Peru take on the US in a friendly that doubles as a test for Menezes and Pochettino

Peru faces the United States this Saturday, September 26, in a FIFA date friendly that carries no points but still works as a gauge for two very different processes. The match is set for Inter&Co Stadium and kicks off at 5:30 p.m. (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) and 3:30 p.m. (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador), airing on Disney+ Premium Plan exclusively for South America.

What's really at stake in a friendly like this? More than it might seem. Mano Menezes's Peru side needs to start finding its identity as a team before the South American World Cup Qualifiers get underway, and with that in mind the staff lined up a series of tune-up matches against national teams that have already booked their tickets to the World Cup. The United States is the first of those tests. On the other side, Mauricio Pochettino continues the work of solidifying his project after the host nation's run in the World Cup it organized alongside Mexico and Canada.

Names worth watching

All eyes on the Bicolor side are on Gianluca Lapadula, who returns to the national team after a year away and will look to reclaim his role as the reference point up front. Alongside him, the experience falls on Pedro Gallese, Yoshimar Yotún, André Carrillo, Erick Noriega and Jairo Vélez, who will need to lead a team looking to pull off an upset against a heavyweight opponent.

The United States, meanwhile, arrives with a fairly young roster in which Pochettino chose to lean on a handful of more experienced names: Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna and Ricardo Pepi will be tasked with bringing some seniority to a squad still under construction.

How both teams arrive

Neither national team is arriving in good form when it comes to recent results. Peru is coming off a 3-1 loss to Spain ahead of the 2026 World Cup, while the United States was eliminated from its own tournament after falling 4-1 to Belgium, a painful exit for the host country.

The recent head-to-head history between the two isn't extensive either. The last time they met was in October 2018, in Connecticut, in a match that ended 1-1: Josh Sargent put the hosts ahead before Edison Flores popped up late to level things out.

With that backdrop, Saturday's match presents an opportunity for both coaches to draw some conclusions. Menezes wants to see how his group reacts before diving fully into the demands of World Cup Qualifying, and Pochettino needs to keep giving minutes to a young roster that is only just starting to take shape ahead of the matches to come.