Curious what people think about this tactically.
The U.S. looked incredible against Paraguay, but part of me wonders whether that matchup suited us more than people realize. Paraguay didn’t seem especially committed to sitting in a low block for 90 minutes, and when the game opened up, the U.S. had space to press, combine, run in behind, etc.
Australia feels like a different kind of test. My assumption is they’ll be more compact, more willing to concede possession, and more focused on frustrating the U.S. before trying to punish mistakes in transition.
It reminds me *a bit* of the Netherlands game in the last World Cup. Van Gaal seemed comfortable letting the U.S. have the ball because he didn’t think we were dangerous enough to consistently break them down. Then they exposed us in transition, especially with our defensive spacing and organization once possession turned over. And to be clear, I’m not trying to say this Australia team is on the same level as that Netherlands team. Just comparing tactics.
Do you think that read is fair?
If Australia does sit deeper and look to counter, what makes this U.S. team different now? Structure under Poch? Better chance creation? Or are we still waiting to see if this group can break down a disciplined low block without getting exposed the other way?
Not trying to be negative after a great result. More interested in whether Australia tells us something Paraguay didn’t.
