Penalties Can Be Cruel. How Will The USA Approach Them?

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Malik Tillman likes watching penalty shootouts. But participating in them? Not so much. “I try to avoid it,” the American midfielder said before training on Tuesday. “Everyone tries to avoid it. But sometimes, it happens, and, of course, you have to be ready for it because you never know. We’ll give our best to finish the game in 90 minutes. The U.S. men’s national team faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday night. With the 2026 World Cup now in the knockout stage, any match that remains tied after regulation and extra time comes down to one thing: the dreaded, stomach-churning penalty shootout. On Monday, Germany and the Netherlands were both sent home after cruel and dramatic penalty shootout losses to Paraguay and Morocco, respectively. Across the two shootouts, players missed 10 penalty kicks, setting a World Cup record for the most misses in a single day. It was the first time in history the four-time champion Germans left the World Cup via penalties. It was a stark reminder of the stakes now facing the U.S. because, in the knockout stage, one mistake can send a team home. “We’ve seen two big boys fall,” defender Chris Richards told a group of reporters. “So it’s just a matter of us getting through this game and putting on a good performance, and, hopefully, we continue that.” The last time the USA found itself in a penalty shootout was exactly one year ago, when it beat Costa Rica in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals after a six-round thriller. The win came largely thanks to Matt Freese’s heroics in goal, as he made three saves to send the squad through. Tillman, who missed a penalty in the first half of that match, bounced back by converting in the shootout. He said that while players can practice penalties all they want, it’s “impossible” to replicate what it actually feels like in that spotlight. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino agrees. That’s part of why the squad has used sports performance company neuro11 for the past 18 months. The company works with elite athletes and teams around the world — including Liverpool F.C. and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez — using innovative brain-based training and neurofeedback to help athletes stay sharp and composed under pressure. Pochettino has a dedicated group of coaches and analysts focused on neuro11 and penalty kicks, working to improve the team’s execution from the spot and expand the pool of PK takers, much like another group uses TrackMan technology to aid in set pieces. “I don’t want to say too much,” Pochettino said Tuesday, careful not to reveal information that could give a future shootout opponent an edge. “As a coaching staff, we believe that we can provide some tools to the players to be better or to improve or to try to find the best way to face this type of situation, knowing that it’s impossible to replicate the emotional stress and the pressure and expectation, how you are going to feel. “Because it depends on your performance – if you came from the bench, if you played 120 minutes, if you are tired, if you are not tired. If you feel something in your body, that is impossible when you practice penalties to have the same feeling.” Pochettino added that he and his staff choose the penalty kicking order. “It is going to be our decision – the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5,” Pochettino said. “We are trying to arrive at this moment and not ask the player if they feel confident or not confident.” According to a German media report, there was controversy over who would take Germany’s sixth penalty, as some players didn’t want to. Ultimately, it was Jonathan Tah, whose miss proved decisive and allowed Paraguay to convert and advance. “I don’t know about that situation, but yeah, it’s a difficult thing,” star forward Christian Pulisic said when asked about Germany’s exit. “The guys who feel the most confident to go up and shoot will want to go shoot. I think that’s normal. There will be some players that maybe don’t practice them as much and don’t feel as good. I don’t think it’s necessarily a big problem. “Haven’t been in many shootouts with these guys, but I feel like it’s a pretty brave, courageous team. I feel like guys will give it a go.” How Do USA Players Take Penalties? Penalty kick style and technique have evolved over the years. Some players opt for stutter steps and elaborate long or short run-ups, while others simply place the ball and strike it. Tillman said he’s experimented with different approaches throughout his career and doesn’t necessarily take them the same way he once did. Still, he added, “I’m confident in the way I take them.” Richards, who scored a penalty for Premier League club Crystal Palace last season, doesn’t overthink it. “I don’t want to give away too much,” Richards said with a big smile. “Some guys change it up. Me personally, I’m a defender for a reason, so I’m gonna put it down and place it where I think it needs to go.” Pulisic doesn’t read too much into everyone else’s process. “Everyone has their own style,” said Pulisic, who also noted that he’s feeling good after dealing with a calf injury that has limited his time on the field. “I don’t think you watch [the Germany and Netherlands shootouts] and can take so much away and try to change your style in one day. I mean, it’s just part of the game. “It’s an extremely hard thing to do for sure. It takes a lot of courage and it’s not easy. Goalkeepers are getting better and better every single year. Everyone has their individual style, and you just go with what you feel most confident with.” All this is to say, the U.S. hopes any penalty shootout talk is moot during their run in this World Cup. “Ultimately, you don’t want to get there,” Richards said. “But honestly, we’ve done a lot of training with penalty shootouts, so if it comes down to it, I think every guy on this team is going to step up and take it.”