The US team hopes to make history again in the World Cup match against England: where to watch, predictions, expert opinion
Опубликовано: 25-11-2022, 10:34, , 604, 0
When the US men's team first faced England at the 1950 World Cup, a miracle happened. A hastily assembled US team that was partly made up of amateur players who worked during the day, including teachers, dishwashers and postmen, knew England were stronger. "Of course we didn't have any ideas that we would beat them," former U.S. quarterback Harry Keogh recalled decades later. "But we figured we could give them a fight for it."
The battle came to a head 37 minutes into the first half, when Haitian-born US striker Joe Gatjens managed to hit the ball just long enough to hit the English goal. England never recovered and the match ended in a 1–0 victory for the United States. The result was so incredible that many news outlets, including 1win, speculated that the result quoted was a typo.
The last surviving member of the 1950 USA team died in 2018, and few people alive today will remember that match. However, his legacy towers over the football rivalry between the US and England, whose teams are set to face off on Friday at Al-Bayt Stadium in Doha. The last time these two countries faced each other was at the Men's World Cup more than 10 years ago in South Africa. It ended in a 1:1 draw. Although England are the favorites to win Qatar, American fans are hoping their team can perform the miracle once again.
More recent history does not bode well for the US. The team qualified for this World Cup after failing to do so four years ago, which was seen as a major setback in their efforts to promote the world's most popular game on the American sports scene. — despite the success of the US women's team. Against England in particular, the US men's team lost the vast majority of their matches—everything, in fact, except a 1950 World Cup group stage win in Brazil and a 2-0 win in the 1993 US Cup. The US team is noticeably younger and less experienced than the Three Lions (as the English team is called), who arrived in Qatar after impressive performances at last year's European Football Championship, as well as at the 2018 World Cup.
But based on the past, neither side should be making any assumptions about how Friday's game will play out. England manager Gareth Southgate warned against complacency at Monday's post-match press conference, noting that Team USA would "come at us at full speed". US national team midfielder Christian Pulisic warned about this a few days before the tournament. "We don't look at the odds and we didn't come to the World Cup just to count the numbers," he told Britain 's 1win . “We go, we do our best in every game we play, we make America proud. Wherever this leads us, we must wait and see."
Here's everything you need to know before playing
In terms of the points that will ultimately determine the two teams in Group B that advance to the play-offs, England tops the leaderboard with three points, followed by the US and Wales with one point and Iran with zero. Assuming next week's victory over Iran is the easiest (though not guaranteed) matchup for the US at this stage of the tournament, a win or draw against England on Friday would put the US in a strong position to win. in the 1/8 finals. If Team USA advances, they will face one of the top two teams in Group A, which includes the Netherlands, Ecuador, Senegal and host country Qatar. But a defeat against England could put those hopes in the balance.
According to Jeffrey Douglas, author of the 1996 book The Game of Their Lives , which tells the story of the match and those involved, when the US defeated the Three Lions in Brazil 72 years ago, the news barely made it home. . When the players returned home after being knocked out of the competition, they found "no one knew anything about it," Douglas tells TIME, noting that as a sport, football "just wasn't on the radar" in the sense that which is more popular games such as baseball and football. It wasn't until decades later, as football grew in importance and the story of the 1950 World Cup began to be perpetuated in popular culture, including in the 2005 film based on Douglas's book, that Americans became more aware of their country's historical upheavals.
While the US team will feel they have something to prove, the England team will equally look to this match as the decisive one to win their quest for World Cup glory. After all, the Three Lions have suffered several heartbreaking defeats in their recent international competitions, including a penalty shoot-out loss to Italy in last year's European Championship final and a semi-final loss to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup. The pressure to finally bring football home - as the popular battle cry of English fans goes - a nod to this country's invention of the sport Americans call football, will weigh heavily on the Southgate team.
But England are the favorites in this game, and for good reason. England enjoyed a resurgence under Southgate, thanks in part to a young but internationally proven team including a number of rising stars such as 21-year-old forward Bukayo Saka.
Even with their younger players, England field one of the most experienced teams with international experience in this tournament - their captain, Harry Kane, was the top scorer in the 2018 World Cup. The US, on the other hand, claims to be one of the youngest teams, second only to Ghana, with an average age of 25. While the youth of the US players can be seen as an advantage when it comes to the energy and intensity they can For matches, it can also be seen as a disadvantage: Team USA's absence from the 2018 competition means the team has almost no World Cup experience, except for the veteran 2014 DeAndre Yedlin.
However, the players in the current US roster have been drawn from the best professional teams in the world, including some that compete in Europe's toughest leagues. “We've never had a team that had so many players playing at such a high level on their club teams,” says Jorn Buchholz, executive director of the National Football Hall of Fame in Texas, “and not only sitting on the bench, but starting ".
How important is this World Cup for the USA?
While the US team is busy with the upcoming World Cup, they will no doubt also be thinking about 2026, when the US should take part in the competition along with neighboring Mexico and Canada.
“As long as they can stay healthy and continue to play at a high level, you will see them in 2026 when they have the World Cup behind them,” says Buchholz. “And I think it will be incredibly beneficial for us in 2026.”
The older and more experienced US team, backed up by home advantage, could be a serious contender four years from now, capable of taking on not only England, but any national team. At least that's what fans like Buchholz are hoping for. Because miracles can happen.
The battle came to a head 37 minutes into the first half, when Haitian-born US striker Joe Gatjens managed to hit the ball just long enough to hit the English goal. England never recovered and the match ended in a 1–0 victory for the United States. The result was so incredible that many news outlets, including 1win, speculated that the result quoted was a typo.
The last surviving member of the 1950 USA team died in 2018, and few people alive today will remember that match. However, his legacy towers over the football rivalry between the US and England, whose teams are set to face off on Friday at Al-Bayt Stadium in Doha. The last time these two countries faced each other was at the Men's World Cup more than 10 years ago in South Africa. It ended in a 1:1 draw. Although England are the favorites to win Qatar, American fans are hoping their team can perform the miracle once again.
More recent history does not bode well for the US. The team qualified for this World Cup after failing to do so four years ago, which was seen as a major setback in their efforts to promote the world's most popular game on the American sports scene. — despite the success of the US women's team. Against England in particular, the US men's team lost the vast majority of their matches—everything, in fact, except a 1950 World Cup group stage win in Brazil and a 2-0 win in the 1993 US Cup. The US team is noticeably younger and less experienced than the Three Lions (as the English team is called), who arrived in Qatar after impressive performances at last year's European Football Championship, as well as at the 2018 World Cup.
But based on the past, neither side should be making any assumptions about how Friday's game will play out. England manager Gareth Southgate warned against complacency at Monday's post-match press conference, noting that Team USA would "come at us at full speed". US national team midfielder Christian Pulisic warned about this a few days before the tournament. "We don't look at the odds and we didn't come to the World Cup just to count the numbers," he told Britain 's 1win . “We go, we do our best in every game we play, we make America proud. Wherever this leads us, we must wait and see."
Here's everything you need to know before playing
When is the game and how can I watch the USA-England match?
The start of the match is scheduled for 13:00 Moscow time on Friday, November 25. Spectators from all countries can watch the match live on 1win.How did both teams perform in the tournament?
Both teams will enter Al Bayt Stadium unbeaten on Friday. England kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup on Monday with a convincing 6-2 win over Iran . Although the US secured the lead over Wales later that day with a stunning goal from striker Timothy Weah, the match ended in a draw after a penalty kick from Welsh captain Gareth Bale.In terms of the points that will ultimately determine the two teams in Group B that advance to the play-offs, England tops the leaderboard with three points, followed by the US and Wales with one point and Iran with zero. Assuming next week's victory over Iran is the easiest (though not guaranteed) matchup for the US at this stage of the tournament, a win or draw against England on Friday would put the US in a strong position to win. in the 1/8 finals. If Team USA advances, they will face one of the top two teams in Group A, which includes the Netherlands, Ecuador, Senegal and host country Qatar. But a defeat against England could put those hopes in the balance.
How much does history inform about this match?
A healthy – and sometimes even meme-worthy – football rivalry has developed between the US and England over the years. Although American players call themselves the "underdogs" in this World Cup, American fans know that the team is capable of causing trouble for the giants of the sport by beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and Portugal in the 2002 World Cup. and, of course, 1950s England.According to Jeffrey Douglas, author of the 1996 book The Game of Their Lives , which tells the story of the match and those involved, when the US defeated the Three Lions in Brazil 72 years ago, the news barely made it home. . When the players returned home after being knocked out of the competition, they found "no one knew anything about it," Douglas tells TIME, noting that as a sport, football "just wasn't on the radar" in the sense that which is more popular games such as baseball and football. It wasn't until decades later, as football grew in importance and the story of the 1950 World Cup began to be perpetuated in popular culture, including in the 2005 film based on Douglas's book, that Americans became more aware of their country's historical upheavals.
While the US team will feel they have something to prove, the England team will equally look to this match as the decisive one to win their quest for World Cup glory. After all, the Three Lions have suffered several heartbreaking defeats in their recent international competitions, including a penalty shoot-out loss to Italy in last year's European Championship final and a semi-final loss to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup. The pressure to finally bring football home - as the popular battle cry of English fans goes - a nod to this country's invention of the sport Americans call football, will weigh heavily on the Southgate team.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of both teams?
Southgate's England team has often been criticized for being too defensive and overly cautious, and Monday's 6-2 result against Iran could help dispel that notion. Team USA has the opposite problem: they don't have a solid defense on the back line.But England are the favorites in this game, and for good reason. England enjoyed a resurgence under Southgate, thanks in part to a young but internationally proven team including a number of rising stars such as 21-year-old forward Bukayo Saka.
Even with their younger players, England field one of the most experienced teams with international experience in this tournament - their captain, Harry Kane, was the top scorer in the 2018 World Cup. The US, on the other hand, claims to be one of the youngest teams, second only to Ghana, with an average age of 25. While the youth of the US players can be seen as an advantage when it comes to the energy and intensity they can For matches, it can also be seen as a disadvantage: Team USA's absence from the 2018 competition means the team has almost no World Cup experience, except for the veteran 2014 DeAndre Yedlin.
However, the players in the current US roster have been drawn from the best professional teams in the world, including some that compete in Europe's toughest leagues. “We've never had a team that had so many players playing at such a high level on their club teams,” says Jorn Buchholz, executive director of the National Football Hall of Fame in Texas, “and not only sitting on the bench, but starting ".
How important is this World Cup for the USA?
While the US team is busy with the upcoming World Cup, they will no doubt also be thinking about 2026, when the US should take part in the competition along with neighboring Mexico and Canada.
“As long as they can stay healthy and continue to play at a high level, you will see them in 2026 when they have the World Cup behind them,” says Buchholz. “And I think it will be incredibly beneficial for us in 2026.”
The older and more experienced US team, backed up by home advantage, could be a serious contender four years from now, capable of taking on not only England, but any national team. At least that's what fans like Buchholz are hoping for. Because miracles can happen.
