Mauricio Pochettino has kept fans guessing ahead of the USMNT’s World Cup opener against Paraguay.
Throughout his tenure, the American head coach has experimented with different players and systems, leaving questions around the back line, midfield balance and where best to use Sergiño Dest. That uncertainty has become a storyline in itself in the build-up to the tournament.
Now, soccer analyst Stu Holden has put forward his predicted starting XI, and Clint Dempsey, one of the most iconic players in USMNT history, thinks it is probably what fans will see.
Clint Dempsey agrees with Stu Holden’s USMNT lineup prediction
Holden’s projected team lines up in a 4-2-3-1, with Matt Freese in goal behind a back four of Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson. Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are in midfield, while Dest, Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic lead the attack.
It is a lineup that is similar to the one that lost 2-1 to Germany in the team’s final pre-World Cup friendly, with Richards coming in for Miles Robinson at centre-back. It also means Pochettino would use Dest on the right wing, rather than Giovanni Reyna or Tim Weah.
Dempsey largely agreed with the prediction but highlighted the need for better chemistry up front.
“I think this is a lineup that we’re gonna see. The only thing I’m a little bit worried about is the link-up play between Christian and Balogun,” he began by saying.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure on Christian to create and he’s dangerous in the attack… But I would like to see him give it and get it back again, and get Balogun more touches because I think, if they’re gonna be successful, they got to feel like they have a better partnership and they’re both creating something.”
That is the big question for Pochettino. The formation matters, but the USMNT’s opener may heavily hinge on whether Pulisic and Balogun can turn possession into a real partnership.
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