AUSTIN, Texas – There were moments early in the U.S. men’s national team’s friendly against Ecuador on Friday night that made you wonder “what if?”

What if Christian Pulisic was 90-minutes fit, getting the ball in some places where his teammates were wasting them? What if Tyler Adams was the one marshalling the midfield? What if Antonee Robinson was out on that left-hand side, whipping in balls that few in this player pool can?

By the end of the game, though, it was less “what if” and more “what could be.” For months, Mauricio Pochettino discussed the importance of performance, culture and belief. All were on display as the USMNT offered a peak into what all of this could look like going forward.

In the end, it finished as a 1-1 draw. The USMNT were certainly the team on the front foot. Playing in a version of their three-back system, Mauricio Pochettino’s side routinely created moments in dangerous spaces. They conceded a few, too, which is, ultimately, how Enner Valencia escaped from Chris Richards on the game’s opening goal 24 minutes in.

From there, though, it seemed matter of time. Folarin Balogun routinely broke free. Malik Tillman poked and prodded. Ultimately, those two connected on a 71st-minute equalizer, a close-range tap-in from the Monaco man that the USMNT will believe was more than earned. They were knocking on the door all night. Finally, Balogun was the one to kick it in.

He was the star of the show, but there were plenty of little bright spots throughout. Weston McKennie, making his USMNT return, put in a strong shift. So, too, did Tanner Tessmann, who grew into his role in an Adams-less midfield. By the time the cavalry, led by Pulisic, arrived late in the second half, it was a question of whether the U.S. could find the winner, although that ultimately never came.

“I felt like we dominated. They’re a dangerous team on transitions and dangerous when we gave them the opportunity to be dangerous off our own mistakes,” McKennie told TNT. “With the World Cup coming around the corner, there’s a bit of urgency, and we want to get a group together that’s going to understand and how everyone moves, how everyone runs, passes, everything like that. I’m just happy we were able to get one back.”

Disappointing draw? Yes, but Pochettino will surely feel it was OK. This was a solid performance, one that in which the U.S. stared down some adversity and, ultimately, come out as the better team, even if the scoreline didn’t indicate it. Another sign of progress for a team that needs it, then, as Pochettino – who is now 10-7-2 in 19 matches in charge – continues to refine this squad on on the road to the World Cup.

“We are now in a better place than one year ago,” Pochettino told TNT. “On the field we need to show that we are more mature, but off the field, we are improving a lot. When you build the principle off the field, it’s easier to translate on the field. As a group we are more mature. Now we have to show that on the pitch. The reality is that we want to win games.

“We have no roof. It’s about building that confidence… We have quality players and players who are starting to understand what we expect from them. And I think there’s still time to arrive in a very good condition for the World Cup.”

GOAL rates the USMNT players from Q2 Stadium.