USMNT vs. Australia: Mauricio Pochettino’s squad embraces new tactical ethos for World Cup success

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The U.S. men’s national team’s 1-1 draw against Ecuador on Friday offered a resounding signal that the group were, at long last, on the right track a year into Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as the head coach. The next natural step is not just to perfect the back three strategy that has brought them success in recent games but rather, to introduce the team’s new ethos – one of tactical versatility.

“We want to progress and we want to have this flexibility with different players and different, sometimes, shape or dynamic on the field, to provide the team with the quality,” Pochettino said on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Australia.

Pochettino described Australia, a team with just one loss in their last 17, as similar to Ecuador in their aggressiveness, which surprisingly may make it a perfect opportunity to try new things. The head coach played his cards close to his chest but he did tease the idea of a different shape and even different players, all with the idea of improving the USMNT’s adaptability with eight months to go until the World Cup.

How to watch USMNT vs. Australia, odds

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 14 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
• Location: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City, Colorado
• TV: TNT | Live stream: HBO Max
• Odds: USMNT -150; Draw +280; Australia +380

“If we play well [as we did] against Ecuador, I think it’s also to keep improving and showing maybe a different approach to the game and maybe change the system, to change the players,” Pochettino said. “They’re going to be another good test like Ecuador. For us, it’s true that it’s going to be different conditions and maybe a different way to approach the game, but I think they are in a different process than us. I think we are in that process where we need to progress or we need to build something, they are more solid on their ideas.”

Even if Pochettino stitches together a new look for the USMNT in time for Tuesday’s match, there are certain principles that are ingrained in his players. There are certain non-negotiables for the group, perhaps chief among them an aggressiveness that Pochettino thought was slightly lacking against Ecuador, even if his reflections on Friday’s draw were positive overall.

“When I think about our team, I think about intensity, I think about duels, I think about bringing energy, being competitive in training, competitive in games,” midfielder Crisitan Roldan said. “It’s more about us than the other team and so I think it’s suited me and hopefully I’ve made an impact, whether it’s playing or off the field. The most important thing is I feel like I belong and I need to show that on the field and off the field.”

Center backs play a large part in the USMNT’s plans, something Pochettino argued is a natural reflection of the modern game. Tim Ream and Chris Richards are the mainstays while Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie each got minutes alongside the other two against Ecuador, while Cameron Carter-Vickers is also with the group this month. The head coach said he is in the business of finding a happy medium in training, providing just enough instruction for a group of center backs he feels are capable of delivering.

“Miles, Chris, Cameron, Mark, Tim – I think they play back three, they play back four, I think it’s not about to teach too much or to explain how we perform,” Pochettino said. “I think they already know [whether] we play in one or another shape. The most important is the communication and then we build our dynamic … I think it’s all about to build the game plan for every single game because the opponent always is different and trying to find the best system or shape for them to adapt.”

In front of the center backs, though, are a set of midfielders and forwards who are encouraged to play with a sense of freedom that reflects the versatility – and unpredictability – Pochettino strives for. That includes forward Folarin Balogun, who has two goals and one assist in three games and has re-positioned himself as the USMNT’s go-to No. 9 after an injury-plagued year. Balogun’s wide-ranging skillset makes him a strong fit for Pochettino’s system, and arguably the focal point of the attacking plans.

“Flo has everything,” Roldan said. “He can run in behind, he can play back-to-goal, he has the ability to take guys on one-v-one with link-up play, with his movement, with his individuality. He’s got it all, really — his speed, his strength but it’s about getting him involved and I think that’s the most important thing for us when we have Flo on the field is how can we get him involved as much as possible because he can be the difference and when we have guys like Christian Pulisic, like Malik Tillman, they make each other better and so I’m looking forward to watching them play more and more together.”

Balogun is one of several USMNT members who feel Pochettino’s shape-shifting approach suits the players in the pool.

“He offers us a lot of different options and I think it’s kind of the direction we wanted to go in, having such an established coach who gives us so much confidence,” Balogun said about Pochettino. “I think everybody’s happy [with] the job he’s doing and everyone can see the progress we’re making and that’s the most important thing.”

Christian Pulisic, meanwhile, is still dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of the lineup against Ecuador but he made a substitute appearance on Friday and participated in training on Monday. Fullback Antonee Robinson, though, will not take part against Australia as he continues to deal with a small knee injury. That said, Pochettino will have a healthy selection of players with varying skillsets at his disposal on Tuesday, including two other in-form forwards who boast different attributes in Haji Wright and Patrick Agyemang.

The group also includes Brenden Aaronson, who is now playing a new role at Leeds United that could lead to a natural position on the wing for a version of the USMNT that also really values wide players.

“I think we’ve playing a little different this year compared to last year,” Aaronson said about the newly-promoted Premier League side. “I would probably say a little more defensive. There’s not really a 10 anymore, I would say. That was kind of my position last year but now it’s just kind of an inverted winger and playing in between the lines like I always have been and just creating and trying to score and just continue to do my job on the pitch.”

As Pochettino weighs his personnel and tactical options for his versatile team in the making, there is one unmovable fact of the USMNT’s preparation – the deadline of the World Cup is quickly looming, a professionalism underscoring the team’s approach as the countdown to their opening match on June 12 continues.

“I would say there’s more of a seriousness because it’s right around the corner and we don’t have many camps left, we don’t have many games left so that’s why we have to treat every friendly like it’s a real game and that’s the mentality going into every game and I think the group’s really close,” Aaronson said. “We’re such a close-knit group and we’re really looking forward to the World Cup coming around.”