ATLANTA – It's never too late to experiment.
At least, not if you're Mauricio Pochettino. The U.S. manager rolled out an unexpected tactical twist for his team's final game before the World Cup roster is released in May. That final game, of course, ended in a 2-0 loss to Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday evening.
From that tactical change-up to a goalkeeping battle, here's a collection of seven thoughts on what unfolded against the Portuguese:
A striker-less lineup
The major surprise when the starting eleven was revealed was the lack of a traditional No. 9, with Christian Pulisic deployed as the striker instead. Postgame, Pochettino noted Pulisic’s usage up top for AC Milan, though at club level he plays alongside another true attacker.
As opposed to rotating in Ricardo Pepi or Patrick Agyemang – who, of course, created the second U.S. goal together on Saturday against Belgium – the USMNT manager leaned all the way into prioritizing freedom for Pulisic along with Weston McKennie. While there was space for Pulisic to exploit when he could turn and run at the Portuguese back line, the predictable aspect of this trade off was the lack of hold up play that could buy the U.S. time to progress the ball.
Early in the first half, a pass from Alex Freeman towards the center circle that would normally have been an easy feed for a traditional center forward was one that Pulisic couldn’t control. Despite the positive, energetic start, that play foreshadowed how the U.S. would miss a physical presence up top.
