USMNT: Three Things I'm Watching in the Belgium & Portugal friendlies
Poch has finally got his core group – shhh! – together and it's time to see how they adapt to his new tactical approach
There’s a very particular kind of tension that comes with friendlies at this point in the World Cup cycle – not quite must-win, not quite experimental. Something decidedly in between. The US men’s national team heads into friendlies against Belgium and Portugal knowing that, while Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup roster won’t be finalized just yet, the outlines are already there. These are the last real auditions before decisions start hardening into conclusions.
And because Mauricio Pochettino has shown a willingness to tweak both the shape of his side and the roles within it, these two games aren’t just about who plays – they’re about how they play.
So yeah, results matter. But the details matter more.
Here are three things I’ll be watching.
Weston McKennie as a 10 or an 8?
Let’s start with the most fun tactical question in this pool.
Weston McKennie has spent the past year at Juventus doing a little bit of everything. He’s been a shuttler, a connector, a wide midfielder, either fullback and, at his best, a box-crashing attacking midfielder. That versatility is the selling point – he’s a chaos agent in a good way. What he’s started to do over the past 18 months is to pair that chaos with an ability to impose structure.
