Pochettino's fluid midfield drives USA's World Cup success

For the past several seasons, many teams seeking to dominate possession have done so through rigid structures. A common shape in possession has been the 3-2-2-3 setup, featuring a box midfield—teams such as Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal have moved a full-back into midfield to achieve this. However, in this World Cup, teams have begun reimagining that strict structure, adopting a more fluid approach on the ball. One of the best examples has been Mauricio Pochettino's United States.

Fluid midfield confuses Paraguay

In their impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay last Saturday, the USA's formation was difficult to pinpoint. On paper, it appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 shape with Sergino Dest as the right winger. When the USA gained possession, however, it looked more like a three-at-the-back system—a fairly common tactic. Right-back Alex Freeman and center-backs Chris Richards and Tim Ream formed a back three, with central midfielder Tyler Adams positioned in front of them. Left-back Antonee Robinson pushed up and mirrored Dest's advanced role on the opposite flank, both hugging the touchline. Folarin Balogun stayed high as the striker, while left-winger Christian Pulisic moved infield to join midfielders Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie in central areas.

In a traditional positional system, Adams and Tillman would likely sit at the base of the midfield box, with Pulisic in the left attacking-midfield role and McKennie to his right. But the USA's approach was different. Only certain players were tasked with holding their positions: the three central defenders, the two wing-backs, and the striker. The four players making up the USA's 'box'—Adams, Tillman, McKennie, and Pulisic—were allowed to roam freely between positions, move close to each other, and even play on the same side of the pitch. Additionally, there was some fluidity between Pulisic and Robinson, as they occasionally swapped roles: one acting as the roaming central player, the other as the rigid wide-left player.

Exploiting zonal defenses

This approach posed significant problems for Paraguay, who defended in a zonal manner—meaning players were tasked with defending specific areas rather than individual opponents. The US midfielders' freedom to move allowed them to step into spaces between those defensive zones, often leaving them unmarked with time and space on the ball. By playing in close proximity to each other in the middle of the pitch, the US found another benefit: small-space passing combinations helped draw Paraguay's defenders toward the ball. Combined with clever off-ball movement to stretch the pitch, this enabled the US to find their striker with few opponents around him.

Pochettino's men looked to thread through-balls in behind early after enticing Paraguay's press, and the speedy Balogun was able to convert those chances into goals. It was impressive to see a side play in a manner that did not follow the typical shapes and patterns seen at club level. Against more formidable opposition, they may revert to a more defined positional approach. But the tactics they used worked to maximize their players' qualities: the attacking runs of Balogun, the dribbling ability of Pulisic, the engines of McKennie and Adams, and the pace of Robinson or Dest.

Next test: Australia

The USA will look to continue their fine start to the World Cup when they face Australia in Group D on Friday at 20:00 BST. Whether they maintain their fluid system or adapt to a more structured approach remains to be seen, but the early signs suggest Pochettino's tactical flexibility could be a key asset in the tournament.