Fall might signal the end of the most important summer in U.S. men’s national team history, but it has also offered the first real glimpses of what’s in store for the future of the program.
Turning to a youthful and highly inexperienced roster for the first international window post-World Cup, USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino’s gamble is paying off better than anyone could have imagined.
The USMNT won its first two friendlies against Chile and Peru, outscoring its opponents 8–3 over 180 minutes. Four of those eight goals have been scored by teenagers themselves, while three others have had direct influences from the American kids.
While Mathis Albert’s strike against Chile at 17 years, 131 days old makes him the youngest goalscorer in USMNT history, 18-year-old Julian Hall also left Tuesday’s win with a bit of history.
With a goal in each game as well as an assist against Peru, the Red Bull New York star became the youngest player ever to score in back-to-back USMNT matches and the 13th player in program history to score in each of his first two caps.
Two games for Julian Hall.
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 30, 2026
Two goals for Julian Hall! #USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/Pc1ucRS3CK
All of Pochettino’s young call-ups have impressed, but it’s no surprise that Hall is among the first to stand out on the scoresheet. After all, he has played professionally since September 2023, debuting for the Red Bulls at just 15 years, 190 days old. He couldn’t even play past 7 p.m. local time because of New Jersey labor laws for minors.
“My debut was an amazing moment for me and my family and all of the people in my life,” Hall tells Sports Illustrated, recalling the match against the Chicago Fire. “Honestly, I think for the first couple of minutes, I wasn’t really sure what to do. To be honest, I was looking around, kind of taking in the moment.”
He has come a long way from being that starstruck kid. Hall has already racked up 10 goals and five assists in 26 games this year with Red Bull New York, becoming the youngest teenager to hit double-digit goals in a single MLS season.
New York Star Thriving at Home
Hall’s rise to the USMNT and his prominent role with Red Bull New York all started in Manhattan, where he still lives in an apartment with his mother and nine-year-old brother, Leon.
Although the trek across the Hudson River to the Red Bull’s facilities in New Jersey is a challenge, it hasn’t stopped him from rising up the ranks since joining the academy at 12.
Earlier this month, Hall learned of his first USMNT call-up while sitting in his familiar apartment, marking the biggest step forward in his career, all while being surrounded by the same four walls that have witnessed him go from prospect to star.
“If I’m being honest, I did not expect to be here right now at 18,” Hall says of his swift rise to the highest levels of the game. “...I definitely did not think this would be happening right now.”
Hall also recently signed a new contract with the Red Bulls through the 2029–30 season, becoming the youngest American U-22 Initiative signing in league history. Now on his second MLS contract, he is eligible to earn as much as a $1 million base salary.
He’s focused on finding consistent success whenever he hits the pitch, and if he continues to do so, more history will certainly be made.
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