Talking Tactics: Inside Mauricio Pochettino’s aggressive USMNT blueprint after statement World Cup wins over Paraguay and Australia

It was Alfaro who referred to the USMNT shape as the "Pentagon", and it's a fair description. It's because, at any given point, there were five attacking players in dangerous places to give his team hell. It wasn't totally accurate, though, as there were, generally, six players pretty high up.

Those six were Folarin Balogun up top, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Malik Tillman creating havoc somewhat centrally, and Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest bombing high out wide. With those six, the U.S. had a repeatable numerical advantage that they routinely made the most of.

A general sequence would look like this: McKennie would bomb forward past the centerbacks, taking his mark with him, while Tillman would drift into that little pocket vacated. Then, when a defender pulled to him, the U.S. would spray it wide to either Pulisic or Dest. Pulisic or Dest would then, at worst, have a defender one-on-one, and it was off to the races. Paraguay never really figured out what to do in those moments when McKennie pushed super high, and they surely didn't have any answers for Pulisic or Dest one-on-one.

From there, it was essentially rinse and repeat, but from different angles. Dest and Pulisic had a field day dribbling past defenders. Paraguay never adjusted to anything McKennie was doing. Balogun, meanwhile, was given opportunities to gallop into space in the few moments they tried to salvage the game. Every time Paraguay tried to throw numbers forward to change things, the Balogun threat reminded them why they couldn't, which is why they were essentially resigned to being outnumbered and overrun, over and over again.

The sequences may have looked somewhat different each time, but the concepts weren't. The idea was to attack in numbers that would, quite simply, overwhelm Paraguay's low block. They never found an answer, and when you factor in the USMNT's talent, you end up with four goals.

That was the first win. The second one looked slightly different.

With Pulisic out due to injury, Pochettino was forced into a decision, and it was going to be a crucial one. How do you replace Pulisic? And, given the fact that it can't be like-for-like, what tweaks would he make to accommodate that replacement?

The replacement was Ricardo Pepi, and it became abundantly clear why fairly early into the USMNT's battle with Australia.

The Socceroos' style of play is no secret: a tough, physical five-at-the-back with real purpose on the counter. To combat that, Pochettino didn't reinvent the wheel, but went with an old concept. Central defenders generally like battling strikers in numbers so, if he started two with Balogun and Pepi, that would occupy Australia's back three. That meant that Australia's wingbacks would then be one-on-one with the USMNT's wide players. Pochettino couldn't create numbers in the center of the field, but he could create numbers out wide.

That's what the USMNT did. The Americans crushed Australia, in particular, on the right-hand side. It was on that side that Dest and McKennie would combine over and over again. If a defender pulled to Dest, McKennie would run into space, or vice versa. The center backs, meanwhile, were left stuck watching the two strikers, both of whom have proven to be deadly finishers. The U.S. did that over and over again.

"Their quality is clear, their power is clear, their athleticism is clear," Australia manager Tony Popovic said. "There are no surprises in what they did."

It pinned Australia deep and, even in the moments where the U.S. didn't create a chance, they turned the ball over deep in Australia's corner, which ignited the counterpress.

"To be honest, [Pochettino] has always given us different ideas to attack, so to play with Pepi today wasn't a shock," Balogun said. "It wasn't like a plan B because CP [Christian Pulisic] was out. It didn't feel like that to me. It just felt like another solution to win the game."

While there were slight differences between the two games, the concepts remain the same. Numerical advantages are the name of the game. The secret is, though, that everything isn't defined by what the USMNT do on the ball, but rather what they do off it.

The big uniting principle in the two games is the press. It is aggressive and quick and, so far, impossible to deal with. The moment the USMNT lose the ball, the team swarms, and it swarms in packs. After most turnovers, the team has seven players in the attacking end fighting to win it back, and neither Australia nor Paraguay had the ability to cope.

Even the team's other three players, Tim Ream, Chris Richards and Alex Freeman played high, too. Against Paraguay, they were often stationed several yards into Paraguay's half, eager to swat away any hopeful long balls. That's largely what happened: after a few too many turnovers caused by the USMNT press, the best bet was to hoof it long and hope Ream, Richards or Freeman messed up. They never did, which meant the USMNT immediately had the ball back every time.

The numbers say how effective this was. Against Paraguay, they had 65 percent possession. They had 277 passes in the opposing half compared to just 68 for Paraguay. They had 53 touches in the box compared to just 11 for the opponent. Against Australia, more of the same: 63 percent possession and more than twice as many passes in the opposing half as the Socceroos had.

So, while everyone is eager to break down what the USMNT does on the ball, and rightfully so, it's all about what the U.S. does off of it. Those moments are defined by relentless, but organized, pressure that, ultimately, ensures the team doesn't lack the ball for too long.

"They're very powerful, very cohesive," Popovic explained. "They have a lot of players, even the ones who come on [as substitutes], with experience and quality."

There's a word that often comes up: aggressive.

Both Pochettino and his players use it often. Many interpret it as being willing to battle the opponent. It's seen as a willingness to fight, both literally and metaphorically, for the team and for the badge.

Aggression does have a second meaning, though. Aggression also defines how the USMNT plays from a tactical point of view.

There's nothing passive about what the U.S. does. When they have the ball, there are defined ideas to make the opponent uncomfortable. When they don't, there is a quick, unrelenting press to make sure the team gets it back quickly. Every single facet of the game is done with purpose, speed, and yes, aggression. Nothing is left to chance, and nothing is allowed to be done on the opponent's terms.

That, essentially, is the key to Pochettino ball at the moment: it's played on his terms. The USMNT is dictating play in every facet, and they're doing so with their own principles. So far, it's been wildly successful. It's easy to see why, as Pochettino puts his players in a position where they will have superiority and then allows them to take it from there. There's no overcoaching or rigidity, but rather big ole concepts that allow his players to succeed in repeatable, but different, ways.

Will they be repeatable going forward? That's the big question. The USMNT now have four strong games on film for other teams to review. There will be some teams that are too good to be overwhelmed in the ways that Australia and Paraguay were. There will be, at some point in this competition, teams that won't fold but will instead put the USMNT under pressure.

What happens then? The answer to that question will ultimately define how far this team goes, but if these first two games are any indication, Pochettino seems to have a plan for his players to execute and, from there, it's up to them.