The Iran win that the US knew had taken place before their game against England perhaps liberated the team in a sense. They knew that virtually no matter what happened in their upcoming game against England they were going to get a chance to play for all the marbles against Iran in the last game of the group. Having said this, there’s no question that the USMNT put in a great game!
What’s The Biggest Positive Element In The US’s Game?
The midfield was able to hold up the entire game. Adams, McKinnie, and Mussa played a great game across the board. They were able to never waver physically with the demands of having to get back on defense, and then play in transition. In the first game against Wales it could be argued that as the game progressed, they stopped being as intense as they were. In doing so, the US lost a lot of its flair.
Another element that was a strength for the US was the back line and the goalkeeper. Both of these were in question heading into the tournament. Turner had his coming out party today, there’s no question about that. He looked really solid in the back, being able to cut multiple crosses that could’ve otherwise resulted in goal scoring chances for England. He didn’t give up second chance shots at all. The back line, particularly the left and right backs also put in the work today.
Some people may want to point out that Dest wasn’t as effective on the offensive end for example. He was a big reason though that England did not have too many goal scoring chances coming from that right side of the American defense.
The Biggest Issue Going Into The Iran Game
We knew coming into the tournament that there was not a lot of certainty at the number 9 spot. Wright and Weah were tasked more with playing on the wings. What happened most of the time was that the US was able to find spaces on the wing to cross balls into the box. When they did that though they didn’t have anyone to go to. Pulisic tried to cut towards the middle and appear almost as a shadow striker.
He was even able to get on the end of one of the multiple crosses that the US put into the box. However, his header went wide on that attempt, and quite frankly most times he wasn’t able to compete with the England defenders. The good thing for the US is that the Iran game is going to be completely different than this England matchup. The style of play of both teams couldn’t be further apart. This opens up an opportunity for the US to maybe return to a more traditional 4-3-3 formation to add that number 9 presence in the box.
What To Expect From Iran
Iran is going to be a team that will probably fight for possession in the midfield. They won’t be as vertical as England, Wales or the US for that matter. Look for Iran to add more people in the midfield to be able to always put Adams, McKinnie, and Mussa a man down in that midfield. That can help Iran take control of the game. The US though could elect to essentially forgo that midfield area, and be very vertical particularly with their players on the wings. They could look to deliver the knock-out blow early just like England did to Iran. The problem for the USMNT is that if the goal doesn’t come early desperation can start creeping in. Iran is likely in with a draw, and the US needs to win no matter what! Look for early US pressure that Iran will try and counter through short passing and long possessions.
