Breaking lines and breaking through: Sergiño Dest is showing his full range for the USMNT

The wing-back’s advanced positioning paid off against Senegal. More impressive play at the World Cup could go far for the US’s hopes and his transfer prospects

>In the sixth minute of last Sunday’s friendly against Senegal, the US men’s national team were midway through what became a 20-pass sequence of sustained possession. Beginning with a throw-in along the left touchline, just inside the opponent’s half, the World Cup co-hosts tried to break down the visitors to no avail, eventually recirculating back to the center-backs to survey their next route.

>Amid all that, Sergiño Dest stayed upfield to offer an outlet if a line-breaking window presented itself. Even when lined up as a nominal defender – he has logged most of his 38 international caps as a right-back or right wing-back – the 25-year-old has posed a threat with his determined dribbling and eagerness to join the attack.

>Dest still believes his role in Mauricio Pochettino’s system is as a wing-back, although the way the structure has evolved often leaves him further upfield than past tactics have.

>“You have a whole pitch,” Dest told the media at USMNT training on Wednesday. “Sometimes when we start too high with the buildup, or whatever, it’s a waste, because we can still use the part in behind to create space for somebody else in the field. That’s what I’m trying to do sometimes. If I can go low, try to create space for other ones.”

>The 16th pass of that sequence was its most retreated. Tim Ream collected a short pass from his right, and the veteran looked upfield as Dest gestured behind the Senegal defense.

>The US captain disagrees with Dest’s self-description as a wing-back, but it’s an outlet he looks for with regularity under Pochettino.

>“Serg was a right winger,” Ream said with complete deadpan. “In fact, we went over video, and in some moments, he was playing like a wing-back, but really should have been higher.”

>A vital progressive passer for years at Fulham, the 38-year-old Ream is now plying his trade in MLS with Charlotte FC. Across 500 games at the club level and 81 international caps to date, Ream has spent more time surveying opposing defenses than most.

>Knowing when to send that diagonal across the field requires a wide lens view of action upfield.

>“A lot of times for me personally, I’m not looking at where our guys are. I’m looking at where the opposition are kind of set up,” Ream said. “There’s so many times, especially at this level, where as the ball shifts around, teams shift really hard to where the ball is going, and you can catch a lot of teams out by just clipping balls back the other way.”

>On this occasion against Senegal, Ream spotted that Dest has plenty of lurking markers and opted to keep the ball moving to the US’s left. He shunted possession to Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, his former teammate at Fulham, with a wave of validation toward Dest to keep offering this outlet.

>Dest didn’t have to wait long for his advanced station to pay off. Four passes later, the US had worked a rapid sequence through the right side of Senegal’s defense, cutting through the Lions of Teranga. The extended sequence had forced the visitors to get more aggressive in hopes of regaining the ball.

>“Ultimately, I decided a ball out to Jed was the right option, because Christian [Pulisic] was inside and [Ricardo] Pepi was over,” Ream said. “Their defenders were starting to jump to Jed, so that’s a play he and I have done hundreds of times from our time playing together.”

>Pulisic was able to finish the sequence with a squared cross that Dest finished with aplomb. It opened the scoring in a 3-2 win. More importantly, it reminded viewers of how well this team can play when at their most cohesive.

>Dest’s ingenuity is also more advisable these days thanks to the structure behind him. These same runs typified his game even in a back-four under Pochettino and Gregg Berhalter, offering a lane for opponents to exploit with counterattacks in the event of a turnover. Against Senegal, and frequently since the pre-Gold Cup friendlies, Pochettino has elected to start Alex Freeman as a right center-back in a trio.

>A product of Orlando City’s academy, Freeman has started games in MLS and La Liga at right-back, right wing-back and right center-back. He has awareness for all defensive roles along the line, making him a crucial partner for Dest despite their opportunities to play together coming only recently.

>“I think we have a good combination on the right side,” Dest said of the Villarreal defender. “I like to play with him as well. He’s strong, he’s tall, he’s fast and a good defender. Also, we can switch sometimes, so that makes it even better if I’m on that side, because I can also go low and just change with him. It’s harder for opponents to defend us, because we’re more dynamic.”

>Dest enjoyed a bounceback campaign at PSV Eindhoven, eclipsing 2,000 minutes in the league for the second time in his career after missing most of 2024/25 recovering from an ACL tear. Having already played for Ajax and Barcelona, he’s again drawing interest from esteemed suitors, with Bayern Munich reportedly among them. This is the second time the Champions League semi-finalists have targeted Dest; they tried to sign him in the summer of 2020 before he opted to join Barcelona. A successful tournament with dangerous play like he managed Sunday could go a long way toward getting him back on the roster of a continental giant.

>“I think [it’s] really important,” Dest said of the tournament’s impact on transfer prospects. “We all want to have a great run and want to come as far as possible in this tournament. I feel like whenever you do that as a team, all the individuals, they will grow as well, and I think this is a really important tournament for everybody to make the next step in their career.”