Since U.S. Soccer made a huge investment to bring Mauricio Pochettino on board in the wake of the 2024 Copa America, the USMNT has experienced a tactical revolution.
Spooked by a disappointing performance at the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League finals, Pochettino has shifted gears in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reorienting the federation both philosophically and tactically.
Switching to a wider lens that focuses on building organizational depth, Pochettino has sacrificed precious minutes building first-team chemistry to tinker with the U.S. player pool, elevating players who had not been given a chance under the previous Gregg Berhalter regime.
"People sometimes say ‘Pochettino needs to be focused more on the [first-choice] group of players to play and play and play and be together,'" the U.S. head man said after the win over Australia. "But if you look back, it’s not a group of players like Argentina…where maybe 20 players know they are going to be [there] if nothing wrong happens. [But here] that is not the case. We need to build a team, that is a completely different thing."
The Sporting News explains how Pochettino has begun to set up his team, why it works, and how they will look to deploy the nation's most talented players throughout this new approach.
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USMNT tactics, style of play under Mauricio Pochettino
The tactical style of play for Mauricio Pochettino as the 2026 FIFA World Cup nears features a two-part plan which is adaptable game-by-game but also repeatable from the standpoint of a general national team philosophy.
It involves defending in the shape of a 4-2-3-1, while shifting to a more modern 3-4-2-1 style while in possession of the ball.
This formation was first trialed against Japan in the September 2025 friendly, which saw the U.S. beat a strong Samurai Blue side 2-0.
Along with that has come a tactical revolution through the second half of the 2025 calendar year, as Pochettino has looked to mesh his own philosophies with a new approach that elevates the strengths of the player pool while mitigating its weaknesses.
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In possession: 3-4-2-1
On the ball, Pochettino's side has been setting up with three at the back, in a 3-4-2-1 formation that somewhat resembles what Xabi Alonso used at Bayer Leverkusen, although not quite the same in terms of philosophy.
When setting up the team, Pochettino has deployed one true No. 6 in midfield, alongside a more possession-oriented No. 8 who is tasked with ball progression through the middle third.
Tyler Adams, who has been a defensive machine for Bournemouth in the Premier League, is an unquestioned starter at the defensive midfield position. Alongside him, Pochettino has shown a preference for either Tanner Tessmann or Cristian Roldan in the possessional box-to-box role.
Above them are a pair of No. 10s, although, similar to Alonso, the pair of attacking midfielders have very different responsibilities. Comparing it to Leverkusen, Christian Pulisic occupies the Florian Wirtz role, where he is deployed in a feature position fit for a superstar. Alongside him is the more pragmatic Jonas Hoffman role, where Weston McKennie has excelled in a position with link-up responsibilities.
McKennie in particular has been given extensive freedom to roam, similar to how he was deployed in the early days of his club career at Schalke. While in his younger Bundesliga years McKennie would get carried away with this open mandate, sometimes ending up in outlandish positions on the pitch like a chicken with its head cut off, a more experienced version of the U.S. midfielder has taken to this role fantastically and provides a strong foil alongside the more glamorous Pulisic.
The key to this whole formation is at the back, where Pochettino deploys three center-backs along the defensive line, with two wing-backs providing attacking width. Two of the center-backs play traditionally, while the third, on the right, is deployed in a wide role and moves when the ball is lost.
Where this setup differs from Alonso's approach is in the possessional build up. While Alonso focused on asserting extreme levels of control on the game with both a methodical buildup and a vigorous counter-press, Pochettino has allowed his players freedom to play high-risk passes, sacrificing a level of control to put his players in the best position to display their most valuable skills. This can come in the form of long balls, vertical deliveries, repeated crossing, or other audacious chance creating methods which are sometimes discouraged by a more control-oriented philosophy.
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Out of possession: Shift to 4-2-3-1
Out of possession, Mauricio Pochettino's side shifts into a 4-2-3-1 formation, which sees the third right-sided center-back shift out wide on the right into a quasi full-back, while the left wing-back — where Fulham standout Antonee Robinson is a natural fit — moves back along the defensive line to become the fourth defender.
This allows the wing-backs to press higher like wingers, something that Pochettino has always done as a manager, dating back to his days at Southampton (Nathaniel Clyne) or at Tottenham (Kieran Trippier) when it was more on the cutting edge tactically.
The weakness of this formation is in midfield, where only the two central players provide defensive cover for the back line, and has been exploited by counter-attacking opponents. For this reason, the striker and No. 10 (the more possession-oriented attacking midfielder, that is, who remains central out of possession while the attack-minded No. 10 moves out wide left) press aggressively when the ball is lost to win back possession and prevent counters.
If the initial press is broken, the U.S. will rely on Tyler Adams to shield the middle of the pitch, winning the ball back or giving time for his defensive teammates to recover. Ideally, this will include marshaling the opponents out wide where they can spring traps and win the ball back by using the touchline as an additional teammate.
The main idea here is to lean on the strengths of the deep U.S. midfield pool of players, which includes a number of players at Big 5 European clubs along with others who are excelling domestically. In turn, this allows the team to cover for weaker areas lacking depth, such as the full-back position.
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Predicted USMNT starting lineup for 2026 World Cup
While things are still being flushed out at a macro level, it's easy to see what roles detailed above fits certain the most, and from there the depth chart starts to separate out.
One of the toughest positions to call is at goalkeeper, where Turner and Freese continue to battle for the No. 1 spot, with the latter appearing to have the edge after starting both games in the October international window while Turner sat on the bench.
Antonee Robinson is still a lock to start at left wing-back as long as he manages to shake off his knee injury, and either Sergino Dest or Tim Weah will be used on the right.
Adams is a guaranteed anchor in midfield when healthy, and Tessmann seems the best fit to partner him as a possessional foil to Adams' elite defensive presence. Johnny Cardoso, Aidan Morris, and James Sands can back up Adams, while Cristian Roldan and Jack McGlynn seem to be the other leading candidates at the No. 8.
Malik Tillman has been fantastic in a U.S. shirt under Pochettino but may not start, as he is likely a direct backup to Pulisic among the two No. 10s. There is no clear McKennie backup, as he himself is a very specific player, and thus Tillman could also find himself in that role as could Diego Luna or Alejandro Zendejas, although it requires a bit more defensive output than they're used to.
Up front, Pochettino has unlocked Folarin Balogun's best, succeeding where Gregg Berhalter failed in getting him to link with those behind him as he makes runs in behind. Ricardo Pepi is still a candidate to start at the No. 9 as well, if he can shake off his injuries, while Haji Wright's versatility and pinpoint finishing is a valuable asset off the bench.
USA predicted starting XI (3-4-2-1, right to left): Turner (GK) — Ream, Richards, M.Robinson — Weah, Adams, Tessmann, A. Robinson — Pulisic, McKennie — Balogun.
USA predicted substitutes: Freese (GK), Brady (GK), Campbell, McKenzie, Arfsten, Dest, Freeman, Aaronson, McGlynn, Morris, Tillman, Luna, Zendejas, Wright, Pepi.