The USMNT’s final World Cup test gives some clues as to how they will approach the first game
CHICAGO – Between the last World Cup and the one that starts in a few days, the US men’s national team has really tested the power of positive thinking, and with 11 days of pre-tournament training camp defined by good vibes, they seem ready to face another set of trials and tribulations. After two minutes the sold out Soldier crowd cheered them on as hard as they could, In Germany‘s Kai Havertz he had a free header and the visitors had scored before everyone had settled down.
“I was upset, of course,” the head coach Mauricio Pochettino said as he remembered the bad start in Saturday’s match where they lost 2-1 to Germany. “But after that, I said it was lucky because I think it’s good that we saw the reaction of the team. The reaction was amazing, it was really good and that’s why it’s good that other things. [that are] It was not good to see the reaction to create the atmosphere so that we can face these situations that we can find in the future and during the tournament, the World Cup.”
The score line was a fair reflection of a game where Germany was the better team – their 12 shots on goal average of 1.47, while the USMNT came up with 16 shots on goal average of 0.99. It means that they enter the World Cup with a losing record against European teams, which may not go down well in their group stage. Turkish on June 26. It’s hard not to see their exit against Germany as a sign of progress, when they open their first game against the World Cup. Paraguay six days away at SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area.
Between Saturday’s exit, the 3-2 win over Senegal last week, and Pochettino’s historic tendencies as a coach, the USMNT seems to have decided that their great defense is a strong offense. It didn’t quite happen against Germany – the first goal was an example of making things too easy for the opposition – but there is confidence in the idea, especially with defender Chris Richards still battling an ankle injury. The US did not hesitate to create chances and get back into the game before the 23rd minute hydration break and did not waver in their determination even after the visitors got their second in the 57th minute Leroy Sane.
“Sometimes when you get hit in the mouth, you have to step back and fight back,” the captain. Tim Ream said. “All the conversations, the work, the messages from the staff. We’re all always talking about things that are going to happen. Mistakes are going to happen. Sometimes things don’t go the way you want. It’s about the next game. What do you do next? How do you react to the next one? That’s the big message that Mauricio and his staff have hammered home for the last two years. If we don’t fight back, the game will get out of hand.”
It helped that the example of a game that got out of hand was not a distant memory – March’s 5-2 loss to Belgium started well, with the USMNT actually leading going into the break, before things took a turn for the worse in the second half. The full reception of the attack was difficult to miss, as it happened in Senegal. Antonee Robinsonthe USMNT’s goalscorer on Saturday, fully embraced the attacking prowess that full-backs often boast, right down to his jubilant celebration. Pochettino joked afterwards that the cramps he suffered midway through the second half may have been a result of his overexertion.
“I think all the energy was in his shooting and that goal because at the back, cramps,” Pochettino said jokingly. “Perhaps we use too much energy. We were very happy in the introduction of the players before the game. Sometimes they were too happy and we know very well that it drains them in these moments but I think it is a good opportunity and living that experience will certainly help in the first game of the World Cup.”
Robinson downplayed the issue despite limping off the field, although the team is unsure about the details at this time.
“I’m not 100% sure but it feels right now,” Robinson said. “A lot of things I didn’t feel like I could continue so I needed to get off the field and try to fix it.”
The real welcome to the whole attack, however, came in Pochettino’s selection Malik Tillman in the middle of the field. Tyler Adams is still the middle of the field option, the only true defensive midfielder on the team, while he has plenty of talent. Weston McKennie it was very advanced. Tillman, another player with a lot of range, was a coordinator and like Robinson, however, his outstanding quality is his tendency to focus on the attack. Pochettino cited October’s UEFA Champions League match between Tillman Bayer Leverkusen and his former club PSV as an example of why he chose a player to play the best role in the world.
“It was him before [of] defenders,” he recalled. “He is a player who can play because of his physical condition, his technical condition, his ability to move to different areas, and to go up, I think he is a player who can play in all spaces of the field. Today, I am happy with him. Stop being tired a little because it’s normal. He suffered a bit in the last few months, he didn’t play much, he didn’t compete but now I think he’s doing well and I’m happy with the way he played and the change after not playing much in the last few months at his club, Leverkusen.”
Tillman, who was deeply involved in off-the-field preparations but fully in his field, has made a noticeable difference and remains positioned to be the secret key as the USMNT aims for an impressive World Cup run.
“It’s good because we get another player who likes to attack on the pitch.” Adams said. “I think he helps us to break lines, to find solutions. He and Weston had a good balance there as well. There are probably some things we need to work on a little bit so that we don’t get exposed but when you play against Germany, where they load the midfield, it’s always difficult against teams like that. They have a lot of guys who can play in those pockets so I think he’s doing really well.”
The game marked the final test of the Pochettino era, a string of 26 games leading up to the World Cup that has been described as ticklish – sometimes because of it. Saturday’s team, however, looked as close to the players who will start the World Cup as he could imagine considering Richards’ injury. After 18 months of wondering what Pochettino’s version of the US team would look like, it seems we finally have our answer. A team tends to be like a group project that was assigned early but finished just before the deadline, which is perfect for an assignment where the destination is more important, than the journey.
As Pochettino put it shortly before the team began their trip to their World Cup home base in Irvine, Calif., “We’re going to [into] the decisive week.”
