Welcome back to Onside/Offside! This week, Luis Miguel Echegaray recaps some of the most notable highlights from the international break. From jubilation in west Africa and the heights of El Alto in South America to a spark of encouragement in Columbus, Ohio, here is LME's point of view as World Cup qualifiers took center stage.

ONSIDE: Finally, a spark for the USMNT

After Saturday's uninspiring 2-0 loss to South Korea in Harrison, New Jersey, with another disjointed performance, the United States men's national team finally gave their fans a reason to believe in Mauricio Pochettino's project, beating Japan 2-0 at Columbus, Ohio's Lower.com Field on Tuesday night.

Pochettino reacted to the South Korea loss by tinkering both in strategy and lineup (five changes from Saturday) so hi

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