Folarin Balogun stakes claim as No. 1 striker, Mauricio Pochettino's tactics start to take shape: Winners and losers from USMNT draw

With the U.S. trailing 1-0 in the final minutes of the first half, Balogun charged past several Ecuadorian defenders, beat another on a 1v1 dribble and teed up Aidan Morris for a chance that the midfielder should have converted - if not for an accidental deflection from Tim Weah. 

It was a sign that, with the World Cup less than nine months away, Balogun might have sealed the No. 1 striker spot with Friday's performance. The Monaco striker was all over the pitch and incisive every time he had a touch. He showed an incredible work rate and, more impressively, vision on the pitch. Balogun ultimately scored the equalizer in the 71st minute. Weah was impressed by what he saw from the striker Friday. 

"We know he's an amazing player. He can change a game for us by sticking his foot into the action. He's running behind, fighting with defenders. I think it helps us," Weah said. "Hopefully, we can build on this performance and, hopefully, we can feed him some more."

Balogun was also consistently penetrating and creating chances for others in attack. While Christian Pulisic, who didn't start because of an ankle issue, was not on the pitch during Balogun's stretch, it is easy to see how the two could combine. Both are seemingly high IQ and efficient with their chances. 

"Whenever he’s able to use his speed and get in behind the line, he’s so hard to track," McKennie said of Balogun. "And today he did very well with holding the ball as well. Any balls that we played, whenever we had trouble in the back and played up top, he was holding them very well. Having a nine like that gives a lot of relief to the team. He did a brilliant job today."

Richards is the U.S.'s most athletic player on defense, with a fleet-footed pace that allows him to track back and contain some of the world's best forwards. That wasn't the case Friday night. 

The Crystal Palace defender made Enner Valencia, 35, look about 10 years younger in the game's opening goal, which gave Ecuador a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. The forward got the ball on a U.S. turnover, and Richards, who had his back turned when it landed in Valencia's direction, couldn't react quickly enough and watched the veteran blast past him and score past USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese. 

Richards' initial positioning was forgivable due to the U.S. being caught on a broken play, but his inability to track back with Valencia inexplicable. The 25-year-old wasn't the only culprit on that play, as Aidan Morris and Freese were also culpable, but he needed to do better.

Freese had his first real test, up against a very good South American team, and failed to deliver when called upon in the first half. Yes, Freese wasn't solely responsible for Ecuador's goal, but it was a shot he should have stopped.

And it is likely a goal that whichever player Pochettino chooses to be the No. 1 goalkeeper at the World Cup next summer will see at some point against quality opposition. Freese did redeem himself in the 78th minute with a crucial save, but it won't eradicate doubts after conceding the opener. 

In the World Cup, having a great goalkeeper can be the difference between securing three points or a draw and  a loss. In the past, the U.S. had the likes of Tony Meola, Brad Friedel, and Tim Howard, among others, who, at times, bailed the team out of defensive mistakes.

The goalkeeper job has largely been Freese's job to lose since a strong showing in the Gold Cup this summer. But following Friday's draw, questions will return. 

This was an assured performance from Tillman, who desperately needed one after struggling to find his best form with his new club, Bayern Leverkusen. 

Tillman started slowly, but seemingly got more confident as the match progressed and provided strong box-to-box play and playmaking in an attacking midfielder role. His brilliant run in the 71st minute opened up space for Balogun to get in front of goal, and the midfielder threaded the needle perfectly to assist on the game-tying goal. 

As good as Tillman was in the Gold Cup, it came in spurts during matches. This was an end-to-end performance against Ecuador. And it was eerily familiar to another player who Pochettino relied heavily upon during his time as Tottenham manager: Dele Alli. 

It was a draw, but this was arguably the best performance by the U.S. under Pochettino, who took over the program last September. The Argentine's tactics and strategy were clear, and there were times when the Americans were imposing their will against Ecuador, the second-best team in World Cup qualifying for CONMEBOL.

"We are here talking about actions, concepts, formations, things like this now," Pochettino said. "After one year, I am so happy that we don't talk about other things like commitment, attitude or things that, in the past, we've had to talk about. I think that is a massive step up."

Even when the U.S. conceded early, it was against the run of play, and there was subtle confidence from both the manager and players that they would respond. Early in the Argentine's time as manager, or in the Copa America under Gregg Berhalter, the U.S. would capitulate under similar circumstances. 

Pochettino also deserved credit for finding a way to make the pieces fit after making a drastic change to his formation in his past two games. He experimented with McKennie playing as an attacking midfielder alongside Tillman, and their skillsets complemented each other. McKennie was able to use his relentless energy and versatility to constantly press the opposition, creating opportunities and helping the U.S. win the possession battle. 

"Whether we win or lose, that depends on the performance and if we are better. We now have to ensure that we are better than our opponents," Pochettino said. 

Most impressively, the U.S. did most of this without Pulisic, who came on as a late sub. This was an important building block for Pochettino and his team. 

Morris will be disappointed in his luck in a long-awaited return to the national team. He had three unfortunate plays that adversely impacted the U.S. There was an early missed pass for a potential scoring chance, and then being in the wrong position in attack when the U.S. was charging forward, which led to Valencia getting the ball to score.

And he had a chance to be an early hero for the U.S. as he was fed a beautiful pass from Balogun and was wide open in front of goal, but saw his blasted shot in the box deflect off the back of Weah's heel. 

It would be worse luck if Morris doesn't have a chance to make amends for Friday's performance when the U.S. reconvene in Colorado against Australia on Tuesday. But with Pochettino likely to reshuffle to get Pulisic and others in, he might be outside looking in.