There is no goal margin necessary for the Stars and Stripes, simply a victory.
Looking back at Friday against England, Gregg Berhalter’s men utilized their pace at a significant rate. They were content to sit back and absorb pressure. Then, after possession changed, they launched five counter attacks (four more than England).
Although the game ended 0-0, one could argue that the US looked more dangerous throughout the match. However, a crucial lack of final class in the final 1/3 haunted the Americans once more according to Berhalter.
“We’re proud but our work’s not done…We know five points gets us in. We’ve got to focus on the five points,” Berhalter said in his post-England presser.
For tonight, the US put faith in the youth yet again and surely will look to carry the ball into dangerous areas.
In fact, an Iranian counter led to each of the three critical moments of that match: the Wayne Hennessy red card, Roozbeh Cheshmi’s goal after eight minutes of added time, and finally Ramin Rezaeian’s finish in the dying embers of the match.
With a draw, Iran will qualify for the Round of 16, so one shouldn’t expect this to be as open of a match as US vs England. That being said, Iran will not take this game lackadaisically according to Carlos Queiroz.
“Let’s try to do our best,” Queiroz said in his pre-match interview. “For us, it’s more special than for them.”
There is no team graphic for Iran’s starting lineup, but they stay in a 4-4-2 like they did against Wales.
1. Beiranvand (GK) — 23. Rezaeian, 19. Hosseini, 8. Pouraliganji, 5. Mohammadi — 17. Gholizadeh, 21. Nourollahi, 6. Ezatolahi, 3. Safi — 20. Azmoun, 9. Taremi.
