It’s very simple for the United States on Tuesday against Iran in the 2022 World Cup. Win, or go home.
Three of the four teams in Group B — the US, England and Iran — are still alive for two spots in the round of 16. The scenarios are straightforward.
An Iran or US win gets either through. A win or draw from England puts the Three Lions into the knockout stage. The Americans can still win the group with a victory and an England loss to Wales, or an England draw and a US win by at least four goals.
But no scoreboard-watching here. The matches take place at the same time.
Here are the biggest moments and top plays from the final day in Group B play.
Pregame breakdown
Set aside the off-the-field controversies that have steadily built between these two teams throughout this tournament. The stakes of this game — win and you’re in — create plenty of drama on their own, and for a US team that can’t even afford a draw, the mountain they have to climb might be looking increasingly steep as they walk out of the tunnel at Al Thumama Stadium.
Let’s start with the selection, because it’s both unsurprising and simultaneously head-scratching. The starting XI for the US is largely unchanged from the first two games, with one exception.
Josh Sargent returns to the starting lineup, despite a largely ineffective 81 minutes split between games against Wales and England. Haji Wright made even less of an impact in his start vs. the Three Lions, so a change up top wasn’t unexpected, but to return to Sargent — when coach Gregg Berhalter had consistently selected Jesus Ferreira throughout this cycle — is a curious choice.
The most jarring decision comes at the back, where Cameron Carter-Vickers slots into the heart of the defense alongside Tim Ream, at the expense of Walker Zimmerman. Zimmerman did concede the penalty converted by Gareth Bale to earn Wales a draw in that opening game of the Americans’ tournament, but apart from that, the two-time MLS Defender of the Year has been very solid in a back line that’s arguably been this team’s bright spot in Qatar. Carter-Vickers and Ream have never played together, and the Celtic center-back has only appeared for the USMNT three times in 2022 (in the Nations League against El Salvador and Grenada, and a friendly vs. Morocco).
Oh, and the crowd inside Al Thumama Stadium are decidedly pro-Iran, at least based off the noise made when the teams took to the pitch for warmups.
There’s no room for error for the Americans. Has Berhalter already made one in discarding Zimmerman?
Lineups
The youngest starting XI at #Qatar2022 thus far. 🇺🇸
Full Lineup Notes » https://t.co/QTnkPEKnw2 #USMNT x @Visa pic.twitter.com/TaaG7eI52N
— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 29, 2022
📋 We’ve got team news from #IRN and #USA#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 29, 2022
Presidential support
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/cAVGtnuJ90
— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 29, 2022
