The United States have reached the last 16 of the QatarWorld Cup after a tense 1-0 victory over Iran to finish second in Group B behind England.
Gregg Berhalter’s men have shown tactical discipline throughout the group stage, holding the Three Lions to a goalless draw, and now they play the Netherlands for a place in the quarter-finals.
Christian Pulisic picked up an abdominal injury and was taken to hospital after his goal against Iran, with United States fans desperate for the Chelsea star to make it against the Orange on Saturday.
And while Pulisic is the star, the United States’ strength comes from a stellar midfield, including captain and Leeds United star Tyler Adams, joined by Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah. Giovanni Reyna had struggled with injuries heading into the tournament, and the Borussia Dortmund talent has seen limited minutes so far. Instead, the likes of Tim Weah, Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson and Josh Sargent support Pulisic in the final third, with the lack of a pure No 9 limiting their attacking potential.
Here is everything you need to know about the USA:
Group fixtures
Monday 21 November: USA 1-1 Wales (Weah 36’, Bale 82’)
Friday 25 November: England 0-0 USA
Tuesday 29 November: Iran 0-1 USA (Pulisic 38’)
Last 16
Saturday 3 December: Netherlands vs USA
Confirmed squad
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Arsenal).
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergio Dest (AC Milan), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Tim Ream (Fulham), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC).
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Kellyn Acosta (LAFC), Tyler Adams (Leeds), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC).
Forwards: Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Lille), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor).
Ones to watch
Star – Christian Pulisic: Easily the team’s best player, the 24-year-old Chelsea forward hasn’t featured as much as he’d like for the Premier League side this season but has 21 goals in 52 appearances for the United States and remains an ever-present threat in front of goal. There’s a reason his nickname is Captain America.
Breakout talent – Giovanni Reyna: An injury plagued 2021/22 halted his progress at Borussia Dortmund but the 19-year-old looks set to be a brilliant player after being given the number seven shirt when Jadon Sancho joined Manchester United. He’s only made a handful of appearances for the German side this term but became the first American player to provide two assists in a Champions League match during a 3–0 win against Copenhagen back in September.
Odds to win the World Cup (taken from Betfair)
90/1
Prediction
The USA have athleticism, workrate and tenacity and ground out the runner-up spot over Iran. Now though, against Netherlands, they face a tough task to reach the quarter-finals. But the Dutch have not been at their best and could be vulnerable to a similar gameplan that England struggled to overcome. Still, we’ll lean to Cody Gakpo, one of the players of the tournament, making another decisive moment for the Oranje in a 1-0 win, possibly after extra-time. Knocked out in the last 16.
