The United States Men’s National Team is coming into this year’s World Cup with more confidence than ever. Competing at home, the pressure to play is high. But, there have been obvious fan and analyst questions in recent performances. It’s not only the end product. It’s about patterns which keep repeating in certain areas of the team.
The deficiencies in structure, consistency and decision making have been shown in some recent games against strong European teams. These are not just one-off occurrences. They hint at underlying problems that still haven’t been sorted out in a few days before the tournament.
Poor Results
The biggest worry is the recent results of games. The team suffered a 5-2 loss to Belgium, before dropping 2-0 to Portugal in the March international window. In these two games, the USMNT allowed seven goals and did not win a single game.
These victories are important as both opponents are in the top 10 on the world list. The best way to gauge the World Cup readiness is to compete with the top team. The gap was stark in both games, and the fact of the matter is that it was a worrying trend against top European opposition.
Defensive Gaps
Defensive organization is still one of the most glaring issues. The team had taken the lead against Belgium, but allowed five goals in the game. This means that when it rolls out of control, there’s no control.
The current management has reshaped the backline quite often with injury and experimentation. Players have had to get into unaccustomed combinations and this has had a significant impact on positioning and communication. This instability results in a lot of defensive mistakes, and high level teams are always shooting down on that.
Attack Output
Defensive mechanics are obvious, attacking mechanics are more of a concern. The team only found the back of the net in the last two games, with both of those goals coming in the last game.
This has been the case as the key attackers haven’t delivered against tough teams. The main attacking leader, Christian Pulisic, has had a frustrating slump in final-3 form. He was visibly frustrated at the Portugal game and there was a general issue with the team that they were not producing from their good roots. Even good chances will not lead to results if finishing is lacking.
Squad Rotation and Chemistry
It’s been a sprint to 11 under Mauricio Pochettino. Extensive experimentation in recent windows in the international market indicates that the basic combination is not yet fully defined.
Rotation testing is important and rotation depth won’t hurt either, but it will hurt on-field chemistry if it’s too deep just before a big tournament. Players need consistent minutes together to develop an intuitive understanding, especially in high-pressure defensive transitions.
Injury Concerns
Worsened by injuries, the preparations have become more complicated. Strong midfielder Johnny Cardoso has missed the match with a serious ankle injury affecting him and disrupting plans.
There are also concerns regarding other midfield options and their fitness and form. This will cause loss of depth in an important area of the pitch. That’s certainly the case with midfield balance, especially against top sides who own possession and control the tempo of international matches.
Game Control
However, sustainable game control has been very inconsistent, beyond the final results. In both the two recent games, the team had good snippets of success but was unable to sustain it.
In the first half, they were in full swing against Portugal, but they were let down in the crucial moments. This is the trend that the concentration and structure become less concentrated and rigid for more than 90 minutes. In the World Cup, it’s an absolute must to keep the ball out of the net all the way through the match.
Pressure of Expectations
The pressure is on in the context of hosting the World Cup. After a surprise 2-2 draw with Germany, the USMNT is now in the top 15 in the world, but well outside the tournament favorites.
But, as with all domestic games, home crowds and the media have higher expectations. This renders the tactical execution an extremely high-stakes game that has to evolve quickly to meet internal performance goals and enormous external pressure.
There is palpable concern over the USMNT because of what they see. There are many factors that play a role including defensive instability, poor attacking performance, a lack of a starting rotation, and injury timing.
These are not insurmountable and a few flashes of high pressing have been witnessed from the team. But there is a very short window for adjustments. With these structural flaws against the best, the USMNT could find itself in its biggest tournament in decades without any stability.
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