Ibrahimovic Backs USMNT Resting Pulisic for Australia After 4-1 Paraguay Win

Q: With the USMNT thriving without Pulisic, has Pochettino's gamble created a selection dilemma for the knockout rounds?

Not yet. Pochettino’s decision has strengthened the USMNT’s options, but it has not created a true knockout-round dilemma unless Pulisic returns fully fit and the two-striker setup keeps producing. The key fact is that Pulisic did not sit because of form or status; he was rested because of a calf issue aggravated against Paraguay. Pochettino and Zlatan Ibrahimovic both framed it as tournament management, not a demotion. With the U.S. beating Australia 2-0 and securing qualification, that caution looks justified. What has changed is the tactical picture. Without Pulisic, the U.S. shifted to a more direct, central attack with Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun together. That pairing helped force the opening own goal against Australia, and Opta’s data already suggested promise: five U.S. goals in their previous 187 minutes together. Add Pepi’s and Balogun’s club form — 19 goals each this past season — and Pochettino now has a credible alternative to a Pulisic-centered attack. Still, this is better described as a positive selection problem than a dilemma. Pulisic remains the team’s most proven creator and a central figure when healthy. If he is fit for the knockouts, the likeliest outcome is not that he is left out, but that Pochettino must decide whether to restore him to the starting XI immediately or preserve the balance of a system that worked against Australia. So the gamble has not displaced Pulisic; it has given Pochettino more viable ways to win.

Q: The Pepi-Balogun duo delivered a crucial win. Has the USMNT's attack become more dangerous without its traditional playmaker?

Not necessarily more dangerous, but clearly dangerous in a different way. The 2-0 win over Australia showed the USMNT can threaten teams without Christian Pulisic, especially through a more direct, central attack. Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to start Ricardo Pepi with Folarin Balogun gave the U.S. more penalty-box presence, and that pressure helped force the opening own goal before Alex Freeman added the second. Opta’s underlying sample also supports the idea that the pairing can work: the U.S. had scored five goals in the 187 minutes Pepi and Balogun had previously shared. That said, the evidence does not show the attack is better without Pulisic. In the 4-1 win over Paraguay, Pulisic was still central to the best attacking stretches, contributing an assist and helping create key chances before coming off with the calf issue. Reports around that match suggested his exit changed the team’s balance rather than improving it. What Australia did prove is that the U.S. is less dependent on one creator than before. With Balogun’s movement, Pepi’s presence, aggressive fullback support, and midfield runners such as Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, the attack can function through multiple channels. That is a positive sign for a tournament team. So the smarter reading is not that Pulisic makes the U.S. less dangerous. It is that Pochettino now has a second attacking model that can win big matches while protecting his star.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 19

Christian Pulisic sat out the Australia match after aggravating a calf issue in the 4-1 win over Paraguay, leaving the USMNT without its No. 10 in a game that could decide Group D.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic said there was no need to risk Pulisic again, arguing the U.S. already got the key three points and should protect him for the rest of the tournament.
Pulisic still showed his value against Paraguay despite limited fitness, producing 1 assist, 2 key passes and 4 successful dribbles before coming off at halftime.
Mauricio Pochettino responded with a more aggressive setup, adding Ricardo Pepi alongside Folarin Balogun; in 187 USMNT minutes together, the pair have been on the field for 5 U.S. goals.
A win over Australia would already qualify the U.S., strengthening the case for saving Pulisic for the third game and the knockout stage.