Mauricio Pochettino faces off against one of his footballing idols in Marcelo Bielsa on Tuesday night, as the USMNT take on Uruguay in Tampa.
Pochettino’s side have familiarized themselves with CONMEBOL over the past couple of months, and despite dealing with a number of notable absentees, the USMNT head into their upcoming friendly off the back of consecutive wins.
A resurgent Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun were on the scoresheet in their 2–1 victory over Paraguay last time out. Pochettino is now poised to offer opportunities to fringe squad members in their final outing of 2025, but hopefully without compromising an emerging balance within his 3-4-3.
Here’s how the USMNT could line up against Bielsa’s Uruguay.
USMNT Predicted Lineup vs. Uruguay (3-4-3)
GK: Matt Freese—Matt Turner’s absence from the squad this month means Freese is a near-certainty to retain his place between the posts.
CB: Joe Scally—Scally has worked his way back into the picture and looks like a good fit for this role. He should retain his place in defense.
CB: Miles Robinson—An impressive athlete whom Pochettino has seemingly taken to, Robinson is likely to command the USMNT defense again in Tampa.
CB: Tim Ream—The veteran’s 15-year international career has returned 78 caps, and Ream should add another to his docket on Tuesday.
RWB: Alex Freeman—MLS Young Player of the Year Freeman had the backing of his manager after he was involved in an altercation with Paraguay’s Gustavo Gómez at the end of the weekend’s friendly. Freeman could come into the side and operate as a wing-back.
CM: Tanner Tessman—The Lyon midfielder is likely to retain his place in the engine room after his sturdy showing against Paraguay.
CM: Sebastian Berhalter—Pochettino could experiment with a different midfield partner for Tessman, with Berhalter, son of former USMNT manager, Gregg, potentially earning a start.
LWB: Maximilian Arfsten—Arfsten has been a reliable figure down the left-hand side throughout 2025. His assist early on against Paraguay means he’s now notched six goal contributions in his previous 15 outings for the USMNT.
RW: Gio Reyna—Reyna’s stock is surging after his stellar performance against Paraguay, during which he opened the scoring after four minutes. The USMNT will undoubtedly benefit from his return and improvement.
ST: Haji Wright—Folarin Balogun is expected to be the USMNT’s starting centre-forward at the World Cup, but Poch may hand the versatile Wright a chance to impress in a central position.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT Predicted Lineup vs. Uruguay: Resurgent Reyna Out to Impress Pochettino Again.
