The United States men’s national team is doing it again, daring American soccer fans to dream of the next great moments in USMNT history via solid performances and, yes, results.
Mauricio Pochettino may not have had all of his choice ingredients but he got a full meal out of his men on Saturday against World Cup qualifiers Paraguay in Pennsylvania. There was flair and fight in the team — and that’s not before mentioning the actual physical fight in stoppage time.
MORE — USMNT vs Paraguay recap, video highlights | Player ratings
Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Timothy Weah, Malik Tillman, and a host of others were all missing but it didn’t matter too much — the USMNT was better than a fellow World Cup entrant for the fourth-straight game and will now eye the toughest test of the Fall with Uruguay on Tuesday.
And despite those absences, Pochettino’s giving fans reason to believe that both heart and talent will be maximized in Tampa.
Pochettino and team flex bonafides, versatility in impressive run
Vibes were decidedly low on September 6 when the Yanks lost 2-0 to South Korea, the latest in a run of losses to top competition.
That followed the Gold Cup Final loss to Mexico, which was pardonable given the B-team chosen for the tournament, but recalled messy friendly losses to Turkiye and Switzerland in June. Those, in turn, followed embarrassing performances in the CONCACAF Nations League versus Panama and Canada.
Yet Saturday’s performance makes one lament even mentioning those showings because there’s real hope here and both the coach and his players should accept praise and use it to fuel Tuesday’s very difficult test with Uruguay (who play Mexico later Saturday).
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Pochettino tried a back three against Japan and it worked a treat in a 2-0 win back in September, and he’s run with it. A draw with Ecuador was followed by a defeat of Australia, and now it’s four matches unbeaten against FIFA’s No. 19, 23, 25, and 39 teams in the world.
And look at the stars on Saturday. Pochettino has found a way to get the most of Max Arfsten at left back while limiting the still-developing defender’s weaknesses. He might’ve been Man of the Match on another day, but Lyon star Tanner Tessmann, Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, and “Oh, that guy?” Giovanni Reyna all were stars in the win.
It’s impressive stuff, the sort of depth performance that will make absent starters cheer abroad but also go on red alert to keep their places for this summer’s World Cup.
Can Pochettino lead his whole to be greater than sum of parts as weaknesses rear head(s)?
The USMNT is a talented bunch and has depth in waves in the midfield, forward, and now fullback. The team would’ve been forgiven if they weren’t able to beat Paraguay but they did the job and it was a pretty convincing display.
But let’s not forget that Pochettino’s move to a back three, whether acknowledged or not, may have been done because they don’t have a particularly stout pair of centerbacks that allow their attack-minded fullbacks to do what they do best.
And while Matt Freese in goal is an adequate keeper who has shown well enough between the sticks, he is not yet the proven star goalkeeper that had long dotted the World Cup hopes of USMNT sides: Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, etc.
Pochettino continues to make intriguing experiments with his back three. Joe Scally was in the back three with Miles Robinson as the manager looks to mix in more athletes around experienced leader Tim Ream.
But there’s hope in the tank now. Those conditional “ifs” regarding the back three and Freese — who of course could be the latest Keylor Navas or Yassine Bounou to become a star at World Cup — are a bit more tantalizing now that the Yanks have spent the past few windows seeing great days from any number of names: Tillman, Reyna, Tessmann, Adams, Richards, Weah, Balogun.
This attack will not hinge on one player. An injury to the midfield won’t sink them. The floor is higher than we thought even if the ceiling may not be where we dreamed it could be upon that memorable Nations League triumph against Mexico in 2021.
And if the Yanks show well against an elite Uruguay side on Tuesday... the dreams will only grow as we wait four months to see Pochettino’s next showings.
