A World Cup qualifier at Mapfre Stadium on Friday night against Mexico will showcase the United States’ plan to counter an unusual tactical setup.
Coach Juan Carlos Osorio appears to be sticking to Mexico’s default formation of using three defenders and overloading the opposition’s midfield with five or six players to help expand the width of the field.
“They play … an unconventional system, and it’s tough to kind of match up with them,” U.S. defender Steve Birnbaum said. “But I think we have to play our game and just have us dictate the game and have them match up to us.