On Saturday, we’ll get a first look at the United States men’s national team under Mauricio Pochettino when they face Panama in Austin, Texas. Without USMNT regulars such as Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Tim Weah, the Argentine head coach will already be forced into some tough decisions.
Having seen and pushed the USMNT during training so far, he’ll start to gather an idea of which players can keep up with the intensity required for his press, but Pochettino also knows that he can’t throw too much at them too quickly. We’ve already seen what can happen with overcomplicating a system too quickly when Mikey Varas tried to get the USMNT to play out of the back against Canada so this will look similar to a Gregg Berhalter setup with some different tweaks. Pochettino has even said that he’ll be training two formations during this camp which are a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3. Both have plenty of similarities but the build up play is what’s different as the 4-2-3-1 has more emphasis on a playmaker in the middle.
Let’s take a look at who could play under Pochettino in each system
4-2-3-1 prediction
Zack Steffen, Marlon Fossey, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Aidan Morris, Weston McKennie, Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent
Defensively, I don’t see much changing no matter what the formation is. Pochettino spoke highly of Steffen, so despite his poor performances with the Colorado Rapids, signs are pointing to him having a chance to win the number one role back. Pochettino also watched the Canada and New Zealand games which probably means he’ll want further looks at both Fossey and Morris. It helps that a 4-2-3-1 gives them the biggest chance of making an impact in attack and defense. Playing Ream more won’t help with figuring out who his replacement will be, but that’s something which will help ease the transition.
McKennie, Pulisic, and Robinson need no explanation. When those three are healthy, they’re in the USMNT lineup, and even with McKennie’s poor Copa America, that won’t be changing as he rounds into form with Juventus. The remainder of the attack is where things get interesting. Pochettino mentioned that Aaronson’s versatility is great but that the young midfielder also needed a consistent position. He’s getting that playing as a number 10 for Leeds United which could continue with the national team. Balogun’s injury is an opportunity for Sargent to lead the line and Wright gets another chance with help needed on the wing.
4-3-3 prediction
Zack Steffen, Marlon Fossey, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Aidan Morris, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent
As expected, most of the XI doesn’t change here, but the creation moves more to the wings than centrally. Musah can bring balance to the midfield and at his best, he is also a dynamic dribbler. Tillman is the most Gio Reyna like player in the pool, able to operate centrally or on the wing. For PSV he’s unafraid to try risky passes or shoot which is needed for the national team. In this XI it should be easier to dominate in possession, which makes me lean with it being a starting formation for facing Panama with the 4-2-3-1 being for facing Mexico.
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