🇺🇸 USA

Pochettino deploys a 4-3-3 built around relentless pressing from the front, with Pulisic operating as a wide forward who inverts centrally. Tyler Adams anchors the midfield, screening the defence and recycling possession, while McKennie pushes forward from the right of a three. Antonee Robinson provides width and attacking thrust from left-back, and Brenden Aaronson offers pressing intensity off the bench or in a rotational role higher up.

Christian Pulisic remains the engine of this attack — his directness and ability to cut inside from the left at AC Milan have made him one of Serie A's more reliable wide forwards, and he arrives at a home World Cup as the undisputed face of American soccer. Folarin Balogun's sharp movement and clinical finishing in Ligue 1 with AS Monaco offer a different dimension up front, while Weston McKennie's box-to-box aggression and aerial threat from Juventus give the midfield genuine physicality.

The USA's greatest asset is their European-based talent pool — Pulisic, McKennie, Adams, and Tim Weah all play at high levels weekly. Antonee Robinson's athleticism at left-back creates consistent overloads wide, and home-crowd energy in stadiums like MetLife and SoFi could prove a decisive psychological edge.

Finishing has been a persistent problem — Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are inconsistent at international level, and the team has repeatedly failed to convert dominance into goals. Depth in central defence is also a concern, with Chris Richards and Miles Robinson both carrying injury histories that have disrupted their form.