In terms of opposition scouting, the US men’s national team got a little bit of everything when Friday’s 2022 World Cup draw dropped them into the tournament’s Group B.
There’s the known – in this case extremely well-known – proposition of England, one of the most famous sides in the world thanks to their country’s footballing legacy and the fact that most of the Three Lions play their club ball in the globally-adored Premier League.
There’s a less-familiar but nonetheless menacing presence of Iran, an Asian powerhouse who topped their groups in both rounds of their confederation’s qualifying process with an overall record of 14-3-1 with 49 goals scored and just eight conceded.
And then there’s an outright TBD: Thanks to delays imposed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the USMNT must wait until June to discover which of Scotland, Ukraine and Wales will navigate the final stage of UEFA qualification and join them in the group.
“It was amazing to get England in our group. I think that's a game that always has a lot of attention around it because of England and their fans, and their established place in soccer,” said head coach Gregg Berhalter. “And then we have Iran, which is a difficult opponent, given they've finished first in their group in qualifying in Asia, the first Asian team to qualify besides Qatar. They scored a lot of goals, dangerous team.
“And then the unknown with Scotland, Wales or Ukraine. I think Scotland and Wales are pretty similar in terms of how they're approaching the game but then the Ukrainian [style] is completely different. So some challenges there but overall, positive, looking forward to competing."
England rematch
Unsurprisingly, questions about the Three Lions dominated the USMNT media availability held shortly after the draw, especially after their 2010 group-stage meeting ended in a 1-1 draw following that infamous Robert Green goalkeeping gaffe.
“I think it’s a great draw. Of course, playing England is exciting,” said Chelsea FC star Christian Pulisic. “It's funny, first call I get is from Mason [Mount, an England international] on my team, and we're already talking and excited, looking forward to the game. So it's obviously a big team and I know a lot of these guys. But I think it's gonna be a really, really nice matchup, and something that we're definitely excited about.
“Having a big game playing in England in a World Cup sounds – it just makes me smile,” he later admitted. “I'm just excited for it. So I think we all are. Yeah, just counting down the days, really.”
Quicker start
One drawback to the draw’s results, from the coaching staff’s viewpoint: It sets the United States up for a much earlier start than they’d planned and hoped for, giving them less time to prepare in the lead-up to Nov. 21’s first test. (World Cup Schedule)
Berhalter noted that at least the tight, draining windows of the Concacaf Octagonal qualifying schedule gave them a taste of that. Their third-place finish came amid several three-game windows due to the COVID-compressed calendar.
“We're gonna need them for those two weeks, two and a half weeks in June['s international window],” said the coach, noting the Nations League and friendlies TBD that await. “It's just how it goes because we're only going to have maybe 10 days in September and that's it.
“The World Cup, we had plans to go to Dubai beforehand, a week before with the entire team. I don't think that's going to happen. Because a week before the first game, we have to be in Qatar five days before your first game. That's basically when the guys are released from the clubs. So little bit of change of plans based on when we're playing, but we'll deal with it.”
Geopolitical context
Both Iran and a potential meeting with Ukraine also carry rich geopolitical dimensions.
“If Ukraine makes it there, it's a wonderful accomplishment,” said Berhalter. "I think if the people of Ukraine can get some hope by their team playing in the World Cup, it's amazing, and I think that it will be more of a celebration in my eyes than political ramifications. We're all pulling for Ukraine, we’re all behind them, supporting them, and we hope that the situation resolves as soon as possible.”
Berhalter was an alternate on the US squad that lost to the Islamic Republic at France ‘98 and expressed hope that the sport can present a brighter alternative to the tensions that have marked the two nations’ modern histories.
“I was asked at length about that with the international press just a while ago in the mix zone. And I remember that well, I was actually doing commentating for a Dutch TV station when I was in Holland, I ended up being an alternate on that team and went to the pre-camp but didn't go to France,” said the coach. “But I think the point is, that was I think the first time we competed against them. … And coming off of political tension between the two countries and the governments and stuff was, it was a way to say, us on the soccer field, we're still friends. So no matter what's going on with the governments, we can be friends.
“And if we were friends back in ‘98, 24 years later, I don't see it any differently. I think we have a ton of respect for Iran and their team and we don't see them as rivals. We see them as colleagues and two teams that are competing in the World Cup and trying to do well for their country in the World Cup.”
One thing is clear: The draw’s results set up the USMNT for the bright international spotlight they and their fans have craved since their predecessors missed out on Russia 2018.
“There's multiple benefits of playing this game against England,” said midfielder Weston McKennie, recovering from a foot injury that's derailed his Juventus season. “Especially just because it's the biggest stage in soccer that you can have, and to play them in a World Cup and to be playing against players that you know, it's something that you can go a step forward in your player growth, in making yourself more known and also just making the team more respected, more, looked at, more believed in, I think and that's the goal Gregg set out to accomplish when he took over.”
