USMNT midfield – Gregg Berhalter’s 2022 benchmark—quarterfinals and beyond—now feels reachable as Malik Tillman joins Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie in a midfield blend that powered the USMNT’s 4-1 rout of Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. With the next match not until Friday, June 1
When the USMNT took the field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., it looked less like a typical World Cup opener and more like a statement of intent from the center of the park.
Tyler Adams. Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman became the engine behind a 4-1 throttling of Paraguay on Friday. a start that immediately set the tone for the tournament ahead. For a team that once “lived and died” with the “MMA” midfield at the 2022 World Cup—Adams. McKennie and Yunus Musah—this was a different configuration. but with the same core promise: control the middle. dictate the pace. and create chances.
Adams and McKennie are still fixtures in the USMNT midfield four years after Qatar, but Musah didn’t make this year’s World Cup squad. That absence opened space for Tillman to step in, and the coaching decision has quickly looked like a unlock, not a compromise.
At the center of coach Mauricio Pochettino’s plan is a structure that turns roles into momentum. Adams is deployed as the defensive destroyer at the No. 6. Tillman is positioned as a deep-lying connector, carrying the technical class that links play. McKennie is pushed forward with freedom to roam, acting as an offensive battering ram.
After the win over Paraguay, McKennie captured the shift in how the three fit together. “Malik has creativeness in him,” he said. “I have creativeness, and I’m a workhorse. Tyler’s like a dog that just covers ground everywhere and gets stuck in.”
The effect was visible from the first exchanges. The USMNT dismantled Paraguay in a matchup that carried a daunting baseline: Paraguay had lost just once in its last 12 South American qualifiers and allowed only eight goals in those games. Yet the Americans’ movement in midfield—Adams, McKennie and Tillman staying interchangeable—kept Paraguayans chasing shadows.
Tillman’s fit has been helped by the way his role has been described and used. He has only been playing in this more withdrawn position with the USMNT for two games. but the early returns suggest it might be the key to unlocking the midfield trio’s full potential. Tillman, though not new to attacking instincts, said he feels at home in the deeper role.
Though Tillman is typically known as a No. 10. he told reporters. “I think the only thing that changed is my defensive positioning.” He added: “On the ball the coach gives me a lot of freedom to move and to find the spaces and still be dangerous in front of the goal. still also be able to help in the build-up.”.
Friday’s performance pushed the narrative beyond “good start.” Tillman delivered what the article describes as a World Cup performance that few have matched this century. Opta data put Tillman’s two-way display in rare company, noting that only Eden Hazard and Neymar have had similar outputs.
McKennie also pointed to the unpredictability that Tillman can bring. “Malik is someone that he can surprise you,” he said. “He can create greatness out of something that doesn’t seem like anything can happen out of it.”
The week ahead will test whether this midfield can hold its shape when the intensity drops. The USMNT now gets a full week off, with the next match not until Friday, June 19, against Australia.
In the meantime, experience matters. Adams and McKennie carry memories from four years ago. including the point when the team ran out of steam in a knockout-round loss to the Netherlands. Adams, focused on the immediate, urged restraint after a performance that could easily tip even cautious observers into overbelief.
“We don’t need to get ahead of ourselves,” Adams said. “It’s one game at a time, that’s the bottom line.”
USMNT World Cup Tyler Adams Weston McKennie Malik Tillman Mauricio Pochettino SoFi Stadium Paraguay Australia Gregg Berhalter midfield