Haji Wright shines and Mauricio Pochettino's tactics take shape, even as Christian Pulisic contends with injury woes: Winners and losers from the USMNT's comeback victory

Folarin Balogun would seem to be entrenched as the U.S.'s top option at striker. But Pochettino has sought reliable depth at a position where his top two options, Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, have notable injury histories. He might have found that in Wright, who proved his sizzling form in the English Championship can translate to the international level. 

"Being here feels like being home," Wright said. "I'm proud to wear the jersey every time I put it on. I'm glad I was able to perform well today and score two goals."

Getting a rare start for the Americans, Wright started slowly before beginning to impose his physical presence and speed in the latter part of the first half. Roldan found him on a perfect pass through two defenders, allowing Wright to score the equalizer for the U.S.

Then, in the second half, the connection between Roldan and Wright paid more dividends as the pair put the home side ahead 2-1 in the 52nd minute. It was clinical precision that Wright, traditionally considered a tweener between wing and forward, struggled with earlier in his career. Wright now has 11 goals in his last 11 games for club and country.

Wright attributed his recent success to fitness.

 "The last few seasons of my career have been battling little niggling injuries, and it's been hard to play pain-free. And this is the first season in a few years now where I'm playing completely pain-free," he said. "So it feels good to be able to go out and show what I can do." 

After Wright was called up, some questioned the legitimacy of his scoring prowess with Coventry in the Championship. Critics pointed to Josh Sargent also thriving in that league, but struggling on the national team. Against a World Cup-bound Australia, Wright proved he has the quality at the international level, too.

Pochettino went to a untested center midfield pairing of FC St. Pauli's James Sands and the Seattle Sounders' Cristian Roldan, and it provided mixed results. The pair started out doing the opposite of what they normally do for their club teams, with Sands bombing forward and Roldan playing more defensively. 

That would prove costly in the 19th minute, when the Socceroos got the opener. In Australia's only strong attacking moment of the contest, Sands fluffed his lines on the clearance of a throw-in, which was compounded by Roldan's poor position. He essentially got bodied after losing track of the ball, and Jordan Bos scored. Sands admitted the breakdown, but also praised the team's response.

"You never want to go down in a match... You can't concede off the throw-in like that," he said. "But then to come back, I thought the last 15 minutes of the first half were really good. We tried to carry that into the second half. And we were rewarded with the goal."

After the miscue, the duo seemingly swapped roles, and it benefited the U.S.

Raise your hand if you thought Roldan would be in the mix for a World Cup spot a year ago. 

After having some early struggles, the 30-year-old responded with arguably his best game in a U.S. shirt as he delivered two stunning assists to Wright to power the team.

Roldan isn't the flashiest player, and he doesn't play for a storied European club like some of his counterparts. But he's a culture guy, and he's been the backbone for the Seattle Sounders since his arrival in 2015. Roldan actually does the little things that helps his teams win. 

And for Pochettino, who has shown a preference for gritty, grinding players, Roldan might be a better-than-anticipated fit in his philosophy. Roldan appears to be more of a long-term fit than a one-off moving forward.

It's not for anything Pulisic did on the pitch, as he was sharp in his 28 minutes. Despite being double and triple-teamed at times, the AC Milan star was silky with his dribbles and runs. Yet, when the forward was driving on an impressive run in the center of the pitch, he was dragged down to the ground by Jason Geria, resulting in a yellow card.

Unfortunately, for Pulisic, it also meant his night was over.

Pochettino confirmed Pulisic's injury, telling reporters after the game, "He felt something in his hamstring. He'll fly to Italy tomorrow. We'll evaluate it this evening. We can't say anything at this time."

It's a setback for both the player and the U.S. The Americans haven't had an extended run with their best player since March, in a disappointing run at the CONCACAF Nations League. Pulisic had an aggravated ankle and only came on as a second-half sub on Friday night against Ecuador.

With Pochettino implementing a new tactical system, every match ahead of the World Cup is vital. And the Argentine needs to see how Pulisic fits and if this system maximizes his skillset. He'll now have to wait until November to get more answers.

This hasn't been an easy year for Pochettino, who has dealt with player injuries, controversy, and inconsistent showings at times. Yet, this October camp was clearly his strongest as USMNT manager. 

The Americans imposed their will on Ecuador and Australia in the span of a week, earning a draw and a win against two World Cup-bound teams who are ranked No. 24 and No. 25 by FIFA, respectively. There is a valid argument that the U.S. should have won in their first match, and could have piled on more against the Socceroos. 

After spending months trying to find a system that works with this team's diverse skillsets, Pochettino appears to have found one with the 3-4-3 formation he used in both games. He also said that the team's improved internal dynamics are playing a role.

"When you need to decide the 26 players for next summer, to be sure that you know which type of profile of characteristic you need," he said. "Because not only do you need good players, but also you need good teammates, good people, people who can put the interest of our national team higher than your own interests."

If it wasn't apparent previously, Pochettino is sticking with Matt Freese as his No. 1 goalkeeper.

After an uneven performance by the NYCFC star against Ecuador, some speculated that the Argentine would look at another option against Australia, considering he has three other goalkeepers in camp - Matt Turner, Patrick Schulte and Chris Brady.

But Pochettino stuck with the man he's called upon since this year's Gold Cup. Freese made his 10th straight start, and was largely solid - though admittedly he wasn't tested much. The decision by Pochettino speaks volumes, and Freese acknowledged Pochettino's faith has helped.

"To have the confidence from him and to be able to just get a rhythm of games is super important for a goalkeeper, and obviously, very meaningful from the coaching staff like this," Freese said. "As these minutes have continued, I've been able to start feeling more comfortable and be able to play like myself in there. That's when I'm at my best, and it's important to keep building on it."

Barring the unforeseen, Freese's streak also indicates that other goalkeepers being called in from this stage on aren't competing for the starting spot, but rather backup positions.