Unfazed by the literal spotlight and the fact that he was seated next to his boss and his boss’s boss, Mauricio Pochettino opened up about his plans for a new and improved version of the U.S. men’s national team during his introductory press conference. One of those plans? Make the USMNT a disruptive, heat-seeking defensive outfit.
“When we don't have the ball, we need to run,” the Argentine said at a table in New York days after being appointed as the U.S.’s new head coach. “We need to be aggressive.”
Today, there are plenty of issues facing the USMNT less than a year out from the next World Cup. Pochettino’s recent squad selections have earned the most ire, with Christian Pulisic being left at home for a pair of June friendlies and Weston McKennie not getting the call for the ongoing September window. Regardless of who’s been on the field for Pochettino’s USMNT, the team has consistently lacked in one crucial phase of play: the press.
Whether due to an opponent not wanting to risk playing in tight spaces against the United States (see: huge chunks of the Gold Cup and the clash with Canada in March) or Pochettino’s team opting to focus on a different phase (see: the road friendly in Mexico last October), the USMNT hasn’t truly pressed in all 17 games under Pochettino. But in games against teams eager to hit short passes through pressure (like most of the teams that make a deep run at the World Cup will), the U.S. press has lagged. Like, really lagged.
Don’t take my word for it. Take the tape’s word for it. There’s spools and spools of it.
The first real defensive worrying sign came in March against Panama with a spot in Pochettino’s first international final up for grabs. Setting up in a 4-4-2 pressing shape, the USMNT had all sorts of issues containing Panama’s buildup in the Concacaf Nations League semis. With Tyler Adams and Tanner Tessmann stepping out of central midfield to pressure the opposing double pivot, Panama simply dropped an attacker behind the U.S.’s midfield line and into a swath of green grass — over and over and over again.
