USMNT readies penalty shootout plan for Bosnia match

USMNT penalty – Ahead of the round of 32 meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1, the U.S. men’s national team is treating penalty kicks like a drill they can’t afford to leave to chance—months in the making under Mauricio Pochettino’s coaching staff.

SANTA CLARA, CA — The U.S. men’s national team’s focus on a penalty shootout isn’t something that has arrived late in the tournament. It’s something they’ve been preparing for since Mauricio Pochettino and his staff arrived.

That mindset has landed in a World Cup where penalties are no longer a distant possibility. Two of the first six knockout round games have already gone to shootouts. and Germany and the Netherlands were both eliminated after penalty kicks. Germany. in particular. looked unsettled by the pressure of taking them. with several players later saying they didn’t want to take their spot-kicks.

The stakes for the Americans are immediate. The USMNT plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday, July 1.

Pochettino described how the coaching process is built around the reality that penalties. set pieces. and the moments surrounding them can decide a season. Speaking on Tuesday. June 30. he said that when the team arrives it starts working “with a few companies … in that area: Penalties. set pieces. ” adding that the goal is to provide “some tools for the player” to handle the stress.

He also acknowledged what can’t be fully recreated. “Knowing that it’s impossible to replicate the emotions. the stress. the pressure. the expectations. how you are going to feel. ” he said. underscoring that no amount of practice can perfectly duplicate what happens after up to 120 minutes of football.

Coaching staffs will experiment with the details that might tilt a shootout—especially the order of who takes the kicks. Players practice different approaches. testing stutter steps. speeding up or waiting longer before stepping toward the ball. and trying to disrupt the goalkeeper’s read. The adjustments can be small, but the intention is sharp: freeze the keeper or make him dive the wrong way.

There are also the psychological layers that come from study and memory. Goalkeepers analyze past shootout performances to predict tendencies, and players alter styles accordingly. Chris Richards. a defender by role. described his own mindset: “Me personally. I’m a defender for a reason. so I’m gonna put it down and place it where I think it needs to go.”.

Still, Pochettino’s point about limits hangs over everything. There is no way to mimic taking a penalty after the physical and mental grind of a match that runs long enough to reach extra time. That’s why he said the team’s preparation involves more than tactics—it involves knowing players well enough to anticipate how they might respond when everything tightens.

Though Pochettino has been the USMNT’s coach for less than two years. he compared his tenure with other teams that have had coaches for four or more years. and said he has worked from the beginning to design strategy aimed at arriving “in the best condition.” He added: “That doesn’t mean that we are going to win all the games. but I think we are working on this. of course.”.

The team has one penalty shootout experience under Pochettino. The U.S. beat Costa Rica 4-3 on penalties in the quarterfinals of last year’s Gold Cup. Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Alex Freeman, and Damion Downs converted, while Sebastian Berhalter missed his penalty and John Tolkin had his saved.

For the World Cup squad, though, the lineup is different. Downs and Tolkin are not on the World Cup roster.

Christian Pulisic, who was not at the Gold Cup, figures to be among the penalty takers if he is still in the game. He said penalties are “an extremely hard thing to do,” emphasizing that the people who take them need courage and that it “takes a lot” to do it.

Pulisic also pointed to the evolution of goalkeeping. “Goalkeepers get better and better every single year,” he said, which is why individual style matters—players, he argued, should stick with what they’ve been doing and what feels right to them.

He didn’t see the U.S. facing a problem finding takers. “Unlike Germany. Pulisic said he doesn’t think the USMNT will have trouble getting players to take penalties. ” the team’s captain tone made clear. He said there might be players who “maybe don’t practice them as much and don’t feel as good. ” but added: “I don’t think it’s necessarily like a big problem.”.

Then he drew a line back to attitude. “I feel it’s a pretty brave, courageous team. I feel like guys will give it a go.”

USMNT Bosnia and Herzegovina penalty shootout Mauricio Pochettino Christian Pulisic World Cup Tyler Adams Malik Tillman Alex Freeman Damion Downs Sebastian Berhalter John Tolkin Chris Richards