US allows late goal off defensive mix-up in 1-1 draw vs. New Zealand as Pochettino hiring announced

CINCINNATI (AP) — Christian Pulisic stared in frustration after the final whistle and made clear how much work Mauricio Pochettino has ahead.

An 89th-minute defensive mix-up had dropped the United States into a 1-1 tie with New Zealand in a friendly on Tuesday night, a match that kicked off 30 minutes after the U.S. Soccer Federation announced it hired Pochettino to coach the Americans through the 2026 World Cup.

“It’s time to turn the page and we really have to pick it up a level,” Pulisic said. “Everyone is part of this and it feels pretty low right now, but I know there’s better times ahead.”

Mikey Varas led the team for the second game as interim coach following the firing of Gregg Berhalter, let go after the Americans' first-round elimination in the Copa America. The U.S. was coming off Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Canada, the Americans' first to the Canadians on home soil since 1957.

Pulisic put the U.S. ahead in the 69th minute, 12 minutes after entering, and with 31 international goals moved past Brian McBride for fifth on the U.S. career list. But sloppiness by Caleb Wiley and Mark McKenzie led to Ben Waine's 89th-minute goal.

Before a crowd of 15,711 in 26,000-capacity TQL Stadium, the U.S. stretched its winless streaks to four games overall and four consecutive home games for the first time since a seven-game stretch in 2010-11.

Pochettino arrives in the U.S. on Wednesday and takes over ahead of exhibitions on Oct. 12 against Panama at Austin, Texas, and at Mexico three days later.

"Everybody is excited for this next chapter. He brings tremendous quality," Varas said. “I’m proud that we moved the program forward a little bit. And Mauricio coming, now it’s going to be accelerated, and I think really good things are ahead of us.”

Pulisic scored following an 11-pass buildup that included Chris Richards, McKenzie, Aidan Morris, Marlon Fossey, Luca de la Torre, Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun. After Pepi played the ball to him, Pulisic took touches with his left foot and his right, then slid an angled left-foot shot under defender Bill Tuiloma and past goalkeeper Max Crocombe.

New Zealand's goal followed Nando Pijnaker playing a long pass more than half the length of the field. The ball bounced off a foot of Logan Rogerson, and Wiley tried a headed clearance but instead centered the ball in front of McKenzie.

McKenzie swung his left leg in another attempt to clear, and the ball ricocheted off Waine and over goalkeeper Matt Turner, who was about 8 yards off his line.

Turner, playing his first match in 10 weeks, put hands on hips and slapped them on his side. Pulisic glared when the final whistle blew after almost 10 minutes of stoppage time.

Pepi, among six changes in the U.S. lineup, appeared to put the U.S. ahead in the 19th minute off a toe-poke feed from Fossey, a right back who made his national team debut one day after his 26th birthduay. But Pepi shoved defender Liberato Cacace just before the shot and Honduran referee Selvin Brown disallowed the goal after consulting with an assistant.

No MLS players started for the seventh time in eight matches. Just eight of 209 starting positions have been been filled with MLS players in the 19 games the full pool has been available since the 2022 World Cup.

Pulisic anticipates Pochettino to institute change.

“Hopefully a culture that is willing to fight, that is willing to take risks,” he said. “There's a lot of things that need to change, just the mentality and the culture of the group. I think we have the quality but I know hopefully that's the first thing that he is going to want to change.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

United States forward Christian Pulisic (10) controls the ball during the second half of a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

New Zealand's Ben Waine (18) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the second half of a friendly soccer match against the United States, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

United States forward Folarin Balogun (20) looks to the goal keeper prior to a free kick during the second half of a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

United States' Christian Pulisic, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the second half of a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

United States interim head coach Mikey Varas, center right, speaks with a member of his staff in the technical area during the first half of a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

United States' Christian Pulisic (10) reacts following a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

United States' Christian Pulisic (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the second half of a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

United States players pose for a team photo prior to a friendly soccer match against New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

New Zealand midfielder Matthew Garbett (7) heads the ball against United States defender Kristoffer Lund (23) during the first half of a friendly soccer match, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

New Zealand players huddle prior to a friendly soccer match against the United States, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley, center, speaks with Tim Payne (2) during the first half of a friendly soccer match against the United States, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe (1) makes a save against United States forward Haji Wright (19) during the first half of a friendly soccer match, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

A key employee who labeled an experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage began his testimony Tuesday before U.S. Coast Guard investigators.

David Lochridge is one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission trying to determine what caused the Titan to implode en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five on board.

Lochridge is former operations director for OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan and brought it on several dives to the Titanic going back to 2021. He claimed several years ago that he was fired for raising safety concerns.

His testimony began a day after other witnesses painted a picture of a troubled company that was impatient to get its unconventionally designed craft into the water. The accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.

Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate. The company, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion.

OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen, kicked off Monday's testimony, telling investigators that he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years before Titan's last trip.

“‘I’m not getting in it,’” Nissen said he told Rush.

When asked if there was pressure to get Titan into the water, Nissen responded, “100%.”

But asked if he felt that the pressure compromised safety decisions and testing, Nissen paused, then replied, “No. And that’s a difficult question to answer, because given infinite time and infinite budget, you could do infinite testing.”

OceanGate's former finance and human resources director, Bonnie Carl, testified Monday that Lochridge had characterized the Titan as “unsafe.” Lochridge is expected to provide more perspective on what caused the implosion.

Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan's unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.

During the submersible's final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan's depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.

One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation presented earlier in the hearing.

When the submersible was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.

Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, said Coast Guard spokesperson Melissa Leake.

Among those not on the hearing witness list is Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, the company’s communications director. Asked about her absence, Leake said the Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations. She said it’s common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”

OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began.

The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard’s commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.

Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen, left, speaks with Nicole Emmons, right, during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen speaks with another Coast Guard member during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Jason Neubauer, board chairman, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pauses for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pause for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing take an oath inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard