CNN
—
After drawing 1-1 against Wales, this World Cup has not been easy for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT).
A promising first-half performance and a fine goal from Timothy Weah were canceled out by Gareth Bale’s late penalty on Monday as the USMNT youth team were denied a win on the opening day of their campaign. in Qatar.
Next up are England, the favorites to top Group B after beating Iran 6-2 earlier this week – an important sign for Wales and the USMNT in their bid to qualify knockout stage.
But win or not draw England and America coach Gregg Berhalter will see that a place in the next round in his side with a game against Iran to come.
It will be the biggest test the USMNT’s so-called “Golden Generation” has faced under Berhalter and may be a game-changer for a side struggling for form in the tournament rounds.
“We know how good England is. Again, we think we matched them well,” said US captain Tyler Adams earlier this week, according to ESPN.
“We have a team that plays. We feel that against the ball we are really dominant at times. You know that [against Wales] with our counter-pressing and how we can create multiple conversion opportunities. ”
Friday’s match will be played at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City, kicking off at 2 pm ET.
You have to go back to 2002 for the last time the USMNT beat a European opponent at the World Cup, although they did have a 1-1 draw against England in the 2010 edition of the tournament in Africa. Left.
Otherwise, the results were better for England, winning eight of the 11 sides’ matches, and another victory would guarantee the success of the 1966 World Cup winners. in the knockout stages.
The good news for manager Gareth Southgate is that captain Harry Kane is fit to play after spraining his ankle earlier this week, while Berhalter will look to 20-year-old Giovanni Reyna to strengthen. when his page is loaded.
Reyna was an unused substitute against Wales and said his fitness was “very good” after being hampered by injuries in recent months.
Wales and Iran will compete in the other Group B game on Friday when they meet at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Despite being the side on the FIFA list, Rob Page’s Wales team will be confident of victory after England exposed Iran’s defensive shortcomings on Monday. For both teams, it is expected to be a must-win game in order to qualify for the knockout stages.
Host Qatar is back in action on Friday against Senegal, two nations that suffered defeats in their opening matches. Qatar was beaten 2-0 by Ecuador and Senegal lost by the same score to Holland.
Those two winning teams will be looking to make it two wins when they meet at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Wales vs Iran – 5am ET
Qatar vs Senegal – 8am ET
Netherlands vs Ecuador – 11am ET
England vs USA – 2pm ET
USA: Fox Sports
UK: BBC or ITV
Australia: SBS
Brazil: SportTV
Germany: ARD, ZDF, Deutsche Telekom
Canada: Bell Media
South Africa: SABC
