Return 3 or Return 4? A 2022 USMNT World Cup player explains the difference

When it comes to defensive strategy, do you go back three or four? A three-man defense provides much more flexibility on offense — and it’s a strategy the U.S. men’s national team is likely to debut at the 2026 World Cup.

This formation makes a lot of sense when you have a pair of guards who can cover a lot of ground, like Sergiño Dest and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, maybe even a Tim Weah in certain situations.

When in possession, this allows the central defenders playing on the left and right sides to be a little more aggressive. During friendlies, Alex Freeman was seen playing on the right side of the three defenders and focusing on an opposing winger.

There will be times when the back three truly become a back five. This is when you sit in a low block and absorb the pressure when the opposition really has their foot on the accelerator.

However, for the most part, the United States will be in what I would call the bottom three. It depends on the attitude of the fullbacks, and I would expect Dest and Robinson to be important parts of the US attack.

Here’s what to expect this summer and why the United States has changed its formation from the last World Cup.

Why a back three for the USA?

Tim Ream, 38, also explains the United States’ decision to play with three central defenders instead of two in a traditional four-man defense system. The team captain started the two friendlies against Senegal and Germany on the left side of the back three. Having an extra center back gives him more support against some key offensive players the U.S. will face throughout the tournament.

We saw in the friendly against Germany that Tim was one-on-one against winger Leroy Sané, one of the fastest players who will play in the World Cup this summer. I think Tim and head coach Mauricio Pochettino realize you want the veteran on the pitch as captain and with his experience. If so, the best way to present him is as a left centre-back, so he has some support in those areas.

The potential downsides, however, were evident in Senegal’s opening goal against the United States in their May 31 friendly. Antonee lost the ball further up the field so the left side of our defense was exposed with just Tim covering a lot of space. The counter ended with the first of two goals from Sadio Mané in this match.

A back four is less chaotic, more structurally sound. You can cover the width of the pitch – whether in midfield or in attack – much easier because you have more numbers higher up the pitch. A back five requires more man-to-man assignments where you need to react quickly, while a back four is more organized. You move and move around the field in a four-man defense, but you play within a structure.

I don’t think there’s a right answer, and it really depends on a team’s personnel. It can also depend on the match and what we are trying to do in a given match. I’ve played in teams that work better in three or four defense.

Why this change compared to 2022?

Specifically for the United States Men’s National Team, having a player like Tyler Adams in midfield makes a huge difference. He is able to cover a lot of ground and solve a lot of problems. Knowing you have a player like that makes you more comfortable stopping counter-attacks and containing the opposition when they have the ball.

Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie chat before the USA’s pre-World Cup friendly against Germany. (Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Even though the U.S. looks set to play with a three-man defense this year, it made sense for us to have a four-man defense in 2022. We played with a 4-3-3 formation because of the midfield, which included Tyler, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah. Together, these three were able to do a defensive job that would normally take four players to do.

Tyler was in the middle, while Wes and Yunus were able to handle the rest of the field up to the sideline. In our opening match of this tournament, England couldn’t move the ball fast enough to get around them.

Having three guys doing the job of four in midfield almost feels like a cheat code, and it definitely affects how you organize the rest of your lineup, given the amount of movement on the pitch and positional changes.

This time, Antonee will be able to cover a lot of ground. It has an incredible motor and can cover every blade of grass. On the other right side, Sergiño will be more comfortable if he can start higher and stay up there. He will come back to do the defensive work when necessary. He’ll hit the 40-yard run forward, as he did early against Germany when Christian Pulisic almost found him with a long ball, then explode it to get back and defend.