The U.S. Men’s National Team plays their second World Cup group stage tomorrow in Seattle, as they look to lock in their place in the knockout rounds against an undefeated Australia side.
While the Americans are coming off an emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles last Friday, Australia is also in equally great shape, having beaten Turkey 2-0 in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament thus far.
Before the USMNT take the field of the defending NFL champion Seattle Seahawks, here are the three keys to the matchup.
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1. If you play arrogant, you will lose
The USMNT have a more skilled, deeper roster than Australia. That is not an opinion, it’s just a fact, based on the quality of where the American roster plays and where the Australian plays.
But at the World Cup, that doesn’t matter. Turkey went into their game against Australia believing a goal would magically come against their five at the back, and it never happened, getting counter-punched twice. Australia have size in the back, speed upfront, and know how to play as a team. It doesn’t matter how much a player costs in the transfer window when the actual game is going on.
If the USMNT come in thinking they’ve already won after their Paraguay performance, it’s going to end in a draw or possible even a loss. But if they respect Australia’s speed and structure, they have the talent and manager to find a goal or two in this game.
2. The defense needs to be at its best
Against Paraguay, the defense looked amazing, but that came down to the midfield pretty much suppressing anything that the South American nation tried to do. In one of the only moments where a bounce went Paraguay’s way, the defense got beat and gave up a goal to a Paraguay squad who should have probably been held scoreless.
There are going to be times in the game where Australia push on the counter and the Americans can’t be flat footed. They need to be aware and respect Australia’s speed upfront, and to make sure not to take any silly fouls around the box. The defense might not be asked to defend much in Seattle, but when they are forced to make quick decisions, they better be ready.
3. Finding an answer with or without Pulisic
While there’s a chance star winger Christian Pulisic will play on Friday, he hasn’t practiced with the team the entire week and might be held out after getting knocked in the Paraguay match. Regardless of whether he is on the field or not, the Americans will need to unlock the puzzle that will be Australia’s five in the back and presence inside their own box.
If they get agitated like Turkey did, all it’s going to do is give Australia chances for counters and to get confidence in their game. But if the Americans can dribble like they did against Paraguay and start forcing the physical Aussies to move around inside the penalty area, good things will come from it. Crossing against them will be tough, so it’s going to be up to the players to get behind their wall in the back for productive chances.
