio Reyna delivered the set piece, and Ellis rose inside the penalty area to head the ball toward the far post and give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The goal was the fastest scored by a U.S. player on his senior debut in the modern era. Ellis also became the first player to score on his USMNT debut in his home state since Brandon Vazquez in 2023.

Peru responded in the 15th minute through veteran striker Gianluca Lapadula. Captain Yoshimar Yotún sent a cross toward the far post, where Lapadula rose above the defense and headed the ball into the opposite corner to make it 1-1. The U.S. continued to create opportunities before halftime, but Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made an important save to deny Malik Tillman from close range.

The match remained level until the 66th minute, when the United States regained the advantage from the penalty spot. Two minutes after entering the match for his international debut, Mathis Albert made a dangerous run into the penalty area and was brought down by a Peruvian defender. The referee awarded a penalty, and Tillman stepped forward to take it.

Tillman calmly sent his right-footed shot into the net to make it 2-1. It was Tillman’s third goal in three consecutive matches for the United States.

The U.S. extended its lead six minutes later. In the 72nd minute, Sebastian Berhalter delivered a dangerous cross toward the far post, and 18-year-old Julian Hall threw himself at the ball and redirected it into the net. Hall, who plays for New York Red Bulls, scored in his first appearance for the senior national team. He also became the first U.S. player since Matko Miljevic in January 2025 to score and record an assist in his senior international debut.

Sebastian Berhalter put the result beyond doubt in the 90th minute with a spectacular strike from outside the penalty area. After receiving the ball from Hall, Berhalter took his chance from roughly 25 yards and fired a powerful shot beyond Gallese’s reach to make it 4-1. It was Berhalter’s third international goal in 19 appearances for the United States.

The statistics reflected the United States’ control of the match. The USMNT enjoyed 70 percent possession, completed 94 percent of its passes and outshot Peru 16-5. The victory also extended the U.S. team’s unbeaten run at its Orlando home venue to eight matches. The game was played before a sellout crowd of 24,228.

The match marked the beginning of a new phase for the U.S. national team following the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Eleven players made their senior international debuts: Mathis Albert, Justin Ellis, Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall, Diego Kochen, Adri Mehmeti, Peyton Miller, Neil Pierre, Brooklyn Raines, Cavan Sullivan and Frankie Westfield. Cavan Sullivan, at 16 years and 363 days, became the fourth-youngest player to make his senior debut for the United States. The youthful lineup included three teenagers from the start: Ellis, Sullivan and defender Peyton Miller.

Pochettino used the Peru match to introduce a number of young players while also giving several established internationals important minutes. The U.S. coach has a new contract extending through 2030, and the Peru match was the first step toward building the squad for the next World Cup cycle.

The United States will play three more matches during the current international window, beginning with Chile on September 29 in St. Louis. The team will then face Mexico on October 3 in Glendale, Arizona, before closing the window against Canada on October 6 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Final Score:
United States 4-1 Peru

Goals:
4′ — Justin Ellis (USA)
15′ — Gianluca Lapadula (Peru)
66′ — Malik Tillman (USA, penalty)
72′ — Julian Hall (USA)
90′ — Sebastian Berhalter (USA)

Shibbir Ahmed, Washington DC — The United States has announced new visa restrictions on foreign nationals accused by the Trump administration of undermining democratically elected governments through corruption or narcotrafficking in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. Department of State said the new policy applies under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and can also affect the immediate family members of targeted individuals. The provision allows the United States to restrict entry when an individual’s presence or proposed activities could have potentially serious adverse consequences for U.S. foreign policy.

The State Department said the policy follows commitments made at the Doral Summit and reaffirmed in the Shield of the Americas leaders’ statement issued September 22. The administration said the United States would coordinate sanctions, designations and financial measures against individuals involved in activities that threaten security, the rule of law and democratic governance.

Initial visa-restriction actions were announced for nationals of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

In Bolivia, the State Department said it had taken steps to impose restrictions on 12 nationals and their families, including prosecutors, judges, a former justice minister, a police colonel, a former customs official and a private businessman. Existing U.S. visas for the named individuals were revoked, according to the department. Nine additional Bolivian nationals who do not currently hold U.S. visas were also made generally ineligible to receive visas, along with their families.

In Colombia, the United States said it revoked the visas of businessman Euclides Antonio Torres Romero and Senator Martha Isabel Peralta Epieyu and imposed corresponding restrictions on their families. The State Department identified Torres Romero as a businessman whose conglomerate operates mainly in the energy, traffic-signal and public-lighting sectors. Peralta Epieyu is affiliated with Colombia’s Historic Pact and the Alternative Indigenous and Social Movement, according to the department.

The State Department said two Ecuadorian nationals were also targeted under the new policy, with their visas revoked. The individuals were not identified in the announcement.

In Peru, the department said it revoked the existing U.S. visa of Juan Carlos Nunez Matos, a judge of the First Circuit Constitutional Court in Lima, and imposed restrictions on his family.

Separately, the State Department publicly designated Bolivia’s Attorney General Roger Mariaca under Section 7031(c) of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026.

The department alleged that Mariaca was involved in significant corruption and had abused his public positions by soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate narcotrafficking and helping violent criminals evade justice. The State Department said the designation makes Mariaca and his immediate family members generally ineligible for entry into the United States.

The allegations against Mariaca are claims made by the U.S. government in announcing the designation.

Section 7031(c) allows the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate foreign officials and their immediate family members when the Secretary has credible information indicating involvement in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights.

The State Department said the new visa restriction policy provides the United States with a mechanism to act as evidence develops and to coordinate measures with partner governments.

The administration said the measures are intended to support democratic governance, security and the rule of law across the Western Hemisphere while targeting corruption and narcotrafficking.