ST. PAUL, Minn. — Mauricio Pochettino’s primary aim for his first post-World Cup U.S. camp was not necessarily to win all four matches. The games were secondary to integrating more than a dozen prospects and getting them to embrace his tenets. It was about forging bonds off the field and chemistry on it.

And along the way, if his team meshed quickly and won a few of these quality friendlies packed into 11 days in three time zones, he would be thrilled.

Late Tuesday night, as players stuffed their bags and dashed out of Allianz Field to catch flights back to their clubs, there were smiles and satisfaction throughout the group, though forward Justin Ellis had already left to undergo an MRI after injuring his lower right leg.

The gritty 1-0 victory over Canada capped an international window that exceeded all expectations. In their most successful stretch against a variety of opponents in 10 years, the Americans earned four wins by a 12-3 margin and did not concede a goal in the last 221 minutes.

All 28 players got on the field. Thirteen newcomers, including eight teenagers, made their debuts. Even with a mix of experience levels, there were moments when the U.S. looked as if it had been playing together for years.

“Like we said going into this camp, there's no pressure for any of these kids to perform right now, but a lot of them did perform right now,” captain Tyler Adams said. “They obviously set the standard. Now it's about continuing to keep that standard.”

Friendlies don’t usually mean much, but for Pochettino and his beaming crew, the performances in those friendlies — and the work that went into them at their Georgia training headquarters and the sessions in multiple other cities — meant everything.

“We were talking now in a meeting with the players” after the match, Pochettino said. “I think, yes, they deserve the credit. Not talking only about the results; talking about the way we compete and the way we build that journey together. I think it was amazing, and that is a starting point to keep going.”