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U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is deep into preparations for the 2026 World Cup, a challenging process that has caused him "to suffer," as the Argentine manager admitted last week, with the tournament now just over 10 weeks away.
Pochettino has tested numerous player combinations, tactical shapes and starting lineups in the final matches before this summer's showcase. His appetite for experimentation was on full display again Tuesday night when the USMNT was comfortably beaten by fifth-ranked Portugal, 2–0, drawing sharp commentary from USMNT icon Clint Dempsey.
What Formation Did Pochettino Try?
Despite the consistent—and effective—three-back system he deployed last autumn, Pochettino opted to test out a 4–3–3 formation. Christian Pulisic was handed the starting center forward position—an unfamiliar spot for the USMNT star; though he was intended to function more as a "false nine," drifting deeper into midfield rather than serving as a conventional striker higher up the pitch.
This arrangement left USMNT strikers Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang on the outside looking in, with no clear role available for them on the field.
"If I'm one of those forwards, I'm going to be pissed," Dempsey told Men in Blazers on Wednesday. "They've been performing really well, and they're chomping at the bit to get on and to do more for the national team."
Dempsey was a standout forward and captain of the USMNT from 2004 to 2017, earning 141 caps during that period, and remains the USMNT's all-time joint-leading scorer with 57 goals, level with fellow legend Landon Donovan.
Pulisic typically plays out wide or as an attacking midfielder. Dempsey attributed Pochettino's unconventional tactical tweak to defensive considerations.
"It's either a situation where they thought, 'Alright, let's rest Christian in terms of his defensive responsibility and allow him to have more energy going forward,' or they thought that he couldn't do a [good] job defensively, so I don't know what the answer is to that," Dempsey said.
Pochettino, however, told reporters following the match that he positioned Pulisic there to "help a little bit" in getting him on the scoresheet. Even so, Pulisic's adjusted role did nothing to help the AC Milan star snap his goalless run. He has now gone 15 matches without finding the net across all competitions and eight games in a U.S. Soccer shirt, last scoring for the Stars and Stripes back in November 2024.
Agyemang came on for Pulisic in the second half to play a more traditional forward role; however, he too was unable to create anything meaningful in front of goal.
"When you get the chance to come onto the game, you have a point to prove, and it didn't look like much happened there," Dempsey added.