One of the most fascinating matchups in the first knockout round of Qatar 2022 is the match between the US Men's National Team and the Netherlands on Saturday.
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Both teams will be confident that they have secured a spot in the quarterfinals, even though the oddsmakers put the Netherlands as the clear favourite.
While Gregg Berhalter's team shown their resilience against Iran in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all match with a convincing victory, the USMNT gave England serious trouble in their group stage meeting and will likely have left that game the more unhappy of the two teams with the 0-0 stalemate.
With the Netherlands ranked eighth in FIFA’s world rankings – eight places above the US – and boasting world renowned talents like Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay, Saturday’s match will be a tough one for the US.
Can Berhalter’s men reach the last eight for the first time since 2002? CNN Sport takes a look.
USMNT’s key threat
Of course, the main concern for the US is the fitness of star man Christian Pulisic.
The Chelsea forward scored the game-winning goal in the crucial match against Iran while suffering what he described as a pelvic injury, but head coach Berhalter stated on Friday that Pulisic is expected to play on Saturday.
According to Pulisic, who some US supporters have dubbed "Captain America," he "will do all in my ability to cooperate with this medical team and make sure that I can play," he told reporters on Thursday.
Fortunately for US supporters, Pulisic "has been cleared to play" in the win-or-go-home encounter against the Dutch, the USMNT tweeted late on Friday from its official account.
Everything is possible.
Berhalter will have been extremely pleased with the performance against Iran, which resulted in a valiant but well-deserved 1-0 victory, especially given the intense off-field stress in the lead-up to the game.
In a heated pre-game press conference, Iranian media grilled Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams while they fought off charges of hypocrisy and rudeness.
Berhalter and US supporters will be quite confident going into Saturday's game since their team was able to concentrate and perform when it meant the most.
Before the game, Berhalter said, "From here, anything can happen." "It's a tremendous opportunity, but we shouldn't approach it with the expectation that it would be an honour. We believe that we earned our current position and are committed to maintaining it.
The USMNT's captain, Adams, has served as the team's engine and heartbeat even if Pulisic is unquestionably its star.
The Leeds midfielder has displayed composure both on and off the field, earning plaudits from Iranian journalists for his poise and eloquence in answering those inquiries.
After his squad defeated Iran, Berhalter lavished praise on his "general," who has yet to allow a goal from open play throughout this World Cup.
Tyler fulfils a very specific position, according to Berhalter. "He is the strategist and the general. He is the one who sets an example for others to follow. People listen to him talk.
the adversary
A spot in the US's first World Cup quarterfinal since 2002 beckons if they can play like they did against England and for large portions of the game against Iran.
In Qatar, the USMNT will be confident in their ability to defeat an underperforming Netherlands team.
Édouard Mendy's two goalkeeping miscues against Senegal gave Louis van Gaal's team a late victory, but otherwise, they only managed a point against Ecuador in a game they were fortunate not to lose.
Even if the team's 2-0 victory over Qatar was a more impressive showing, the Qataris' dismal tournament performance must be taken into consideration.
What the coach said Few people expected the Netherlands to be a genuine World Cup contender, but it will please manager Louis van Gaal, a pragmatist, that his squad won Group A despite not yet gelling as a unit.
The 71-year-old, who is currently in command of the Dutch national team for the third time, responded to a reporter's assertion that his team's performance against Qatar had been "terribly boring" and praised a "fanatical and sharp" US team at his pre-match press conference for the quarterfinals.
Van Gaal stated on Thursday, "I know from experience that matches against nations like the United States and Australia, who we faced in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, are always very difficult.
They put up a lot of effort and have good ball skills.
According to Reuters, van Gaal stated on Friday, "The USA has shown that it has a fantastic squad, I would even say one of the finest teams, a team that is fine-tuned, [but] it's nothing we can't overcome."
"We will do everything we can to win and to beat USA, that's it," the team said. "The USA is a very dynamic squad, they have physically strong players and that is tough for any opponent.
Netherlands' primary danger
In its three group stage games, the Netherlands managed just eight shots on goal, but was clinical in scoring five goals, mostly due to star teenager Cody Gakpo.
The 23-year-old, who scored three goals with his right foot, left foot, and head to lead the 2022 World Cup golden boot race alongside Kylian Mbappé, Marcus Rashford, lvaro Morata, and Enner Valencia, has probably significantly increased his transfer value this tournament, much to the delight of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.
Manchester United is reportedly one of the teams already interested in signing Gakpo after the World Cup, and fellow Dutch star van Dijk stated the winger has the ability to "go to the moon and back."
The Liverpool defender remarked, "He is a really excellent footballer and a wonderful boy too. "What you see on the field is exactly what we see in practise.
He still has so much potential, and I hope he can continue to demonstrate it for us. We are content with him greatly.
Cody has everything it needs to become a star, but anything can happen, said Van Gaal. Because he is open-minded to everything, he has the perfect personality to become a star athlete.
This side struggled against an athletic Ecuador team, a threat the USA will also present. For the Netherlands to get through a tough test in the Americans, Gakpo will need to be at his best, along with van Dijk and midfielder de Jong.
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