Ted Lasso’s biggest soccer trick can save USMNT after Mauricio Pochettino’s best player taken off team

Mauricio Pochettino has coached Chelsea, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.

So the current leader of the United States Men’s National Team obviously knows what he’s doing at the 2026 World Cup.

AFP

But the moment that USMNT lost star striker Folarin Balogun to a highly controversial red card — which forced him off the field in a Round of 32 win and will cause the Arsenal product to miss a Round of 16 match vs Belgium — Pochettino faced instant questions about how he will replace the team’s best scorer.

Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are key names who could pick up extra weight with a suspended Balogun only allowed to cheer on his USMNT teammates.

Yet it’s a famous TV coach — highly popular among Americans who normally don’t follow soccer — who could provide the secret key for Pochettino to beat Belgium on Monday in Seattle.

In the second season of Ted Lasso, the use of a ‘false nine‘ is introduced as a major plot point in the show.

“Ted, can I run a new tactic by you?” said ‘Wonder Kid’ Nathan Shelley, who rises from a kit man to an assistant coach for fictional team AFC Richmond, then turns heel and takes over a fake West Ham.

“Call me Dumbo, because I’m all ears,” replied Lasso, who’s played by Jason Sudeikis.

“When we play Brentford, we should play with a false nine,” said Shelley, who is played by English actor/comedian and infamous Celebrity Traitors star Nick Mohammed.

“Couldn’t agree more. What is that?” Lasso answered.

“Play without strikers,” chimed in Roy Kent, who is widely viewed as the show’s fictional version of Roy Keane.

While American TV viewers might still find a ‘false nine’ confusing — even after AFC Richmond employs the tactic to earn promotion into the Premier League — international football fans across the globe have long been familiar with the move.

getty

Getty

A false nine position lines up as a traditional striker but often drops deeper into the midfield, forcing the defense into difficult decisions and opening up space for teammates.

“They play in midfield where no one expects them to be,” said AFC Richmond’s coach Beard, who convinces Lasso that the move can help the team.

Pochettino won’t lock in USMNT’s new lineup without Balogun until 90 minutes before kickoff vs a speedy Belgium team that loves to attack on the wings.

Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku fought back from a late 2-0 deficit vs Senegal to claw out a 3-2 win in the Round of 32.

There’s no doubt that Pulisic must embrace his Captain America nickname with Balogun suspended, and USMNT’s best option is to have the AC Milan star propel the USA into its first quarterfinals appearance since 2002.

But it will be on Pochettino to devise the ideal method for disguising the obvious loss of Balogun, and a false nine could be the answer inside Seattle Stadium.

The same answer that Shelley and Lasso used to get AFC Richmond believing in itself and promoted into the best soccer league in the world.

Stay up to date on all things World Cup across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.

All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and the talkSPORT app.