When the United States men’s national team defeated Paraguay 4-1 in its World Cup opener, it was the team’s best performance since its 5-1 win over Uruguay in November. When only looking at competitive games, one would have to go back years to find a performance as strong. The puzzling aspect of the U.S. team is that it looked far from ready to compete in March, when it played poorly in losses to Belgium and Portugal.
So, what changed? Why was the team able to play much better soccer now than in March? What has Mauricio Pochettino done differently?
Well, for starters, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves as it was just one very good game, specifically one half, into this tournament. In the World Cup, just because a team starts off well doesn’t guarantee anything. Just ask Saudi Arabia in 2022 after its win over Argentina in its first game.
That being said, there is a lot of excitement, optimism and energy surrounding the U.S. team right now, and that is a good thing. And here is specifically where the team appears to be much better than three months ago.
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There is a very good argument that Tyler Adams is the most essential player to the U.S. team’s success. He has no proven backup, and if he is not on the field, the U.S. team must change its entire tactical approach. Adams was not on the March roster due to injury and was immediately noticeable.
What Adams does is shield the backline, cover tons of ground defensively and doesn’t make many mistakes with the ball. His passing is typically not very ambitious, but he does provide the players in front of him with a lot of comfort.
Throughout his career, Adams has dealt with injuries, but he has a good habit of getting healthy at the right time. He was injured for the March friendlies, but he finished the season very strongly at AFC Bournemouth, helping the team to its first qualification for a European tournament. And he arrived at the World Cup camp in great form.
Against Paraguay, Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic earned much of the attention, but Adams played a big part in why Paraguay struggled to get the ball into the final third. The statistics back it up. Adams won seven of 10 ground duels, had two interceptions, added four clearances and drew three fouls. Adams had 80 touches and made few mistakes.
One of the mistakes he made was picking up a yellow card, and Pochettino must manage that. The likely scenario is that Adams starts against Australia and if the U.S. secures at least a point and Adams does pick up another card, Adams is rested against Türkiye to avoid a situation where he would be suspended for the first knockout game. Under the current World Cup rules, card accumulations are wiped clean after the group stage, but suspensions carry over.
But this World Cup is yet another indication of how important Adams is to the USMNT. Unfortunately, the team is likely to miss him in an upcoming game.
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Exactly one year ago, Alex Freeman was less than halfway into his first season as a starter for Orlando City. Now in June 2026, Freeman is at Villarreal and is a World Cup starter. His development in 12 months has been phenomenal.
At the Gold Cup in 2025, Freeman was a straight right back in a 4-3-3 formation. Now he plays the hybrid defensive position that makes everything click. In possession, he is a central defender who occasionally can move forward, which is something he does well. Then, in defense, he is a traditional right back that is effectively able to defend top wingers.
Of course, Freeman has an elite level of athleticism, but his “soccer brain” is growing just as quickly. Against Paraguay, he looked fully ready to play his sophisticated role at the highest level.
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Typically, Malik Tillman has been seen as a playmaking No. 10 or occasionally as a winger for the U.S. team. Weston McKennie is the most versatile player on the team who has shifted around to various positions.
In the tune-up friendlies and now in the first game of the World Cup, Tillman has been playing deeper than he ever has with the team (alongside or just in front of Adams), while McKennie has the advanced playmaking position where Tillman used to play.
It has been a very successful tactical adjustment from Pochettino, and it gives the team a better link between offense and defense in Tillman, and it puts McKennie closer to goal where he has been better with Juventus.
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