Poch's impact on US team starting to show early

Austin - For all the fascination with Mauricio Pochettino's team selection and tactics for his opening game in charge of the US, perhaps the most significant evidence of the Argentine's impact came in the opening 15 minutes of Saturday's 2-0 win over Panama.

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A team that had won just once in their last seven games, all on home soil, and had suffered a dismal early exit from July's Copa America, showed no signs at all of those disappointments as they zipped the ball around the field, looking hungry for possession.

Their opponents, one of the tougher sides to face in the Concacaf region at the moment, had dealt former coach Gregg Berhalter the deadly blow of a defeat in the Copa group stage, but there was no sign of fear in the way that the Americans took to the task at Q2 Stadium.

"(His message has been) to have guys play the way they are comfortable playing and being confident going forward with the ball," said 37-year-old captain Tim Ream.