Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT Tactics 2024: A Tactical Revolution In Progress

Edin Halilović - Total Football Analyst

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Following a disappointing showing at this past summer’s Copa América as tournament hosts, Gregg Berhalter was relieved of his duties as the United States men’s national team manager.

This ended his second tenure in the position just shy of the one-year mark.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming, the United States Soccer Federation decided to make a change in the dugout.

Berhalter was not deemed the man to lead them into the showpiece event following poor results in his second stint, culminating in that Copa América group stage exit.

A search that lasted two months then began and ended with USSF finding their man to lead them in their most significant hour in two summers’ time, none other than Mauricio Pochettino.

Following stints at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Pochettino had been out of work since mutually parting ways with the latter club at the end of last season.

For many USMNT followers, hiring an internationally recognised manager to lead them into the World Cup on home soil and bring new ideas and ways of thinking to the sport stateside, akin to what Jürgen Klinsmann did a decade ago, was a desire.

On paper, Pochettino ticks all those boxes and is a far more successful manager on the other side of the pond than the German.

Pochettino’s CV includes a Ligue 1 title, Premier League runners-up, and UEFA Champions League final appearance.

The manager’s resumé, regarding elite European club football pedigree, is only bettered by two-time European Cup winner Dettmar Cramer (who managed the U.S. briefly in 1974).

Four games into his new position, there’s enough evidence already to glimpse what Mauricio will do with the U.S. as the nation begins a new process of leading them to their second-ever World Cup on home soil.

This tactical and data analysis will examine the early days of the Pochettino era, the changes made since Copa América, and what USMNT fans can look forward to under the Argentine manager.

USMNT Formations & Personnel Changes

Wherever he’s managed, be it in England, France, or Spain, Pochettino’s preferred formation has always been a 4-2-3-1, emphasizing high-pressing and attacking football.

Coming into the USMNT job, he was expected to try to implement a similar system and philosophy, given that he’s done it everywhere he’s been on every budget he’s ever worked on, from Espanyol and Southampton to Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Mauricio Pochettino Formations At Chelsea

Above, we can see some of his most common formations at Chelsea last season, with variants including three-man defensive set-ups, wing-backs, and two forwards in addition to his main 4-2-3-1 scheme.