Speaking of the back 3, from The Athletics match review
The USMNT’s new preferred formation?
For the second straight game, and for the first time to open an international window, Pochettino rolled out three center backs in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
When he switched to the shape after 60 minutes against South Korea last month, it was intriguing. When it worked reasonably well in a 2-0 win over Japan three days later, Pochettino and players spoke about it as a useful Plan B. “I think it’s good to have different plans, approach to the games, use different formations,” the head coach said postgame.
But when he used it from the start again on Friday, it became something more than that.
Part of the initial intrigue was key players who seemed to suit the new shape. But even with two of those players, Pulisic and Antonee Robinson, out of the starting 11 due to fitness concerns, and Sergiño Dest also absent due to injury, Pochettino went back to it. He brought in Miles Robinson as a third center back, for a first start since the loss to Turkey in June. He played McKennie and Tillman as dual No. 10s with Morris and Tessmann sitting deeper in midfield behind them. Max Arfsten and Weah played as the wingbacks.
The U.S. looked dangerous in the formation, finding space in transition but also via buildup. The formation benefitted especially from the play of Balogun, who consistently made dangerous runs, held the ball up to help spark attacks and created space for those around him.
The formation was also different, more of a hybrid, than it had been against Korea and Japan. Both of those teams had also played with three center backs. Ecuador’s back four required a U.S. defensive tweak to match up man-to-man. Without the ball, the U.S. spent most of the first half in a 4-4-2, with Tillman dropping to a left midfield position and McKennie stepping up beside Balogun. And occasionally, Weah would press high, stretching the shape into more of a 4-3-3.
Weah’s presence as the right wingback also compelled Pochettino to tweak the shape in possession. Weah often stayed high, with Miles Robinson splaying out to the right touchline in a traditional right fullback position. On one occasion, Robinson even overlapped Weah in the final third.
And here are the extended highlights for those that missed the match.