[usernameTextField becomeFirstResponder];
This should provide you with the desired result. You can read about the answer chain here if you want to know more about the mechanism.
Edit:
My bad, I thought you meant UITextField (Cocoa Touch).
Use the NSWindow makeFirstResponder: method, rather than this method, to make the object the first responder. Never call this method directly.
[window makeFirstResponder:usernameTextField]