CHICAGO — The most interesting tactical wrinkle introduced by Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday was also a nod to how his U.S. men’s national team needs to play in order to have success at the World Cup that descends this week on the continent after eight long years of buildup.
Chris Richards or no Chris Richards, the USMNT is not like its predecessors whose identity relied on grinding out games. It does not do well absorbing pressure or playing without the ball. That’s not where its best talent is, and it looked at its most uncomfortable in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Germany during stretches where the Germans had their high press going, won the ball back quickly and made the USMNT play defense.
So maybe it’s not a surprise that Pochettino’s solution to the dilemma in his midfield — or at least the one he used Saturday — was to play Malik Tillman in what, mostly, looked like a holding midfield role next to Tyler Adams, with some freedom to rotate with Weston McKennie.
Pochettino has talked about how he wants the USMNT to be aggressive and play fluid soccer with the ball. This is not the coach trying to jam a round peg into a square hole, but a reflection of the fact that the best version of the team is one that tries to take advantage of where its talent is. The best version of this defense might be the one that plays the most offense.
