After celebrating a long-awaited knockout round win at the World Cup on Wednesday night, U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino now has a big decision staring at him: what to do at center forward.
Folarin Balogun is suspended for the upcoming round of 16 matchup on Monday against Belgium after being shown a red card in the 64th minute against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun has been excellent in this World Cup, scoring two goals against Paraguay, forcing an own goal in the United States’ win over Australia, and scoring again on Wednesday before being sent off.
The U.S. team will now be without its best scoring option against Belgium. Pochettino has several different ways to approach the team’s attack, but here are the options he is most likely to consider:
Option 1: All Aboard ‘El Tren’
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Pochettino has used the same starting lineup and formation in the games against Paraguay and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In those two games, the U.S. has won each time while outscoring opponents 6-1.
The most likely approach against Belgium is to swap Ricardo Pepi in for Balogun and keep the other 10 players in the same position with the same responsibilities. That option requires fewer changes and keeps players moving forward with the same assignments which have been working.
The good news for the U.S. team is that Pepi is still a highly accomplished forward who scored 19 goals for PSV Eindhoven this season. This included a highly efficient run in the UEFA Champions League where he scored three goals and picked up an assist in just 149 minutes in the sport’s premier club competition.
There are two concerns over this approach. First, Pepi has not played all that well for the national team under Pochettino and there are questions over his fit into the Argentine’s system. Second, Pepi has a very different profile than Balogun.
Balogun’s style is that he is world-class at making runs behind opposing defenses. For Balogun to be effective, he needs a lot of positive chemistry with his teammates who know when he is making runs and how to get him the ball. This takes time to develop, and it is likely the primary reason why it took until this last season for Balogun to be at his best with Monaco. Similarly, it took a lot of time for Balogun to play this comfortably with the U.S. team.
Pepi does not need that type of chemistry. He is more of a classic striker who reads the game in the box, knows how to get into dangerous spots, and is far more of an aerial threat than Balogun.
But the reason why Pepi might get the nod was that his best performance for the U.S. team came just before the tournament in a 3-2 win over Senegal. In that game, Pepi did not score, but he combined very well with Pulisic in counter-attacks after turnovers.
The U.S. team won’t be able to play the same exact way with Pepi in place of Balogun. But they get someone who can combine better in the build-up and will be a good finisher in the box.
The Senegal game just before the tournament gives the best insight into how the team will play without Balogun. Expect Pochettino to mimic the Senegal game plan but with key players like Tillman and McKennie available (neither started in that game).
Option 2: The Price Is ‘Wright’
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Putting Haji Wright into Balogun’s role is another option that Pochettino might consider. Wright is more similar to Balogun than Pepi is. His goals for Coventry, as well as with the U.S. national team in the friendly win over Australia in October 2025, show that Wright wants to run and get behind the defense.
But Wright also has not been much of an option for the U.S. team this past month, and he seems like a very distant backup. Even with rotated squads in the pre-tournament friendly and the game against Turkiye, Wright has only made one appearance (a late cameo against Australia).
To now revert to giving Wright a major role in a World Cup knockout seems like a stretch unless there are injuries to players like Pepi and Pulisic.
Option 3: Pulisic As A ‘False 9′
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When exploring other approaches Pochettino has used, there was also the 2-0 friendly loss against Portugal, when Pulisic played as a false nine striker without a true center forward in the mix.
That game did not go particularly well, but Pulisic is in much better form now than he was in March.
The obvious problem with this formation is that it takes away the team’s best one-on-one attacker from out wide. That is where so many of the U.S. team’s best chances originate that it seems unwise to take the team’s best player and put into an uncomfortable role.
If Pulisic went into a false nine position, it would require another winger such as Gio Reyna, Alex Zendejas, or Tim Weah (who appears to have lost confidence). There is also the possibility that Tillman or McKennie could shift wide and then Sebastian Berhalter comes into the midfield.
Pochettino has used it, so it can’t be discounted entirely. But it does require the team to depart from what has thus far notched three wins at the World Cup.
Option 4: Two-Striker Setup
(Photo by Lyndsay Radnedge/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images).
Pochettino is not afraid to mix things up. When Pulisic was injured for the group stage game against Australia, Pochettino mixed up the formation and went with a two-striker setup with both Pepi and Balogun starting together.
Aside from Pulisic in a false nine role, is there another formation Pochettino might use as a surprise against Belgium?
It is possible but unlikely. Pepi and Wright could mimic the two forward setup used against Australia but only with Pulisic remaining in the lineup. A big problem, of course, is that someone, likely a midfielder, would have to leave the lineup Tillman, McKennie, and Adams are far too critical with the way they have been playing.
United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Highlights 🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Round of 32
