Inside Uruguay, the USMNT's next opponent on road to World Cup

When Pochettino first got into coaching, it was Bielsa's influence that helped him succeed. 

"He had this unbelievable intuition, perception. So clever," Pochettino said. "He had a different brain to all of the people that I coach."

Pochettino and Bielsa have faced off before, but they haven't yet met in international competition. This match will be a grand reunion of mentor and mentee; it will be fascinating to see how the two men respond to one another.

A well-earned reputation for roughhousing

Paraguay gave the USMNT a fight — literally. The match ended with a bench-clearing 90th-minute brawl when Paraguay's Gustavo Gomez tried to steal the ball out of USMNT defender Alex Freeman's hands. (Freeman, incidentally, is the son of former NFL wide receiver Antonio Freeman. If anyone knows how to hang onto a ball under pressure, it's him. Gomez chose his mark poorly.)

If Paraguay brought a fight to the USMNT, though, Uruguay is likely to bring a war. It's one of the most physical and aggressive teams in world soccer. Longtime fans will remember its World Cup semifinal against the Netherlands in 2010: it was one of the nastiest matches in the history of the tournament, and it came just days after Uruguay won its quarterfinal under dubious (but riveting) circumstances. 

If you enjoy a professional foul, you will love Uruguay; if you enjoy those fouls with a side of confidence-shattering mind games, you will adore Uruguay. There's no team on earth better at getting under its opponent's skin.

Uruguay played Mexico earlier in November, and that match should serve as a warning to the USMNT. It ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was a brutal physical exercise for both teams.

Close margins and a need for precision

Uruguay is strong across all areas of the field, but it really excels in defense. The last time a team put more than two goals past it was way back in 2021 ... and it was Bolivia, playing in its home stadium at the eye-watering and lung-busting altitude of 11,975 feet.

The USMNT isn't going to get many chances against Uruguay, so it will have to be decisive when those chances come. The USMNT will take on Uruguay on Tuesday at 7:00 pm E.T. in Tampa, Fla.