COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The U.S. men's national team's 1-1 draw against Ecuador on Friday offered a resounding signal that the group were, at long last, on the right track a year into Mauricio Pochettino's tenure as the head coach. The next natural step is not just to perfect the back three strategy that has brought them success in recent games but rather, to introduce the team's new ethos – one of tactical versatility.

"We want to progress and we want to have this flexibility with different players and different, sometimes, shape or dynamic on the field, to provide the team with the quality," Pochettino said on Monday ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Australia.

Pochettino described Australia, a team with just one loss in their last 17, as similar to Ecuador in their aggressiveness,

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