The United States is up towards the Netherlands in Qatar on Saturday because the knockout stage of the World Cup kicks off.
This is the primary time the Americans tackle the Netherlands at a World Cup – and so they’re dealing with them as underdogs. The Americans haven’t superior previous the Round of 16 for the reason that 2002 match.
But captain Tyler Adams stated they’re prepared.
“We’re going to have to give it our all,” Adams stated. “But I think that’s where our mentality has been really, really good against some of the biggest opponents now.”
The U.S. has reached this stage seven instances earlier than – most just lately, in 2014.
“The U.S. has gotten to this point before, but pretty rare to get beyond it,” stated journalist Grant Wahl. “I don’t think this U.S. team fears any other team in the tournament.”
They’ve been counting on star ahead Christian Pulisic – nicknamed Captain America – who was cleared Friday evening to play after a pelvic damage. The 24-year-old scored the crew’s profitable purpose towards Iran on Tuesday, however collided with the goalkeeper and ended up within the hospital.
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He stated his “team’s talent – and spirit – help him focus on the field.
“They know that I received their again. They received mine. That’s the way it works,” he stated.
The American gamers are “giving everything for each other, for this country,” he stated.
“You can see all the individual talent … but without the brotherhood and without this family aspect, you know, we wouldn’t be in this position,” he added.
The match at Khalifa International Stadium can’t finish in a tie. Instead it might go into additional time – possibly even a penalty shootout.
The profitable crew goes on to the quarterfinals. The dropping crew heads house.
U.S. males’s nationwide crew defender Walker Zimmerman instructed CBS News on Friday the crew is targeted on the duty at hand.
“We’ve been the underdogs before,” Zimmerman stated. ‘U.S. Soccer is used to that position, and I believe it is type of what has made our crew so particular, is the resiliency that we have now, that aggressive spirit that each crew earlier than us has had.”