By Hatem Maher
INGLEWOOD, California June 12 (Reuters) – Mauricio Pochettino’s gameplan worked a treat in the United States’ 4-1 win over Paraguay in their World Cup opener on Friday, with the hosts showcasing an attacking fluidity and positional interplay that overwhelmed the South Americans.
Rather than relying on a single route to goal, the Americans attacked Paraguay from multiple angles, stretching the defence in wide areas and behind the back line in a performance that offered the clearest glimpse yet of Pochettino’s project.
Christian Pulisic was the focal point.
Operating primarily from the left wing, the forward repeatedly drove at Paraguay’s back line, using his acceleration and close control to isolate defenders and create openings.
While his main threat came from wide areas, he occasionally drifted inside to combine with Weston McKennie, helping the U.S. overload central zones and disrupt Paraguay’s defensive shape.
Those movements proved particularly problematic for right back Juan Caceres, who endured a difficult night as Pulisic repeatedly found space down his flank, forcing the defender into desperate challenges that resulted in an early booking.
The Americans’ dominance was not solely dependent on individual brilliance. Pochettino’s side frequently crowded central areas, with McKennie and Malik Tillman helping create numerical advantages in midfield while runners attacked the spaces created by Paraguay’s attempts to contain Pulisic.
On the opposite flank, Sergino Dest took longer to impose himself but grew increasingly influential as the match wore on.
Two powerful surges forward highlighted his ability to turn defence into attack in an instant, including one first-half run that could easily have resulted in another goal.
The variety of the United States’ attacking patterns may have been the most encouraging sign for Pochettino.
Pulisic’s wing play and combination football caught the eye, but the Americans were equally dangerous attacking directly through the middle.
Folarin Balogun’s superb individual goal on the stroke of halftime, after latching onto a defence-splitting pass from Tillman, illustrated another dimension of an attack that looked capable of hurting their opponents in several different ways.
While the U.S. overloaded midfield and committed numbers forward, Paraguay’s attacking threats struggled to bear fruit.
Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria were often left isolated and forced into low-percentage opportunities as the Americans controlled possession and territory for long stretches.
After a blistering first half, during which Balogun struck twice and the contest was effectively settled, Pochettino began rotating his key players.
Pulisic departed at halftime, while Balogun and Dest were later taken off, suggesting the Argentine was already mindful of the challenges that lie ahead in the group stage where they face Australia next on Friday and then Turkey on June 25.
Yet the attacking intent remained.
Although substitute Mauricio briefly reduced the deficit for Paraguay, the U.S. continued to find gaps in the closing stages, and a late move carved open the Paraguay defence again before Gio Reyna applied the finishing touch.
The scoreline spoiled Paraguay’s first World Cup appearance in 16 years but more significantly for the hosts, it offered perhaps the clearest sign yet of the attacking identity Pochettino has sought to instill since taking charge.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher, Editing by Ken Ferris)
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