It’s very simple for the United States on Tuesday against Iran in the 2022 World Cup. Win, or go home.
Three of the four teams in Group B – USA, England and Iran – are still alive for two places in the last 16. The scenarios are clear.
A victory for Iran or the United States can be achieved. A win or draw by England puts the Three Lions into the knockout stage. The Americans could still win the series by winning and England losing to Wales, or England drawing and the USA winning by at least four goals.
But there is no scoreboard monitoring here. Matches are held at the same time.
Here are the highlights and best matches since the last day of Group B matches.
first half
The ninth minute: The first minutes of this game were the usual feel-good process, but the sharpness made the game feel like it was being played at 1.5x speed. The Americans have a nearly two-on-one advantage in possession, which isn’t surprising, but both teams were brimming with direct, purposeful running.
This tension is reflected in the stands. The noise has been constant so far.
Pre-match breakdown
Put aside the off-field feuds that have steadily built up between these two teams throughout this tournament. The bets of this game – win as you play – create plenty of drama on their own, and for a USA team that can’t even afford a tie, the mountain they have to climb may seem increasingly steep. Exiting the tunnel at Al Thumama Stadium.
Let’s start with the selection, because it’s unsurprising and head-scratching at the same time. The US starting XI is largely unchanged from the first two games, with one exception.
Josh Sargent returned to the starting line-up, despite splitting a largely ineffective 81-minute run between the matches against Wales and England. Elhaji Wright made less of an impact on his debut against the Three Lions, so the change at the top was unexpected, but returning to Sargent – when coach Greg Berhalter picked Jesus Ferreira consistently throughout this cycle – is a curious choice.
The most controversial decision comes at the back, with Cameron Carter-Vickers going in at centre-back alongside Tim Ream, at the expense of Walker Zimmerman. Zimmerman conceded the penalty that Gareth Bale converted to give Wales the tie in that Opening Game of the Americans, but aside from that, the two-time NBA Defender of the Year was very strong on defense and that’s arguably what this was. A bright spot for the team in Qatar. Carter-Vickers and Reim never played together, and the Celtic centre-back only made three appearances in 2022 (in the Nations League against El Salvador and Grenada, and a friendly against Morocco).
Oh, and the crowd inside Al Thumama Stadium is definitely pro-Iranian, at least judging by the noise made when the teams took to the pitch to warm up.
There is no room for error for Americans. Did Berhalter really do one in getting rid of Zimmermann?
line up
The youngest player in the starting line-up #Qatar 2022 this dimension. 🇺🇸
Notes on the full lineup » #USMNT x @visa pic.twitter.com/TaaG7eI52N
– United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) November 29, 2022
📋 Our team news from #IRN And the #United States of America#world Cup | #Qatar 2022
– FIFA World Cup (FIFA WorldCup) November 29, 2022
Presidential support
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/cAVGtnuJ90
– United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) November 29, 2022
Fans appear
.@employee it’s you? pic.twitter.com/sUQ83hlVxa
– US Soccer (ussoccer) November 29, 2022
Controversy growing
After an NFL social media account briefly displayed an Iranian flag without the Islamic Republic’s emblem, the Iranian government responded by accusing American football of removing the name of God from its national flag, and the Iranian Football Federation said its country would file a complaint. With FIFA. Report from the Associated Press He said Iran was also threatening to take legal action.
The USSF said in a statement Sunday morning that it decided to drop the official flag on its social media accounts to show “support for Women in Iran are fighting for basic human rights.”
Eventually the poles were removed and the flag emblem restored. A US spokesperson said the federation still supported the protesters in Iran, and US advocate Walker Zimmerman confirmed the team was focused on Tuesday but still supported women’s rights.
“I think it’s a focused group on the mission at hand, but at the same time we empathize, and we firmly believe in and support women’s rights,” Zimmerman said.
