*Deep breath* I’ve been studying. Took a crack at a tactics piece here. Let me know what you think @blharreld on Twitter.

Gregg Berhalter has mentioned a couple times in interviews that Christian Pulisic is the type of player you “build around.” But what does that mean? Let’s take a look at the attacking half of the formation the US deployed in the January camp games and see what can be deduced.

One note before I get started. I was pretty irritated about the group of forwards called into camp. After thinking on it for a bit I’m trusting that the system Berhalter is trying to implement explains it…for now.

The entire forward group (minus Morris) was present for the three week January camp and doesn’t have to learn the patterns the way Sargent, Wood, Novakovich, etc. would. That frees the coaching staff up to spend time getting the new midfielders and defenders integrated. With only two days of practice before the game Thursday, that’s relevant.

Evidence from January

This is a clip from the US-Panama game in January. Lima is able to find Roldan in a pocket of space. That space is there because Baird is occupying the wide defender. Roldan then plays a nice cutback to Mihailovic who has his shot blocked. The space is available to Mihailovic because Zardes is pinning both CBs and Ebobisse is holding the RB out wide.

If you were going to design a system to create space for Pulisic (or CP and McKennie) what would it look like? Well, in this system the 9 (Zardes right now) pins/occupies the two central defenders and the wingers pin the fullbacks. A lot like what happened in the clip above.

The Setup in Possession (against a 4-4-2)

The above graphic is roughly the formation the US (Yellow) used in possession during the two January games. Using the forward line to pin (or occupy) opposing defenders to create room for the dual “10s” is a major part of the plan. Using three players in the front to occupy four defenders creates numerical offensive advantages for the US.

Theoretically, if the two defensive midfielders or center backs can play a line breaking pass to either of the dual 10s, they’ll be able to find a pocket of space “between the lines.” The function of the forwards (the wide forwards especially) is to drag defenders around with their runs and create spaces for the 10s to get into. (This is why it is so important that the forwards know the patterns and why almost no new forwards got called in.)

Watching Schalke play

These are the spaces that Pulisic is meant to live in and this is what building around Pulisic means, imo. Not a bad role for McKennie either, I might add. Maybe Schalke should consult with Gregg before I have to watch more of their garbage soccer next weekend. 😑

USMNT fans are not going to be used to seeing this sort of play either, in the past the forwards (Jozy being the best example) would drop in to get on the ball and allow teammates to play off them. The players that would get high and wide were the fullbacks for the most part. “Wingers” like Bedoya or Zusi stayed close to the midfield to help in possession. In this system, the forwards and wingers have to stay high and wide or the spaces they are trying to make for Pulisic/McKennie won’t be there.

Going Forward

Berhalter clearly sat down with his staff and designed a system that he thinks will get the most out of his best players. At the time of design, I suspect he thought his two best players were Pulisic and McKennie. Not so coincidentally, those are the two players that get the “Free 8” roles in this setup.

What I wonder about is Tyler Adams. When Berhalter and co. were sitting down to design this system Adams had not yet played a game in the Bundesliga. Since then, Adams has gone from strength to strength and now looks like one of the best young defensive mids in the world (I don’t think I’m exaggerating). Does Berhalter keep the system the same or adjust it for a budding star?

A promising sign is that Berhalter doesn’t seem wed to this system forever. “It may not work and we’ll have to adapt,” is a direct quote from Berhalter on the Adams situation from earlier today. I hope he follows through on that because I think Tyler Adams is already the best player on the USMNT and may be for a good long time.

One Last Thing

MGoBlog puts out these cool lineup graphics for Michigan football and basketball teams. Here’s my attempt at guessing the lineup for Thursday along with a key that explains what the symbols mean.

The MGoBlog guys also do a graphic for opposing teams, but until someone starts paying me for this I don’t have time to learn the rosters of all the teams we play. Real job and all that. 😜