The U.S. men’s national team plays its second game of the FIFA World Cup on Friday against mighty England.
The Americans kicked off the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Wales, letting points slip away after giving up a late penalty kick. It was Walker Zimmerman who needlessly fouled Gareth Bale from behind inside the box with the Welsh superstar converting the ensuing penalty kick with under 10 minutes to go.
This means the U.S. has one point from one game with two more matches left. After Friday’s big battle against the English, it will face Iran on Tuesday.
There is an expectation that the U.S. will rotate players in the starting lineup, most likely outside of the midfield, in an effort to keep guys fresh and look to avoid some players picking up back-to-back yellow cards, which would result in suspension for the next match.
There were some doubts as to whether England would have their best player, Harry Kane, after he picked up an ankle injury in the opening 6-2 win over Iran. But England coach Gareth Southgate announced on Thursday that the striker will be available and is expected to start.
As for the match itself, there is no hiding that the U.S. is the big-time underdog. Nobody is expecting the Americans to win. But nobody expected Saudi Arabia to beat Argentina or Japan beat Germany.
As things stand, with one point after the draw against Wales, the Americans cannot afford to get blown out. A blowout loss puts them in a tricky spot ahead of the final game on Tuesday wit Iran. While a win is unlikely against England, a draw would probably feel like a win, putting the team potentially on the brink of the round of 16.
To do that, the defense has to be sharper than it was against Wales, and they need to find something in attack after a poor display in the opener. Expect young talent Gio Reyna to see some significant minutes in this one.
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on FOX.
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