The USA’s approach shows about 60% possession versus lower-ranked opponents such as Paraguay, Australia, and Ecuador, while matches against presumed favorites like Uruguay, Japan, and Belgium have produced closer to a 50/50 split. Mauricio Pochettino has reduced high pressing and instead emphasizes a mid-block defense to limit opponents’ final-third touches. In possession, the USA strings passes through the channel using two attacking midfielders plus a double pivot behind them, while width is largely provided by full-backs or wingbacks with occasional midfield drift for numerical advantages. A back three with wingbacks brought success last fall, but a 4-2-3-1 system preceded a 5-2 thrashing by Belgium in March. Both setups function as a 3-2-5 in possession and a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2 when defending, creating a personnel-driven selection dilemma.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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