AL GHOR, Qatar — Clear underdogs against England heading into Friday’s World Cup Group B showdown, the U.S. men’s national team didn’t play like it, shaking off a slow start before taking control and standing toe-to-toe with one of the tournament’s favorites.
The USMNT and England played to a 0-0 draw at Al Bayt Stadium, a result that keeps them both unbeaten in group play, and in control of their own destinies heading into the group finales on Tuesday.
The USMNT will now face Iran in its group finale knowing that a win will secure a place in the Round of 16. The Americans would be eliminated from the World Cup with a draw or loss. England faces Wales knowing a draw or win puts them through to the Round of 16.
Matt Turner came up with the save of the night just before halftime, when he dove to his right to deny a dangerous and low blast from Mason Mount. Raheem Sterling’s one-touch pass allowed Mount to take his shot in stride, but Turner was up to the task.
The Americans came closest to scoring in the first half, when Christian Pulisic blasted a left-footed shot off the crossbar.
The USMNT out-shot England 10-8 on the night, though the English held a 55-45 edge in possession. Overall, the sides played an even match, trading spells of possession, with England controlling the first 15 minutes and the USMNT having the advantage for much of the rest of the first half.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams generating plenty of corner kicks and set pieces, but failing to turn them into truly dangerous chances.
Now the USMNT heads into Tuesday’s match against Iran knowing a win will mean a place in the Round of 16, and a win coupled with an England loss to Wales would help the Americans top Group B.
I would argue that these are the kinds of games Ream excels in. When he can keep the field in front and does not have tons of space behind him, he makes good decisions and is technically adept at cutting off passes and challenging for flighted balls.
The games the US plays in CONCACAF where the US backline is often inside the other team’s half is the sort of thing that exposes Ream’s weakness regarding speed when a ball is played over the top that the keeper cannot cleanup. That type of play puts Ream in a position he does not want to be chasing down a faster player. I think that is why he has looked so weak against CONCACAF teams.
Iran can play that way, but I don’t think they are going to change their tactics based on taking advantage of one US player.
you mean like what they did to wales for the red? not going to try to do that again?
Its hard to still believe a lot of people on here thought TIM REAM shouldn’t be on this team….that he was behind even CCV in the CB hierarchy…..LOL. That he was too slow, that he would get beaten with speed when playing elite teams, that he wasn’t physical in the air, that he wouldn’t be effective holding down the defense in a high press system like GB’s 4-3-3, and anytime I said HE WAS THE BEST CB IN OUT PLAYER POOL AT 35 a lot of people had something to say……LOL. My boy is a CONSISTENT vice team Captain for a team playing in the best league in the world, and even though every player has their limits……..CURRENTLY GRANDPA TIM REAM IS THE BEST CB IN OUT PLAYER POOL AT 35!!!!
Ok, I just had to get that off my chest…..LOL
👴 grandpa Tim Ream your hilarious😂 The Imperative Voice. Missing Chris Richards and M Robinson it’s pretty neat we have depth at CB. Can’t wait to have Richards and M Robinson back for 2026. Would be nice if Sands and our other CB would unlock dormant potential and be as good as a 2006 Cannavaro from Italy.
My apologies bizzy the emojis threw me off, the green sparkle thought you were TIV. Again Grandpa Tim Ream is hilarious, I am glad to have him on the team.
Not only Robinson and Richards but I expect EPB and Trusty to be in that mix for starting roles as well. Don’t forget CCV is still only 24 and McKenzie will be back in the fold too. CB will be a huge asset in the 2026 cycle.
CCV is already on the radar going back to the EPL. Trusty will be an EPL CB and McKenzie is getting back to his best who will have offers from bigger leagues soon.
Also RB and LB will be even better in the 2026. Our defense could be one hell of a defense in 2026.
15 yard personal foul for spiking the ball and taunting at half time of a tie game
Bizzy- friendly reminder- the 4-3-3 is zone formation. Spain created this to keep possession from the Germans & their pressing formation 4-2-3-1. The Spaniards couldn’t compete with France & their athletes and struggled against the Italians 3 CBs and defensive strategies. The US played the 4-3-3 the way it’s supposed to be used v England. 4-3-3 flips to a 4-4-2 when one of the wingers drops to midfield. The 1st 10 minutes was the 4-3-3, than they switched to a 4-4-2 once England got in our defensive 1/3. One of the secondary functions of the 4-3-3 is the flexibility to change in formation. Offense to defense. Ream or any CB who is good at positioning and reading the game will do well in this non-pressing formation. GB is confused in wanting to press in a zone formation and zone in a pressing formation. (Pick one!) Ream is left footed & brings balance to the CB pairing. 2 right footed CBs (CCV & Zimmerman), or 2 left footed CBs (Brooks & Ream) wouldn’t work. Ream still had value after people said he sucked when he got beat by Diego “I don’t play a lot for my club” Llainez. Good shout out to St Louis & the 314, the show me state is standing tall so far!
the dutch started the 433 way back when and at the league level they don’t even seem to care if they get scored on. (that is always my touchstone for people pimping the formation, is to me it’s vulnerable). they also way back 1978 ish were almost positionless. the spaniards to me have traditionally been 451 or in the golden era almost positionless. they weren’t 433 at the point they were awesome. they also passed the ball much higher tempo than say germany now, which makes it faster paced and harder to defend.
to me if you don’t play aggressive offense why are you bothering with a 433. it’s an awful defensive formation even if you stock it with 3 hustling mids. and if you use 3 hustling mids you just undermined the attacking value. what is the point.
to me this recent fetish for shifting around reflects the meeting place of buyer’s remorse and stubbornness. you see 433 is naive but insist. and so you have to switch to something else for defense. ironically that formation may be better for you anyway, full time. just switch.
sorry but in some big game you don’t want to depend on does x have the legs left to do their shifting.
last point, 433 c. 1990 in england used to be a kickball formation which would end with whacking crosses in. because we stick to our channels we end up basically there without the kickball. to me the more effective versions of the 433 in the attack become more positionless like the 2010 spain or 1978 dutch teams. the players aren’t so spread out from each other and the attack isn’t so predictable in terms of who is running in and in what spots. we play very positional which makes the passes longer and the approach more predictable.
Very few people here thought Ream should not be on the team.
What most everyone said , which you paid no attention to because you don’t read the posts of others , was that Gregg wasn’t playing a system that supported Ream best. And given how loyal Gregg has been to himself it was unlikely that he would deviate from that.
Fortunately, he’s deviated from that.
Timmy has one main flaw, he’s slow. He’s always been slow, since even before his first cap. But the game is full of not fast center backs, Tiago Silva for example. And it doesn’t have to be an impediment . Carlos Bocanegra was never fast and might have been slower than Timmy but he did okay.
What’s happening now is the USMNT is finally playing a system that supports what Timmy does best and he has Jedi alongside him to aid in that process. Good for us.
And he’s playing with Zimmerman so Walker can draw all the negative attention away from Timmy.
But you should hold your celebrating off until this next game is over. Timmy and Walker(assuming he’s not benched) will have their hands full.
Don’t jinx them
USMNT did an outstanding job in the midfield however the wide players at RB, LB , Weah and Pulisic really helped neutralize Englands speed and skilled players going forward. Did Trippier even play today? Sterling? Obviously Pulisic attracts bodies but those bodies cannot get caught upfield. Weah has done really well with his speed carrying the play and linking up with teammates. Hope this unit continues to grow, gain more confidence, and more cohesion.
An issue with subbing is putting in players who are liabilities such as Shaq M. He is not up to the speed of the game. Plays balls out of bounds or fouls? Both scenarios are the first mistake leading to a goal scoring opportunity! Reyna with no Dest just draws a double team. Or last match Acosta, especially playing in an advanced role ? Acosta is not a chance creator and takes aggressive risks.
US need to maintain there defensive shape with everyone balancing the field and helping with extra effort to defend and win balls back. Good interplay especially on the right side with Dest, Weah, and Wes. To bad the left struggles with Robinson linking up ?
i thought moore did fine and maybe you missed dest getting megged. dest had a good first game but his second game was ok and they got after him a little.
Your right on Dest but way off on Moore. He looked like a guy who hasn’t played in over a month and hadn’t face competition of that level in 4 years. He was poor defensively and offensively.
What you fail to be able to acknowledge is that Dest’s contribution to breaking pressure equals out any defensive deficiencies. Moore got megged at least once maybe twice and was poor going forward giving the ball away on two or three times in limited minutes. England tried to press Dest several times and he just went right around. I understand you prefer 90s style hoof it long and give up possession. Perhaps you should switch allegiance to Wales their style seems to fit with your method of play.
you don’t know what you’re talking about, per usual. moore was involved in the winner on canada in gold cup. it’s a fake argument that only dest can get forward and scally, cannon, and moore cannot. i am not a 1990s relic, i believe in keeping the ball on the ground when you can, but i believe US success will only come with 4 backs who can do their job and then add gravy. y’all want gravy without assuring the steak first.
to be crystal clear, 99% of world cup winners have a stout defense. you are confusing runnerup recipes with how TO WIN. i don’t care what holland does on the way to second. i don’t care about possession and aesthetics. i care about defense and then creating chances. a lot of the winning teams this time agree with me.
Who cares that Moore scored a goal 18 months ago against Canada’s B team. Against England he was poor. Graelish went by him several times, more than once Shaq made poor passes, at least one lead to a transition moment for England. Dest is press resistant, teams will look to press Shaq. He will either turn it over or pass it backwards, he can’t move the ball forward. You’re right Cannon, Moore, Scally can get forward if someone else gets the ball there. Dest can get the ball forward either dribbling or passing. 61st minute Dest collects the ball near midfield dribbles right around Rice and Bellingham and passes it to Pulisic open at the top of the box. Saka recovers gets a foot in and deflects the shot. None of those RBs you named can make that play, none of them could dribble into the box like Sergino did in the 41st minute.
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I rewatched the 2nd half, Moore was not as poor defensively as I had thought. He does lose Graelish a couple times, but the big difference is going forward. Every first touch was poor which killed at least three attacks including the one Aaronson played to him in the box. If he hits it first time who knows but taking a touch allows England the chance to get set. Those seconds he gave away were difference makers in missing out on three opportunities to create chances.
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Cup winners have good defense, of course they do. They also have great offense. Why could Germany play Lahm at RB? Because they had Muller and Allie’s in front of him, guys that could score. Why could France play a more defensive Pavard because he has Mbappe, Pogba, and Griezman in front. Why would those teams risk anything their attacking players can score all on their own.
That is as good as the USMNT has played in a long time. The individual quality of their play was on a par with most any team out there. So much of the English possession was passing back and forth between defensive backs that the stat is pretty meaningless. I think we outplayed them. My main complaints are that I would like to see more of Gio Reyna and less of Zimmerman. Zimmerman is really playing himself out of a starting spot. I can’t believe that CCV would do worse.
I think Zimmerman played quite well in the first 70 minutes of each game. When he began to tire, he lost concentration and made some bad plays. Ream bailed him on one late in the Wales game and a poor pass in the last 10 minutes or so could have cost the US the game vs England. I just hope with two 90+ minutes games behind him he does not suffer the same fate late against Iran.
The best 3 matches the US has played under GB have all been 0-0 draws. 1)-Mexico away WCQ, 2)-WC v England & 3)- Uruguay friendly home. Don’t know the word to describe it. A draw v Iran sends us home. Tuesday can’t come fast enough.
Get it into their heads that Iran IS our round of 16 game. Lose and we’re out, it’s that simple.
I’d say the Dos a Cero performance at home vs Mexico was better than the 0-0 draw at a less than full and rather quiet Azteca.
GBs home record is way better than his away record. History shows we always play well vs El Tri at home. Didn’t include it because of this. CP didn’t even start in that game. How many Dos o cero’s have we had in our history? Is El Tri tougher to play at home or away in WCQ? Uruguay has better talent than El Tri and it was the toughest competition for a friendly this year. “ B team player” Darwin Nunez got a 80 l+ million euro transfer to Liverpool. No CONCACAF country has that going for them. That was my pick for the best home match, under GB, though WCQ & GC are way more competitive. And tying England in a WC, is the biggest of all of them but it’s not significant to me unless we ultimately get out of the group. US getting 1 point in Mexico was significant because we eventually qualified for the WC. More pressure on the US to get a result away from home.
JR
This will be, by far, the biggest game this edition of the USMNT will ever play. Until the next one, if there is one.
They won’t get anything out of referring back to the Mexico games. That’s useless and irrelevant.
If they need context they have the latest ( not 1930 ) England and Wales ( not 2020) games as useful reference points.
Both teams played not to lose today. England was fine just getting a point and we were very conservative in maintaining a low scoring game. There were a few occasions where we could have gone and caught them in transition but we just held back in case we turned over the ball and got caught on the counter.
Iran is no cakewalk. Iran was very, very physical against the Welsh, and Wales found it difficult to do anything but route 1.
I was at the Iran game back in ’98 where we lost 2-1. It could happen again since we have a very young squad just coming off a confident boosting draw against world beaters England. If they were able to man-handle an older Welsh team, it will be easier against an inexperienced squad so guys on yellows better be careful.
What was Wales undoing was being the aggressor. They are never the aggressor and it showed against Iran. Iran sat back and allowed Wales to have 62 percent possession, so the USMNT needs to be better than wales in the attacking third… meaning take shots! Make the back line realize that we are going to shoot so that pulls the defenders out.
Not sure both teams were playing not to lose? England especially in the second half kept sending Bellingham and then Henderson on runs into the 18. Playing a numbers game with overloads.
I would agree in the last 4 minutes England seemed to be just fine with the draw and guarded against a late goal for the USA by defending deep with few players positioned to take advantage on the attack. Most of the game, however, England was trying to push forward thinking that Kane would pull off something up front, that Sterling would be able to have his way down the right wing, Bellingham would simply outclass the defenders while Mount would control the midfield. It simply never happened for them except for Mount’s shot late in the first half. The US pressed England with Dest, Robinson, McKennie and Musah joining the front three to create. The US was not sitting back hoping for a draw.
England wanted to win this game in order to guarantee advancing without a result vs Wales and give some players rest before the elimination round.
i liked the tactics and am not sure why even bother going back.
the defense works. personally i prefer sitting back making these teams try to pass through us to naively chasing them like U10s. the 9 problem gets dodged by having 2 forwards. we can still attack down the wings. i think we need to sit down and decide and practice some concept of how we’re going to manage some goals, but the team looked happier and more lively.
it’s a solid result. the selection choices to get it, we’ll revisit after the next game.
i thought the decision to not play the free kick at the end into the box was gutless.
Because Iran isn’t likely to play the way England did is why you don’t use the same tactics. It wasn’t all that different defensively to be honest, we just moved the lines back. We’ve been defending in a 4-4-2 for quite sometime.
i always hear this “but we’re shifting on defense” stuff but if you’ve played or even watched a team that does this shifting stuff, you tend to either lose the attacking outlets that are half the point to a 433 — you can’t be both on the offsides line and back with the mids defending — or you get caught up on a turnover before you can shift. i also think it adds to the running a team needs to do and that’s a finite gas tank. my dynamo will be doing their shifting early — to justify the useless 433 — and then be losing games final 30′.
i mean, based on what you just saw, why swap back and forth? and i can’t believe a pushed forward 433 is any more wise for counter iran. this whole group is somewhat similar conservative teams.
It was gutless. If you draw or tie, you still have to beat Iran. Should have just gone for it. One could see GB telling them to play it safe.
Very happy with the way they played, but need to finish better. I was telling my wife that I didn’t think McKennie should start because of injury concerns and he’s looked off. Was I wrong. Played one of his better games in a while and Adams was everywhere again.
Turner also gave me heart palpitations a couple times when he had the ball, but he’s getting better with his feet and distribution. The long ball to Pulisic almost caught the English defense out. He also commanded the box well and anything near him he gobbled up.
What’s really impressed me is that while they played very well, this isn’t their ceiling. Not to do it consistently starting Tuesday.
Old, I felt the same way about McKennie but he is a special player when he is on.
finishing to me is a personnel/selection choice. you have to identify someone you can stick out there, starter or sub, who can put balls in net corners. our players have been picked for other purposes. if you want wins maybe have 1 guy out there who can snipe. they used to have dempsey and to some extent donovan and aron johanssen. i though green could do the giant killer shot thing. you can’t just tell them to put balls on cage or even fix it with practice. you kind of need a guy or two with the skillset.
one thing missing so far has been dest or robinson (or anyone else) whacking shots from the top of the box. i think we’ve told them to pick their battles and sit back more. we also have some pool mids who can hammer one far post (eg holmes) but they didn’t get called.
We need a guy with the skill set to score goals. Your suggestion Duane Holmes has 13 g in the Championship over 10,122 minutes. That’s a goal every 785 minutes and your thought is he’s a sniper! This season he has 0g in 1123 minutes he puts a shot on frame every 145 minutes.
JR: part you’re confused about is skillset. he can hit golazos when he wants to, from outside the box. what we need are strikers who can finish inside the box and then at least one mid who can hit some in from like 25 or so. i’m not talking numbers. i don’t care if they have 5 goals in league from inside the 6. i am saying we need at least a sub who can whack a ball in from 18-30 out. that is a particular skillset and would also probably be useful on free kicks.
So your saying that Duane Holmes can score from outside the box “when he wants too”. So he only wants to score once every nine matches? That’s the average for all his goals so let’s say half his goals are outside the box (which isn’t likely only 1 was outside the box last year). He only “wants to” once every 18 matches? What you as a “highlight snob” do is see a guy do something one time and then think that’s what they do all the time.
you can’t actually have played much soccer. whacking long shots in is never an every game thing. it’s inherently a 2-3 times a season thing for even the greats. which is why when it happens it’s in the highlights you are clowning on. hitting a 30 yard bomb upper 90 is a superior technique thing, not luck — your average men’s league or even college kid hits it in the stands — and we need to diversify the offense beyond whacking crosses in and hoping.
to be blunt, both dest and robinson have also offered the shot i am suggesting. dest had a goal this way against northern ireland. we have quit going to goal in favor of trying to get to the endline or the flag. we have quit cutting in. you then need to either combine into the box or have some capability to whack shots in from top of the D. make fun of me all you want but if our offense is like a test of heading crosses out this will never go anywhere. it’s very predictable and just a test of luck and clearance skills. at this level most defenders will have competence or excellence swatting away such flies all day.
So now it’s gone from whenever he wants to 2 or 3 times a season. The problem with bringing and playing a guy like Holmes is it might be 3 or 4 years before he hits one for the NT. He’s not good enough to play 90 minutes every match just for a hope that he hits one from 35 yards once a year. So then he’s got to come off the bench now it might be 5 or 6 years before he hits one.
My concerns going into a must win game with Iran:
1. Only one goal in two games played and we need a win. Can’t win if we don’t score.
2. Walker Z is a liability. He cost us a “w” versus Wales and could have cost us against England.
These 2 results actually work out pretty well for the US. The tie means England must go all out and get a positive result against Wales. I think we can all agree a motivated England should win.
England put 6 past Iran in the first game. The US should have increased confidence with today’s result, with no injuries and no suspensions. The reality is this US team should be able to beat Iran, even in a hostile environment like the Middle East. If not, we do not deserve to advance.
Our players played out of their minds. Talk about rising to the occasion. Robinson has reached another level. Dest was a complete fullback. Everyone was switched on. Ream- dominating again. And that’s just the defense. We were better in most of the 1 on 1 matchups, most of the duels. Some of the first touches were just sublime. We never switched off. We were quicker. We could play out of the back, work in tight spaces… Tyler Adams was even more Tyler Adams than usual.
We actually overperformed our talent level for the first time ever since these guys started to emerge pre-covid. I’m not ready to throw myself at GB’s feet just yet. This was the players. Either way, I’m giving Gregg the day off. Anyone who follows this team has to be over the moon with this performance.
+1
“Tyler Adams was even more Tyler Adams than usual.”
…..Absolutely. Well said!!
Iran will be with a starting forward due to yellow card accumulation and they had to play hard up to the 99th minute to breakdown Wales. The US should be as well rested (or equally tired) as Iran come Tuesday’s match.
The ongoing protests in Iran will probably impact the players, whether that means they will be distracted or if they will face that and use it to dig deeper is an open question.
Dear Gregg Berhalter,
I greatly apologize for saying all the super negative things about you….lol. I’m sorry for doubting your tactics, your strategy, selecting the players you needed and your formation selection you envisioned for the team. Going TOE TO TOE with the likes of Harry Kane, Rahim Sterling, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish, Mark Rasford etc. means more than just the result and as its a testament to you, your coaching staff and your work as USMNT coach. We were dangerous on Offense, we were well organized on defense…..I mean the players on the field were just solid. Congrats!!!!
Humbled believer,
bizzy
lol
He just slammed his slurry down. He is really mad at you.
I’ve already apologized….what more does he want haha
If I didn’t think you were being sarcastic…
Bizzy, actually, he got it right today IMO but he I think tactically he been very weak at making adjustments. I felt pretty good at halftime because I didn’t think England was going to make any adjustments and I do t think they did. I think he should have put in a 3rd centerback or a 4th midfielder against Wales. He really made no adjustments as afar as I could see in the 2nd half against Wales. Still two more halves to go. If they get a win, there is a pretty good chance he will haven gotten it right in the last two halves. All that said, he us still passed at you and now ge is passed at me also. I am happy for the game today and enjoyed it regardless of outcome against Iran. Cheers!!
Happy to eat crow, especially in a sauce of English frustration washes down with English tears. Man, if we could have put just one of those chances away. The team played with great energy and commitment, and the formation worked. I totally forgot Sterling had started until he was subbed off. Adams was incredible.. him or Turner for motm.
Just looked through the match reactions over on Guardian…the English are peeved. Except for the diehard homers they know they got outplayed.
Well, I hope the confidence to playing well against England carries over against Iran, and our starters didn’t burn themselves out playing at least 70 apiece.
My one quibble is that once again Gregg was painfully slow to recognize the moment when a lot of his guys were gassed and once again failed to have a fresh line ready to rotate in, and he didn’t give Sargent and especially Reyna any real opportunity to exert any influence on the game.
The tactics were right, the lineup was right…I am worried if we’ve got enough left to put away Iran.
We could still get nothing out of this tournament. That would be a shame, especially the way our kids have performed for three of four halves now. They’ve shown better than honestly I expected but the margins in this group are just so durn tight…well, we knew that coming in.
Hopefully they’re up for it. Onwards!
Hey Q, you know Iran has to be thinking the same thing… they left it all on the field and they all looked gassed by the end.
I would have liked to see Reyna about 10-15 minutes earlier
Gregg has decided 75 minutes is the time to make subs. I think it goes back to the 2021 GC, but I’m of the opinion that’s too small of a sample size to use as your basis.
I hear you Back, and others, about the subs. But unlike the Wales match, with this one, I personally found it hard to figure out who to take off and when. There was a chemistry and energy that I wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt. Sure, Aaronson for Wes a d Gio for Weah… But *when* was the issue. I think Iran is a good team, rising high off a late win, but with three days rest and the talent gap, I think the game is winnable. Finishing drills all around .
Bac-
Did some looking. Against Wales, Iran started:
F Sardar Azmoun, Bayer Leverkusen, 27…but he looked gutted when subbed
F Medi Taremi, Porto, 30…played full 90+ in both games now
(these two strikers are by FAR their best players)
MF Ehsan Hajsafi, AEK Athens, 32 (subbed off)
MF Ahmad Nourallahi, UAE League, 29 (subbed off)
MF Saeid Ezatolahi, Vehle (Switzerland), 26 (subbed off)
MF Ali Gholizadeh, Charleroi (Belgium), 26 (subbed off)
DF Sadegh Moharrami, Dinamo Zagreb (Russia), 26
DF Morteza Pouraliganji, Persoepolis (Greece), 30
DF Majeid Hosseini, Kayserispor (Turkey), 26
DF Ramin Rezaeleian, Sepahan (Iran), 32
GK Hossein Hosseini, Estaghial (Iran), 30
One of their key subs, Alireza Jahanbakhsh of Feyenoord in the Dutch league, collected his second yellow and will not be available for Tuesday’s game.
So…long story short…their guys aren’t ancient but about half of them are 30+ and will be playing their third match in three games…and all of them are 26 or older. So they (hopefully!) will not rebound physically like our kids can. Also a little shocking how ordinary the Iranian team looks behind Taremi and Azmoun, who are very dangerous and I wish they were playing for the US. We’re going to have a significant edge in talent if we can deny those two the ball like England (mostly) did…keep in mind they still scored two against England and another two against Wales, though.
Quaker,
I’m with you, MMA all looked so strong.. but I thought Weah is the only one that should have come out earlier, and I wanted to see Reyna get more time.
Other than him I totally agree.
Q,
That’s some good info, I agree their 2 guys up front are clinical.. If MMA play like they did today I like our chances, we have an opportunity to boss that midfield…. But we gotta finish
One thing about that Iran Wales game is it looked like neither team was too confident in holding possession, causing it to be a high energy frenetic game.. Hoping they will fade on tired legs in the 2nd half
we have depth we haven’t even tapped into tbh….Luca, Aaronson and Gio haven’t played significant minutes yet, so for me at least 2 of those three needs to be starting vs Iran, ideally all 3.
Mr. Otis,
“Jut unlike the Wales match, with this one, I personally found it hard to figure out who to take off and when. There was a chemistry and energy that I wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt. Sure, Aaronson for Wes a d Gio for Weah… But *when* was the issue. ”
It’s a real hard thing to figure and the most significant thing a manager can do to influence the game after it has started. That’s why managers get the big bucks. You pay them and their staff to know “WHO” and “WHEN”.
“I think Iran is a good team, rising high off a late win, but with three days rest and the talent gap, I think the game is winnable. Finishing drills all around .”
That’s the difference between tournament ball and League play; knockout games.
Iran win and they are through. They won’t be tired. They can sleep afterwards.