INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It’s in the title, folks. After each USMNT game at the World Cup, Backheeled will dive into the biggest Winners and Losers. Let’s get right to our dissection of the United States’ 4-1 opening win over Paraguay, shall we?
The World Cup is here. So is our biggest discount ever.
Winner: Mauricio Pochettino’s bet on culture over chemistry
Quick, guess how many times Mauricio Pochettino had used the starting lineup he trotted out in a dominant victory over Paraguay. If you guessed zero, congratulations! You win a prize. Alright, fine, you got me. There is no prize other than the pride of being right and, potentially, being smarter than your fellow readers.
Ever since Pochettino was so dismayed by his team’s attitude and performance against Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in March of last year, the manager has prioritized culture and effort over chemistry and reps at every turn. If you’re looking for the evidence behind that statement, look no further than Pochettino choosing to leave Pulisic at home for all of last summer rather than have him play the USMNT’s two pre-Gold Cup friendlies before getting his desired rest.
In all, Pochettino used a staggering 71 players before naming his World Cup roster – and even with that roster named, he opted to use a mixture of first- and second-choice players for the team’s penultimate friendly against Senegal. Then, in the team’s ultimate friendly against Germany, the U.S. coach unveiled a previously untested midfield duo of Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman. And so, after 20 months of culture rehabilitation and player pool exploration, Pochettino’s team arrived at the World Cup with a previously unseen group of starters.
