USA beat England, 0-0
What psychopath called the USA Men’s National Team’s long-awaited Black Friday showdown against England a scoreless draw? I’ll take whatever you drink. After taking my bearings after that stiff cocktail and realizing neither Matt Turner nor Jordan Pickford to allow a goal wasn’t just a mistake, it had a simple consequence for the American’s group stage final on Tuesday against England. Iran: win and the USMNT qualifies for the knockout stage. To lose? It would be on the next flight from Qatar. Tie? Who the hell is playing for a tie? It will depend on the goal differential for your brands.
The American’s play in Qatar will draw many comparisons to his efforts at the 2010 World Cup. begin group play. The same stakes were at stake for the USMNT group final against Algeria. A Landon Donovan goal in extra time was the difference as USA went from elimination to group winners with a single kick. A goal against Iran could very well be the difference for the United States.
The USMNT’s goal heading into Friday’s game was to prove it could hold on to the Three Lions. In the four years that Gregg Berhalter led the Yanks, they never faced an opponent of this quality. Zero minutes against a world-class team, especially in a competitive environment. Americans not only clung to the country from which they gained independence, the United States would have won under Queensberry rules. The first 20 minutes for the USMNT were tough, but they didn’t concede a goal. After that, the Stars and Stripes got the better of the Union Jack.
While the UK battles against each other, all that stands between the knockout stage is Iran. What American fan wouldn’t have scored a victory over Iran to advance to the Final 16 a week ago? You would have been crazy to want more. Iran haven’t looked strong in either game so far in the tournament. The United States had time in both games against the United States.K where he looked organized and intimidating. He gave only one goal.
At the end of the match against Wales, the Americans felt lucky to have a point. After the draw against England, the Americans must feel that they can play with anyone. And their next game is against the team that allowed England six goals. If the United States loses to Iran, Berhalter does not return to the United States with a job. His over-the-top mindset of dividing the World Cup into two tournaments, the group stage and the knockout stage, should be a great yardstick for judging the program going forward. Without seeing the USMNT in these two phases, Berhalter should not be employed.
After two draws, Berhalter needs to make some changes to their starting XI. Do enough to keep the chemistry undisturbed and facilitate appropriate change to score more. Haji Wright failed at the striker and Josh Sargent at least looked comparable against Wales. We are yet to see Berhalter’s favorite enter the tournament, Jesus Ferreira. I wouldn’t be shocked if he had a big change against Iran. The USMNT has been looking for a consistent forward who can score in big games for about an eternity. It will not be solved at this World Cup. Throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. Another change I would make would be for Tim Weah to come off the bench and start Gio Reyna or Brenden Aaronson in his place. Even though Weah has scored USA’s only goal in the World Cup so far, he hasn’t done much against England. The USMNT should give Iran a set of personnel it could not have scouted together.
With this new USMNT look, the inescapable scenario seems much more achievable. Let’s not completely dismiss Iran here, they are a solid football team. He did more than enough to make the World Cup. Let’s also not pretend that the Americans shouldn’t win this game with some ease at their best. We saw one of the best efforts of the USMNT in recent memory, but without goal, against England. Now the Yanks have to start over with their World Cup life on the line.
