One of the most fascinating matchups in the first knockout round of Qatar 2022 is the match between the US Men’s National Team and the Netherlands on Saturday.
Both teams will be confident that they have secured a spot in the quarterfinals, even though the oddsmakers put the Netherlands as the clear favourite.
While Gregg Berhalter’s team demonstrated their resilience against Iran in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all match with a convincing victory, the USMNT gave England real trouble in their group stage match and will likely have left that game the more disappointed of the two teams with the 0-0 draw.
The Netherlands will be a challenging opponent for the US on Saturday since they are eight places higher in the FIFA world rankings than the US and have players of international recognition like Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona, and Memphis Depay.
For the first time since 2002, can Berhalter’s team make it to the round of eight? CNN Sport examines.
In the crucial match against Iran, the Chelsea forward sustained what he described as a pelvic contusion while scoring the game-winning goal, but head coach Berhalter stated on Friday that Pulisic is expected to play on Saturday.
According to Pulisic, who some US supporters have dubbed “Captain America,” he “will do all in my ability to cooperate with this medical team and make sure that I can play,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Hopefully for US supporters, Pulisic “has been cleared to play” in the win-or-go-home encounter against the Dutch, the USMNT tweeted late on Friday from its official account.
Everything is possible. With so much off-field anxiety in the lead-up to the game, Berhalter will have been extremely pleased with the performance against Iran, which resulted in a hard-fought but well-deserved 1-0 victory.
In a heated pre-game press conference, Iranian media grilled Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams while they fought off charges of hypocrisy and rudeness.
Berhalter and US supporters will be extremely confident going into Saturday’s game because their team was able to concentrate and perform when it mattered the most.
Before the game, Berhalter said, “From here, anything can happen.” “It’s a tremendous opportunity, but we shouldn’t approach it with the expectation that it would be an honour. We want to maintain our current standing because we earned it. The USMNT’s captain, Adams, has served as the team’s engine and heartbeat even if Pulisic is unquestionably its star.
Both on and off the field, the Leeds midfielder has displayed composure, earning praise from Iranian journalists for his poise and eloquence in answering those inquiries. Following the victory over Iran, Berhalter lavished praise on his “general,” whose team has not yet allowed a goal from open play at this World Cup.