The USMNT is back in action just a few short weeks after the European club seasons started. After the Gold Cup, the team will now feature it’s star players who missed that tournament. Mauricio Pochettino should have a good grasp on who is in the mix for the World Cup and this international break will give him the chance to whittle that list down further. He’s called in a roster featuring players from MLS and sides in Europe, plus Liga MX, but has left off a number of regulars including Yunis Musah,
Weston McKinnie, and Johnny Cardoso.
Notably, Poch opted to bring back Matt Freese after a Gold Cup performance that begs the question, “is he good actually?” Goalkeeper has been at times a question mark and others a massive void for the USMNT going back a decade or more at this point. It does not seem as if the player pool has a netminder capable of putting the team on his back if needed, so finding one that is at least consistent would bring some relief as the World Cup approaches. It seems like Freese is being given the chance to show he’s that player as his competition for minutes this window is Roman Celentano and Jonathan Klinsmann.
Elsewhere for the USA a place to watch is on the opposite end of the pitch where someone is needed to fill the no. 9 shirt. There has been a revolving door at that spot since the days of Jozy Altidore but it looks as if Josh Sargent is the leading contender to make the role his. He is coming off of a year in which he was the player of the season and made the EFL team of the season with Norwich. Sargent is also showing leadership abilities and wears the armband for the Canaries. He has shown he can score and be invaluable to his club, if he can do the same this window it will go a long way in solving the problem of not being able to put the ball in the net the USMNT has had in recent years.
Tactically, there’s little reason to think Poch will stray far from pressing and keeping possession in order to breakdown South Korea. It’s an approach that the USMNT is still adapting to and has struggled with as the four game losing streak earlier this year can attest to. However, Poch has shown when he has the players that can play his style his teams can out punch their weight. That’s something the USA will need to do if it makes a run in the World Cup next summer.
As far as South Korea, the USA will be facing Jurgen Klinsmann’s old team. It’s somewhat difficult to discuss what the team may do in the game since most of their recent opponents have ceded the ball to them. However, against a similar opponent in Japan, South Korea kept 59% of the ball so the strong possession numbers versus weaker opposition can’t be written off.
That said, the team likes to line up with two defensive midfielders and it’s 4-2-3-1 formation is well tuned to break up attacking moves before producing much threat. The USA might find itself playing wide in that case and that has not exactly been a strong point for the team under Poch. In the attack the team will look to get the ball to Son Heung-min, a player the USMNT manager is well acquainted with. Son has lost a step since the days when he was a top scorer in the Premier League, but his movement, finishing, and ability to find space cannot be overlooked.
The USA is running out of time to show it’s ready for the World Cup. Tough opponents will be hard to come by as the tournament approaches and South Korea offers that. In the most recent meetings against Switzerland, Turkiye, and Mexico the Americans have shown they aren’t up to the task of beating teams they will need to overcome to be successful next summer. Friendly or not, winning is winning and the team needs to show it can do the right things to get results sooner rather than later.
