Mauricio Pochettino said he was happy, though at times it was hard to tell. Yes, the United States men's national team had prevailed 2-0 over Panama in his first match in charge. But what had transpired was definitely a mixed bag.

The new coach is still learning his new players, and the difficulty will rise with Tuesday’s match at rival Mexico.

Mauricio Pochettino won his debut as U.S. coach, getting a 49th-minute goal from Yunus Musah off an assist from AC Milan teammate Christian Pulisic and a stoppage-time strike from Ricardo Pepi for a 2-0 win over Panama.