With the Group matches completed on Saturday, and the Round of 32 bracket set, Team USA knows what’s ahead in their chase for the Cup. If we dream of a final run, they certainly face the most difficult path of any team in the World Cup. It’ll take a Herculean effort, but perhaps they can ride the coattails of their Hockey Counterparts in the Olympics.
On Wednesday night, Team USA will head to Santa Clara to play their first knockout match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. They hope this is a stepping-stone to the Round of 16. They can’t take BH lightly, and though they don’t have the United States’ striking power, they can pull off the upset.
In this game, the talent level strongly favors the home country. With Christian Pulisic healthy and striker Folarin Balogun, anything is possible. The latter will be well rested heading into Wednesday’s knockout game.
Still, the path to a meeting with the other side of the bracket won’t be an easy road for the Americans. If they win on Wednesday, they could be a spark that could ignite a deep run.
So, let’s assume this is a win for the USA. The talent they’d face to get to the finals will be off-the-charts difficult.
Round of 16 (Belgium) – Avenging their 2012 extra-time World Cup loss to Belgium 14 years ago would be a fitting response for the scrappy American team. Belgium has its stars, but its style of play resembles that of the three teams the USA faced in the Group Stage. It is an older team, led by veteran goalie Thibaut Courtois, who remains the enforcer at the back end. If Team USA can strike early and get the crowd into the match, Belgium will exit the World Cup with a loss.
Round of 8 (Spain) – They are one of the favorites for a reason. Though they toyed with Uruguay on Friday, winning 1-0, they didn’t break a sweat. Still, the power of their attack rests on 18-year-old striker Lamine Yamal. If he feels the pressure, especially if Team USA scores early, that could stall his offense. However, the Americans have an advantage in this game: they’ll be extreme underdogs. Logically, if these teams played ten times, Team USA would lose eight of them. So there is hope.
Round of Four (France) – Before the World Cup began, in my view, France was the best overall team in the tournament. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored eight goals in the group stage. Keeping those two in check will require an aggressive approach from the Americans. I really can’t see how Team USA can compete with France, but I suppose anything is possible.
The Finals (Argentina) – Though I’d love to see Team USA play England in the World Cup Final, I’m not sure Superstar Harry Cain can outduel Lionel Messi in the semifinal round. Team USA would need to win every ball, capitalize on scoring opportunities, and contain the greatest player in soccer history. On a positive note, Argentina’s defense isn’t great, and unless Messi scores, they can’t defeat anyone. However, he’s been a machine with his left foot, scoring six goals, including a hat trick in the opening game.
Should the American team somehow make it to New Jersey, regardless of the final score, they will advance soccer in this country to a new level. With the success of the World Cup in the USA, these foreign players might consider playing in the MLS, which could be the biggest beneficiary of the tournament.
