Continuing role development for Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, Christian's Pulisic's health and a telling decision at goalkeeper: Five keys for USMNT vs Australia

Before the game against Ecuador, Tim Weah described his role as a "fake wingback." Pochettino laughed when asked about it postgame. It's true - Weah was a wingback in name only. By and large, he was a winger.

"When I said 'fake wingback' it really just meant that I would be doing less defending because Miles [Robinson] was covering the whole time," Weah said postgame. "That was pretty much it. When we attacked, I didn't really have to track back as much."

It's an interesting tactical wrinkle one that, ultimately, could keep Weah on the field in this 3-4-2-1 system. Weah is an accomplished wingback on the club level, yes, but there's no denying where his skill lies: bombing forward. In this setup, he can do that as much as he wants, knowing that he has that third back sliding to cover that area for whenever possession switches.

Will this be how things look when Sergino Dest is back? Will Weah or Dest be the starter when that time comes? That is a question for another day.

Tuesday's game is another chance to see what Pochettino does with his wingbacks. If it's Weah on that right side, you can expect more of the same. If it's Alex Freeman, he may stay a little deeper. But given his success with Orlando City, he may have freedom to bomb forward, too. 

The system is still somewhat new, but it's one that seemingly already has a few wrinkles that can be expanded on going forward.

As Weah said, Miles Robinson did a lot of important work in that third centerback role. With Weah going forward, it was up to Robinson to keep control on that right-hand side of the field when Ecuador did get forward. However, Robinson isn't the only centerback in this squad fighting for a chance.

Mark McKenzie remains a candidate to start for the USMNT if this three-centerback system sticks. He plays there plenty with Toulouse, making him a natural candidate to start alongside Chris Richards and Tim Ream. The former Philadelphia Union defender will be eager to get back onto the field, though, as he looks to put a tough summer behind him.

Then there's Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is back in the team for the first time since March. A standout at Celtic for so long, Carter-Vickers still faces a fight to get into another World Cup roster after featuring in 2022. With Celtic out of European competition, that fight is even harder, and one that could really use a strong performance in defense.

So, whether it's Robinson, McKenzie or Carter-Vickers, that third centerback spot remains one to watch as the fight for World Cup roles continues.

"What we're looking for is the capacity to sustain what we want," Pochettino said. "We play with three central defenders sometimes. What we want is for them to adapt in different situations...The most important is communication and then can we build out being dynamic or how we play in the opposite half, depending on the opponent having one striker or two strikers? Right now, it's all about building the gameplan for every single game because the opponent is different, and then trying to find the best system for them to adapt."

Pochettino indicated on Friday that Christian Pulisic could be ready for Tuesday. 

"Christian didn't train yesterday. He's [been] suffering, from the preseason, a small issue in his ankle," Pochettino said at the time. "After training on Wednesday, his ankle was a little bit swollen. It's an important game, yes, but at the same time, it's important to not take risks. Of course, he's going to be on the bench, and we'll see. We will decide if maybe he can play. If not, the goal is to be ready next Tuesday."

Pulisic, of course, did play in the draw. He came in for a few minutes off the bench, showing that the injury is nothing to be particularly worried about. Throughout his tenure as USMNT boss, Pochettino has avoided risking players. But if Friday is any indication, there doesn't seem to be any overwhelming risk to giving Pulisic some run in the attack.

"Christian participated in the training session," Pochettino said on Monday. "I think the reaction after the 20 minutes of playing was good. He's arrived very well and, yes, we hope that tomorrow he can be available. We need to wait today and see the reaction,t oo, but I think it's much, much better than when we arrived."

How much does he play on Tuesday? Only Pochettino knows. Obviously, the USMNT will be better if he is healthy and available.

Both Pochettino and McKennie used the word on Friday: "Freedom." It's something that a player such as McKennie needs. He can impact a game in so many ways on both sides of the ball, so giving him the freedom to do that is vital.

It was also interesting, though, how Pochettino described McKennie postgame, when he hinted that he sees him as more of an attacking midfielder than one competing for one of those holding spots.

"I think we have the capacity now to throw him in a higher position to interpret and read the demands of the game," Pochettino said. "What I wanted was to provide him with a little bit of freedom in the starting position. He was playing behind the striker like another 10 with Malik [Tillman] on the left and Tim on the right. He's a player that needs that freedom because he has the capacity to help in build up, dropping in, but also arriving and scoring goals."

That, of course, will have ramifications long-term. If he's seen as a No. 10, that means he's competing with the likes of Tillman, Diego Luna and Alex Zendejas, not Tyler Adams, Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Johnny Cardoso. He, of course, could play in either spot but, when it comes time to choose a squad, it'll be interesting to see how Pochettino weighs up McKennie's position.

Speaking of weight, McKennie addressed his own fitness in candid fashion after Friday's match, telling TNT, "I had a long preseason with my coach back in Juventus, Igor Tudor, that really put pressure on me and said, ‘Hey, you’re getting older and your body is not going to be able to bounce back from games like you used to be able to. You need to cut down some weight. That’s the only way you’re going to be involved in this team.’

"I put my head down, worked like I usually do, got on a diet. I don’t snack as much any more and if I do, it’s healthy snacks. And I work out more often. And a lot of running. This summer is the first summer I didn't mind taking my shirt off at the pool."

As for the Australia game, McKennie remains one to watch as he looks to put in another good performance after missing out on the summer with Juventus in the Club World Cup. Making it all the more interesting is his position and how much freedom it comes with this time around.

It's not often you can read too much into a friendly lineup decision. But this one?

Here's the scenario: if Matt Freese starts again at goalkeeper - a position he's held down since the Gold Cup - that's a very good sign. It would mean that Pochettino's primary objective is to get him reps in goal because he sees Freese as the guy. Another start from the NYCFC goalkeeper would indicate that the starting job is very much his to lose.

However, If Freese doesn't start, then that door creaks open. Longtime USMNT keeper Matt Turner would be the obvious candidate behind Freese. Back playing with the New England Revolution, Turner has the tools to get back into the race. A start for Turner, and perhaps even a good performance, could ignite the goalkeeper debate.

Australia will provide some tests and likely some opportunities to make a play. Whoever starts - Freese, Turner or one of the other two goalkeepers in the roster - will have to make those plays. Freese starting the first game of the window was about keeping calm and continuing to build him up. Whether he starts the second game, though, will provide a more clear indication of where the competition sits .