'Making sure we're balanced' - Mauricio Pochettino and Co. look to break down Socceroos' stout defense as Christian Pulisic's status remains uncertain: Five keys to USMNT's World Cup clash with Australia

This is the big one, of course. So much hinges on one man’s calf. If that calf is okay, great, business as usual. If not? Well, that’s where things get interesting. 

All through the week, there hasn't been much clarity about Pulisic's status. He has trained by himself, largely doing gym work and individual drills in the moments where media has been able to watch on. When asked about Pulisic's status on Thursday, Pochettino said it will go right down to the wire.

"He was training in an individual way the whole week, but like always, I think tonight, the day before the game, we have a meeting with our medical staff, and we will assess the whole group of players, and tomorrow we will communicate on what we agree on tonight," Pochettino said. "He's evolving. He's much better from Friday. We'll see. I think at the moment, we'll see. If he is not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game, but I think he's making a massive effort, trying to be ready.

"I think, for every single player that loves their country, it is an amazing opportunity to enjoy and to help the team perform and to win games. When this type of thing happens, it is always painful, but I think Christian is strong and has a great mentality. He's making a fantastic effort to try to get ready as soon as possible."

If Pulisic is fit, don’t expect many, if any, changes to the XI. If not, there will need to be a reshuffling. Who takes Pulisic’s place? Is it Malik Tillman simply sliding higher? Does Gio Reyna’s goal buy him a start? Could Tim Weah’s pace make a difference? Brenden Aaronson’s energy? Alex Zendejas’ flair and confidence?

So many variables and so many options. Pochettino, though, will hope he doesn’t need to use any of them on Friday. 

"Christian is amazing, and he showed it against Paraguay," Tim Weah said. "His ability and what he's able to do on the ball are amazing for us. It helps us as a team, and for me, he's one of the best players I've had the opportunity to play with. I'm super proud of him, and hopefully he'll be ready for the next game."

The word used this week was “man-mountain”. The smallest of their three central defenders, Alessandro Circati, is a mere 6-foot-3. Australia have size in defense, and the Socceroos know how to use that size to frustrate teams.

They did so against Turkey in the last game. Despite the presence of top-class stars like Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz, and Hakan Calhanoglu, Turkey could do little more than smash their heads against an Australian gold wall. You don’t stop a team like that with luck; you do it with skill, organization, and that extra bit of physicality that throws players off. 

"The whole backline, they're very solid," Aaronson said. "They're very tough to play against. We know they're a five in the back of guys with size."

The USMNT has guys capable of dealing with that physicality, and players like Tillman, Folarin Balogun, Weston McKennie, and Sergino Dest will know how to deal with it from their time at the top levels of European soccer. Can they deal with it this time, though? Can they create the moments needed to weave their way past a backline that was totally resolute last time out? 

Against Paraguay, the USMNT pressed high. The second the ball was lost, red and white stripes swarmed in packs. Centerbacks played past the halfway line to collect the ball and reignite the attack. The USMNT banked on the fact that they’d win the ball before Paraguay could threaten, and they won that bet every time. 

Australia are different, though. There’s real pace there in the form of Nestory Irakunda, and that pace can break open a game at any moment, particularly against a team with one 38-year-old center back and another fresh off an ankle injury. 

"It's just making sure we're balanced, making sure we're proactive," Antonee Robinson said. "In cases where we give the ball away, it's that we're ready to try and quickly react and be in a good position where a counterattack's not as much of a problem."

It’ll be up to Pochettino to figure out the balancing of that press. They could go all out as they did against Paraguay or they could be a little bit more calculated. Both are gambles; Pochettino just has to get it right. 

The USMNT’s attacking tactics against Paraguay were complicated but also remarkably simple. To make it easy, you just needed to watch the midfield. 

Time and time again, McKennie and Tillman drove straight into the heart of the Paraguay defense. They ran deeper than most players in their positions would, forcing Paraguay to respond. Then, when they did, a pocket would open up for the non-runner, continuing a domino effect as someone else pulled to close that space. From there, it was all about noticing whether it was Pulisic, Balogun or Dest left in infinite space. That’s how attacks are made. 

"The day before the game, we went over it with Mauricio, talking about the movements and where we need to cover each other, and what that looks like in transition with the ball and without the ball," Tyler Adams said. "I think we felt comfortable going into the game of what those movements look like."

A masterstroke, it must be said, but is it repeatable? Australia have good midfielders that play at a high level, and they’re seemingly better equipped to deal with the USMNT’s midfield runners. They could do so with their own talent. They could also do so with a swift kick to the shin of whoever is close enough at the time. 

The USMNT is expected to have possession, which means it’ll be up to them to see how Australia problem-solves. If the Aussies do solve things, the USMNT will need to pivot and, if that pivot doesn’t work, they’ll be left just as frustrated as Turkey was last time. 

The USMNT play with emotions. Pochettino wants it that way. He wants this team to feed off the crowd, feel that energy and turn it into intensity. That said, the Australian team is no stranger to intensity.

We saw that before in the fall when these two teams collided. The USMNT won, 2-1, but they walked out of Dick's Sporting Goods Park worse for wear. Christian Pulisic suffered an injury, while several others surely had some battle wounds from a physical clash with the Socceroos.

"That was an unofficial game, not a friendly," Pochettino said. "Did you see the game? That was not a friendly."

That intensity is a baseline, particularly at the World Cup. Given the stakes, it'll surely get turned up on Friday.

Fueling that intensity even more has been a recent back-and-forth in the media between pundits on either side. Both sides feel like the other is underestimating them, and both believe they have what it takes to win the group. Winning the group is vital in a tournament setting and, particularly with new tiebreaker rules, the winner of this game will be in a pretty damn good place to finish on top.

So, Friday will be all about managing that intensity and those emotions. There will be collisions. There will be hard fouls that force the referee to make a decision. There will be nasty moments where a player could lose their cool. The winning team may just be the one who manages those moments best.