G'day tribe. Yesterday we wrapped up Group A with the Netherlands. Let's chat today about the chances of the USMNT, the United States Men's National Team, or America, or however you know them as.
Group B has been widely described as the "group of death". It has one of the highest average world ranks of any group. There's also the politically driven nature of the group with the tension between Iran, the UK and the US.
32 teams in 32 days! This is the Ultimate FIFA World Cup review guide. Check what we've done so far below.
Group A - Qatar | Ecuador | Senegal | Netherlands
Group F - Canada | Croatia | Morocco | Belgium
Group H - Ghana | Portugal | Uruguay | South Korea
Country: United States
Nickname: Stars and Stripes, The Yanks
Last World Cup Appearance: 2014 (Round of 16)
Previous World Cup Appearances: 1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
World Rank: #14
Star Players: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams
I like the United States chances and they'll be looking to prove themselves before they host the World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada in 2026. The USMNT will be absolutely pumped to play in the World Cup having missed out on Qatar. They had a long road to qualifying because of the impacts of COVID. By the time it came around to their last game they just had to avoid a six-goal loss to punch their ticket to Qatar. They did so by "securing" a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica.
Expectations will be high for America. They won the first ever CONCACAF Nations League in 2021 and the Gold Cup a couple months later. America will have one of the youngest teams at the World Cup and considering they last played in the World Cup in Brazil 2014, they'll have barely any experience on the World Cup stage.
World Cup Group: Group A - United States, England, Iran, Wales
Prediction: Since 2020 Gregg Berhalter has shifted toward a youth movement. This reminds me of what Jurgen Klinsmann did for the German national team in the build up to the 2006 World Cup. There is an immense pool of young talent and I think this will be one of those tournaments that sets up the USMNT for the next generation.
How far can they go in the World Cup?
Well in June, America dispatched Morocco 3-0 in a friendly. It's only a friendly but it is a decent indicator as to what level the USMNT is as Morocco is amongst the best teams in Africa and ranked in the top 32. They also held their own four days later in a 0-0 friendly with Uruguay.
Just take a look at the team they're taking though. Christian Pulisic is one of the most quickest wingers, tidiest passers in world football and can find the net if he can stay healthy. Gio Renya is one of the most promising wingers in Europe at the moment. Tyler Adams is exceptional from defensive midfield and can help keeping it calm and control possession in midfield. Then there's Barcelona wingback Sergino Dest who can score screamers.
I think the most important player for the USMNT will be Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie. He's deadly in the air and the forward line will be looking to feed off his creativity. The most important thing about all these players mentioned? They are all so young! If you're a USMNT there's so much to get excited for.
They're a young team but the talent is just so immense that it's hard to see them not getting past the group stage. I say that carefully however as England, Iran and Wales are all in the top-24 in the world. It's a great group though when you consider what they had Ghana, Portugal and Germany in 2014.
The USMNT have a wealth of midfield and winger talent and there'll be ample opportunities created. The big keys will be whether they can finish those chances off. Jesus Ferreira, Ricardo Pepi, Jordan Pefok and Josh Sargent are the most likely candidates to be chosen up front and they aren't on the same level as the other talents the USMNT has. The likely starting centrebacks Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson are great in the MLS but their lack of experience in the top leagues of Europe could be the USMNT's downfall.
America is a genuine darkhorse and they should get out of the "group of death" it will only give them even more confidence in the business round of the tournament. The main downside will be the lack of big game experience amongst the entire squad especially considering their inexperience. The USMNT will be deadly come Canada, Mexico, United States 2026.
Quarter Finals
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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.