Talking Tactics: The USMNT were set up to fail against Belgium - and a calamitous collapse served up more questions than answers

What first needs addressing here is the scoreline.

Losing 5-2 does not look good in any context. It looks even worse when you consider that the game was played on home turf, against a Belgium side that is rather in between generations, missing their star goalkeeper and counting on the talents of an aging attacking midfielder running on a total of a quarter of a hamstring.

Yet there is some nuance here. For 35 or so minutes, the U.S. looked pretty good. There was some rhetoric, immediately following the game, that the Americans had the better of the play. Both coaches conceded that, at times, the home team may have had the slight upper hand. That's perhaps a little bit generous. Sure, the U.S. took the game to Belgium, and matched them in all of the good vibes, coach-speak kind of ways: winning duels, pressing at the right moments, showing attacking intent.

"The moment we matched the intensity of Belgium, we were even or better,” Pochettino said. “The problem was to keep that intensity.”

Belgium, perhaps, weren't quite ready for that, and Weston McKennie's 39th-minute opener was deserved (even though it was partially a product of some woeful marking from a corner).

But if that is true, then so is the fact that Belgium were good value for their equalizer. Center back Zeno Debast (total career goals heading into Saturday: two) spanked one in from 25 yards. Belgium had enjoyed a good spell. Absurd? Perhaps. But sometimes footballers just score very good goals.

A 1-1 score at half time was about fair - even if the U.S. would have wanted to hang on to their lead.

And then the difference between a good team and a very good one showed. Belgium made one mistake and recovered. The U.S., meanwhile, made a series of small errors - and never did.

The one who gifted Belgium their second goal was curious. Tim Weah - famously not a right back - was rinsed by Doku all day. He was nowhere to be found as the winger scampered down the left. Mark McKenize had to slide across. This supposedly top-quality defender showed Doku onto his stronger foot, while the defensive midfielder behind him, Tanner Tessman, simply watched it all unfold. The U.S. defense collapsed, scrambling to cut off the shot. The ball fell to Amadou Onana, who had far too much time and finished easily.

"In the way we considered the first goal. In this action, I think we have 10 players inside the box, but we weren't aggressive enough," Pochettino said.

What followed was a bit of a mess. From Ream’s hand to Arfsten’s positioning to Berhalter’s deflection, the errors piled up.

That the U.S. got one back thanks to a Belgium error only shined what was an otherwise pretty miserable 45 minutes.

And that is the difference in games like these. The U.S.'s schedule from the fall forward has felt a bit like a progression in terms of quality of opponent. Ecuador and Australia are the types of sides you have to beat in a group stage. The UMSNT won one and tied the other. Paraguay and Uruguay are of a similar level - or perhaps a generous knockout opponent. The U.S. beat both.

Belgium - and soon Portugal - are basically the elite. These are the kind of teams that the U.S., historically, have lost to in major competitions. More simply, these are the guys who really should beat you. Make no mistake, the U.S. are outmatched here, both in terms of pedigree and outright quality.

But that, too, is why this should have been such a good test. The U.S.’s calling card, we’re told, is that they can at least make life difficult for the big guns. For 35 minutes, they did. Then Belgium woke up, the U.S. failed to react, and the game got away from them in a hurry.

"We need to keep that energy up the whole time. I think that is the challenge. That challenge is a good reality check for us because now is the moment to feel this type of situation," Pochettino said.

This was evidence, then, of what can happen when levels drop, when focus is lost. Mauricio Pochettino seems to spend a lot of time tapping his head, saying "we are the USA" and harping on about the tiny details of games. This is why.

Yet what doesn't quite add up here is that there were clearly still some experiments going on. Indeed, if this was about winning, then the U.S. didn't always put themselves in the best positions - in terms of personnel or tactics.

Pochettino has set up this side in a 3-4-2-1 for four and a half games now. It's a solid system that offers the right balance, gets the best out of their best players, and covers up a few cracks defensively. It, in theory, allows the U.S. to double-team wingers, defend in a mid-block at the right times, and hit on the break. All of the evidence of the last few months has suggested that if the U.S. are to be anything close to competitive this summer, it will be in that very system.

Yet that was abandoned on Saturday night. What we had instead was a paper-thin 4-2-3-1 that no one really benefited from.

There's probably a really good footballer somewhere in Tim Weah. But if he is lurking, it's certainly not one that needs to be used at right back against the most effective winger in the Premier League. And even if that is the case, surely there would be a compelling argument to put in the kind of defensive structure to double - if not triple team - every time Doku came anywhere near the ball. A three-at-the-back system would have allowed for that. Instead, Weah was left on an island, and torn to shreds.

The same was true at the other end. What, exactly, was the plan with Christian Pulisic here? To be sure, star players are given a certain amount of freedom. But Pulisic started on the left, came too deep when he seemed frustrated not to be on the ball enough, and wandered around in the bits in between. The result was a cramped final third and a star player dribbling down a lot of blind alleys. He created just one chance for a teammate and lashed wide with the goal gaping early in the second half. By the end of it all, he looked grumpy on the bench after a poor 70 minutes of work.

"I feel I can do better on one of the chances," Pulisic said after the game. "It's frustrating for me. It's been a tough patch, but I feel confident in the way I'm playing, and I feel good creating chances."

Folarin Balogun will take some stick for his 14 total touches, but he spent most of the game with his back to goal while balls were fizzed into his feet quicker than he could blink. McKennie might have found the net, but his showing (12 of 22 passes completed, 0 tackles won) wasn't one to remember.

The point is, this was a system that didn't really seem to get the best out of anyone, at any point.

And that’s when the real question comes in: what did Pochettino actually want from this game?

Because if it was control, this wasn’t it. The U.S. didn’t manage the tempo, didn’t limit chances, and never looked settled. You can survive chaos at this level - but only if you’re in control of it. The U.S. weren’t, and the game slipped away.

So perhaps it's down to individual learning, then. Johnny Cardoso was handed a start here in what was perhaps an audition to partner Tyler Adams at the World Cup. He came off after a planned 45-minute appearance. Pochettino can't take loads from nothing more than an agreeable half from a player still figuring it out in this team, a little bit. Tessmann was handed a chance - there was even a speculation that he could play as a center back - but his defensive work will surely be cause for concern. Malik Tillman seems to be in a straight battle with Gio Reyna and Diego Luna for an attacking midfield spot. This wasn't a game that would have sealed a spot on the team.

There are, admittedly, a few definites. Weah cannot play right back in a 4-2-3-1. Antonee Robinson is the best defender in this team by some distance. Tyler Adams is absolutely crucial in central midfield. Tim Ream, although lacking in pace, can still be trusted despite some costly mistakes. Weston McKennie is imperfect, but should be on the pitch.

"It’s only a game. It’s only a game that nothing [went] for us,” Pochettino said. “Disappointed with the result, but seeing the performance, we cannot say [any individual player] didn’t perform.”

But most of those things were learned at the expense of a scoreline. So, yes, maybe the USMNT got a little clarity about individuals on Saturday night. But with the World Cup clock ticking away, we're no closer to seeing what, exactly, this team truly can be on home soil.