Very few fancied the USA, one of the trio of host countries alongside Mexico and Canada, coming into the tournament, but Mauricio Pochettino’s team have looked surprisingly formidable in their opening matches.
Sergiño Dest, such a middling player at Barcelona and Spurs, is full of confidence after winning three league titles in the Netherlands with PSV; Folarin Balogun has been a regular goalscorer for Monaco in France, and he always looks threatening leading the line; the fluid midfield trio of Weston McKenzie, Malik Tillman, and Tyler Adams have a great understanding together; the USA didn’t even need missing superstar Christian Pulisic on the day.
Paraguay and the Socceroos, admittedly, haven’t been the most capable of opponents, and much more dangerous match-ups will await them in the knockout phase.
The USA’s potential Round of 32 opponent, for example, could be the likes of Senegal, Norway, Japan, and Ecuador; European heavyweights Belgium and Spain could await in subsequent rounds. The bigger and better countries will prove too much for them in the end.
But the truth is: the USA haven’t looked this good at a World Cup since 2002.
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