The Guardian · US news · Original story
No Pulisic, no problem: how the USA learned to win without their star player | Jeff Rueter
Mauricio Pochettino had to do without his best player against Australia. But Ricardo Pepi helped the Americans build attacks in different ways
Once it was clear that Christian Pulisic’s calf could keep him out of Friday’s match against Australia, Mauricio Pochettino had a lot of options to consider. There is no like-for-like alternative to Pulisic, still the United States’ most important player.
Australia entered this game with a point to prove, wanting to build off of their opening win over Turkey with a statement result against the tournament co-hosts. As was the case when the teams met for a friendly in October, the Socceroos were set up to operate in a low defensive block, with five along the backline and a swarming, zonal marking scheme in front of them. That system can be quite effective against a team who play with just one striker, as the US have for most of the 21st century.
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Jeff Rueter in Seattle · Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 9:30 AM
US news | The Guardian
Mauricio Pochettino had to do without his best player against Australia. But Ricardo Pepi helped the Americans build attacks in different ways
Once it was clear that Christian Pulisic’s calf could keep him out of Friday’s match against Australia, Mauricio Pochettino had a lot of options to consider. There is no like-for-like alternative to Pulisic, still the United States’ most important player.
Australia entered this game with a point to prove, wanting to build off of their opening win over Turkey with a statement result against the tournament co-hosts. As was the case when the teams met for a friendly in October, the Socceroos were set up to operate in a low defensive block, with five along the backline and a swarming, zonal marking scheme in front of them. That system can be quite effective against a team who play with just one striker, as the US have for most of the 21st century.
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