Will Fluid United States Attack Be Effective Against Australia Low Block?

After witnessing their first matches, Friday’s tactical storyline is clear: will the United States’ dynamic build-up play or Australia’s patient and organised defence win out in their Group D World Cup clash in Seattle?

Game state isn’t everything or the only thing, but it is indisputably a thing. And depending on the match, it can absolutely feel impossible to overcome.

Attacking with a lead can result in space to create and find punishable gaps in a defence. That’s particularly true if the fluidity of that attack is anything like what the United States showed in their 4-1 win against Paraguay to open their World Cup last week. Chasing a game can have a feeling of repeatedly running into the same wall – particularly if the organisation of the defence is anything like Australia’s in their 2-0 triumph over Türkiye.

Now there’s the potential to see how those strengths hold up against each other on the same pitch for 90 minutes – and the potential to see how those strengths adapt should the benefit of an early lead not be there.

Game state may have plenty to do with what we witness on Friday when the United States and Australia meet with top spot in Group D on the line after both teams began their World Cup campaigns on exceedingly positive – if dissimilar – notes. Both had first-half leads – the US were up in the seventh minute, and Australia scored their first in the 27th – but they went about retaining and expanding those leads in very different ways that have undoubtedly served as relevant teaching moments for their next opponents in the week since.

What the US showed in their first World Cup match under coach Mauricio Pochettino has been called their finest World Cup performance ever. For a country with an unexceptional track record at the tournament, it doesn’t take long to scan their previous matches and at least concede that the claim isn’t hyperbolic. It was their first four-goal game ever in a World Cup; they’ve already outscored the 2022 US team that reached the last 16; and they’re more than halfway to setting a new highwater mark for US men’s national team goals at a World Cup.

But 1930 doesn’t matter on a Friday in June of 2026. What’s more impressive than the historical context is the actual details of the performance that cultivated the hype. The United States played a 4-2-3-1 with Christian Pulisic and Sergiño Dest on the wings, Weston McKennie as an attacking midfielder and Folarin Balogun up top. Each of them played a significant role in making things click in the attack, culminating with Balogun’s brace.

How they dominated Paraguay wasn’t just about finding the right striker. It was about building from the back, breaking lines, successful take-ons and moving without the ball. Among all teams in the first round of group-stage matches, the United States’ 14 defensive lines broken was more than every team aside from Spain (16), while Türkiye managed six against Australia.

Their ability to connect in behind the Paraguay defence also had something to do with the movement of those getting forward. The US made 137 off-ball runs, which was fourth to Canada (164), Iran (160) and Morocco (144) on MD1, but their 42 runs ending in the box was 13 more than any other side. Of US runs, 25 were followed by a team shot and five were followed by a team goal (note that multiple runs can relate to one shot or goal), which was bettered only by England (7), Argentina (6) and New Zealand (6).

There was also variety to those US runs compared to what Türkiye tried against Australia. The US’s 21 off-ball runs with a cross option led MD1 (Türkiye had six), and the US made 43 runs in behind to Türkiye’s 25. It’s of course difficult to determine whether the gap between the US numbers and Türkiye’s was a function of their own quality and creativity or a distinct difference in opposition, but they at least indicate the US may have a decent chance at accomplishing what Türkiye couldn’t.

At an individual level, Dest, Pulisic and McKennie were unsurprisingly most involved. Dest, more typically a wing-back who Pochettino has played in a more advanced role on the right ahead of full-back Alex Freeman, led MD1 with 11 of his team-leading 23 runs ending in the box. He did that in 72 minutes. Pulisic’s seven into the box all came only in the first half before he was subbed off for a calf injury. And McKennie’s 21 runs ranked second among attacking midfielders on MD1.

Combine that movement with a successful one-on-one element, and it’s easy to understand why the moves we witnessed felt so dynamic. Of the US’s 39 attempted take-ons, 22 were successful. Morocco’s 16 successful take-ons against Brazil was next closest on MD1; Türkiye had five against Australia.

McKennie – included in our Matchday 1 Best XI – is the number 10 in this team, but he was joined in the attack by Malik Tillman. Tillman may have been listed in more of a defensive role on starting XIs alongside Tyler Adams, but both Tillman and McKennie created three chances and it was actually Tillman involved in the most attacking sequences among all US players.

That’s all to say that the buttons Pochettino pushed worked. It’s clear he absolutely understands what and whom he is working with. Some people have already changed their expectations for this team as a result of what they saw last week.

But the most sobering thing for United States fans about the start of the World Cup had little to do with the US performance in their opening match and everything to do with dispiritedly projecting how well Australia defended and executed in transition onto the next match. It was easy to see potential in what the US showed and nearly as easy to watch Australia a day later and envision Pochettino’s side running into the same wall. The US managed 20 line-breaking passes leading to danger and picked Paraguay apart until the final minute with the sequence leading to Giovanni Reyna’s icing-on-the-cake finish. Türkiye had 27 line-breaking passes leading to danger, yet Australia defended each.

Tony Popovic’s side did it most frequently with five at the back, seen in the out-of-possession formation on the right below.

Game state played a significant role in this, but the takeaway is they were OK with allowing Türkiye to be on the ball. The Socceroos sat deep against Türkiye’s build-up play, using a low block 88 times in their opening match; that trailed only Cape Verde (91) on MD1, while Paraguay were sixth on that list way back at 48. So, there’s the question of whether the US will have space to operate the way they did last Friday when La Albirroja were chasing the game and defending in what was essentially a higher 4-4-2.

And the US were up against a low block rather infrequently (13.4% of the time), while only Spain (39.5% vs Cape Verde) spent a higher proportion of time against a low block than Turkiye on MD1.

The US and Australia may not be neighbours, but they have shared the pitch recently. It’s worth at least mentioning how this went down less than a year ago. When the US defeated Australia 2-1 in a friendly on 14 October 2025, they did so after conceding the first goal of the match in the 19th minute. In that sense, the US have already done what Türkiye couldn’t, but neither of these sides are a mirror image of those friendly rosters.

One change is this is a completely different Australia side getting forward in transition. Mohamed Touré and Nestory Irankunda didn’t play in that match, but the latter absolutely announced himself with Australia’s first goal last weekend. The 20-year-old Irankunda became Australia’s youngest World Cup goalscorer when he latched onto Paul Okon-Engstler’s long ball with a beautiful first touch around his defender at full speed before finishing in what was literally an end-to-end transition beginning with goalkeeper Patrick Beach.

Australia’s second goal also developed quickly and took advantage of space with Connor Metcalfe’s long-range strike in the second half. It laid clear the Socceroos’ patient plan in a two-goal win with just 28.3% possession.

So, the real fear for the US may be less about breaking Australia down and more about how the Socceroos rapidly turned their low block into an efficient attack, got an early lead and were able to double-down on their defence.

It’s inevitable that the US centre-backs will be tested more as the tournament goes on than they were against Paraguay. Whether that happens against Australia remains to be seen. But on MD1, Chris Richards and Tim Ream were plenty comfortable – though a questionable Ream clearance led to Paraguay’s goal – and able to be a consistent part of the US build-up. It showed in their passing numbers and ambition: Richards completed all 84 of his passes; of Ream’s 91 passes attempted, 20 ended in the final third and 23 were line-breaking passes.

That came as part of a 4-2-3-1, not three at the back that collapsed into a back five under pressure. It’s impossible to argue after the win over Paraguay that they should be more conservative with their structure (yet), but it’s also going to be interesting to see how the US hold up when that transition inevitably does come their way.

What might be reassuring for US fans is it’s not difficult to see how they could defend effectively without having to rely only on Ream, Richards and Adams. In the graphic below, note the position of that right-back in the shape on the left when the US are in possession. That’s Freeman; he’s not nearly as high as left-back Antonee Robinson and likely in a realistic spot to help his centre-backs.

Robinson’s 20 carries was the third most among all full-backs and wing-backs on MD1, while Freeman stayed put with a slightly more conservative approach. So it seems Pochettino is aware of potential flaws and is asking the 21-year-old to be more available in defence than Robinson.

That’s significant because the main concern with the US entering the tournament was being vulnerable at the back. It was how they went out of the last World Cup to the Netherlands. It could be how Australia and others ground them after a remarkable start to the tournament.

Or it could be that the US get another early goal and force the Socceroos out of their shell. If either side plays it right and emerges with three points, they’ll be through to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a game to spare – the best game state of all.

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