Jesse Marsch has spoken up on the similarities that his Leeds United side shares with the USA national team as the Stars and Stripes get set to take on England and Wales in Group B in Qatar over the ten days.
The draw, which was made last April, pitted USA and Wales together at a World Cup for the first time, whilst it will be the third rodeo between Gregg Berhalter's men and the Three Lions after meetings in 1950 and 2010. With all three eager to qualify for the knockout rounds, it will be no easy feat finishing in the top two - though Marsch believes anything is possible for his home nation.
The Wisconsin-born Whites' boss made just two appearances for his country, though he was a coach in the national setup for the 2010 World Cup, which saw Clint Dempsey cancel out Steven Gerrard's opener thanks to THAT Robert Green howler. And, in an interview with The Athletic, Marsch has made comparisons between his Leeds outfit and the USA team - detailing how the side may set up in the tournament if they are to take a result.
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Marsch said: "Against Wales, the U.S. is going to see a team that sits in a low block and looks to hit them in transition with players like Daniel James and Gareth Bale. It will likely be similar against Iran. I always say the reason teams play with a low block is that it’s hard to break down. People like to criticise you when you can’t break those teams down, but when they have a low block, that’s the strategy, right?
"At Leeds, one of the things that we always talk about against teams like this is finishing plays with shots. We want to finish, obviously, with goals, but we say we want to finish plays with shots on frame because that’s another way to create more corners and more set-piece plays. Those can be the difference in these types of games."
Marsch also compared the athleticism of his Leeds side to that of the USMNT and believes this can help his home nation spring a surprise on the Three Lions.
"England will obviously be a match where they have the ball a little bit more, which could be good for the U.S. This is one of the things with Leeds, too. We like playing against opponents that want the ball because we’re fast, we have athleticism, we like to press, we like to play with intensity. This U.S. player pool can run. They’re young, they’re fit and they have some talent. And most of them, most importantly, are built with fearlessness. A lot of the guys are playing now in the Premier League or in the Champions League week-in and week-out. These guys know what the level of a game like that is. I think if they can be organised against the ball and in pressing, and if they can be good in set-piece situations, defensive and attacking, that will give them the best chance to get a result in that match."
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