USA, Brazil, Scotland Headline Big World Cup Slate: What To Know For Match Day 9
Teams continue to take important steps in their World Cup journeys as the second round of group stage games continues on Friday. Co-hosts the United States and Australia will both be looking to build off impressive opening wins in Group D when they face off in Seattle. If the Americans win, the groundswell of support for the team inside the country can only grow. Focus will then shift to Group C when Scotland and its passionate fans return to Boston Stadium after an opening win to take on a powerful Morocco team that still has hopes for a long run. The third game takes us to Philadelphia, where Brazil will look to calm its nerves after an opening draw when it takes on a Haiti team that played fearlessly in its opening loss. The night will conclude in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Paraguay and Trkiye will both be desperate for wins after disappointing Group D opening games. When: Friday, June 19, 3 p.m. ETWhere: SeattleTV: FOXStream: Watch three days free on FOX One Group D returns to action on Friday for its second round of games and days best game takes us to Seattle Stadium when co-hosts the United States takes on Australia. It is the only game of the day that features two teams who each have three points from their first match. The United States dominated Paraguay 4-1 last week in Los Angeles through a near flawless first half that featured two goals from Folarin Balogun. But it was a total team effort from Mauricio Pochettinos squad as Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie won nearly every midfield battle. Christian Pulisic was a force driving the ball into the attack. Meanwhile, Alex Freeman, Tim Ream, and Chris Richards were very effective passing out of the backline. The concern for the U.S. team in this game centers on Pulisic, who was subbed out at halftime in the win over Paraguay after taking a knock. The indication coming out of the U.S. camp is that he should be able to play, but it wont be clear until gameday. Australia was one of the tournaments most surprising teams through the first slate of opening games after its 2-0 win over Trkiye in Vancouver. Turkey had a huge advantage in possession, but Australia scored two counterattacking goals in each half from its outside wingers. In the first half, it was Nestory Irankunda, 20, from the left side and then in the second half it was Connor Metcalfe, 26, from the right side. Manager Tony Popovic made key decisions that helped Australia win its opener. His boldest move came when, close to the first game, switched goalkeepers and went with the inexperienced Patrick Beach of Melbourne City over established veteran Matthew Ryan of Levante in Spains LaLiga. Ryan is the most experienced keeper in Australias national team history with 104 appearances (many as the teams captain) and experience in three World Cups. But the decision paid off as the young Beach was excellent against Trkiye, making eight saves for the clean-sheet win. Popovic also went with a very defensive 5-4-1 formation that helped his team contain Trkiyes superior talent. Australia was smart and disciplined in its defense. Australia was out-possessed 72-28% and out shot 30-9 but still won. For Australia, it will be difficult to keep that up without managing more possession. The key for the Socceroos will be stopping the U.S. teams attack from wide positions because Christian Pulisic and Sergio Dest are key creators. For the U.S. team, it will be difficult to break down Australia. Balogun will not have nearly as much space to operate as he did against Paraguay. Then, of course, the U.S. team must be smart with its transitional defense. The U.S. team is the favorite in this game, but Australia works exceptionally hard and has positive momentum at its back. Player to Watch The U.S. team is at its best attacking from wide positions. Normally a fullback, Pochettino placing Dest further up the field to take advantage of his dribbling and shooting abilities. There are questions about Pulisics health heading into this game and that would make Dest even more important to the teams offense from the right side. Scotland vs. Morocco When: Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. ETWhere: BostonTV: FOXStream: Watch three days free on FOX One Fridays second game takes us to Boston Stadium where Scotland takes on Morocco in Group C. Lifted by a great turnout from its supporters, the Tartan Army, Scotland made a strong return to its first World Cup in 28 years last week by downing Haiti 1-0. It was a very difficult win for the Scots as Haiti was very strong over the last 25 minutes in its push to find an equalizer. Scotland defended well but also were lucky Haiti missed the chances it did. Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay was excellent in the win over Haiti and the Napoli veteran brings with him elite experience at the games highest level. But behind McTominay, there is a rising generation of younger Scottish players who have big roles in this team. Against Haiti, AFC Bournemouth winger Ben Gannon-Doak was very effective. Scotland will be the heavy underdog against a top 10 team in Morocco who is coming off a semifinal run at the 2022 World Cup. To win, or even draw, everything will have to go right for Scotland. Meanwhile, Morocco had the difficult challenge of facing Brazil in its opening game in New Jersey on Saturday. With both teams having realistic ambitions of making a long run at the World Cup, the game was hard fought and even. The 1-1 result was an accurate reflection of the quality between the teams. PSV forward Ismael Saibari gave the Moroccans the lead through a classy chip over Brazilian keeper Alisson on a play that was set up by winger Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid, who typically is Moroccos most dangerous player. But another area of strength for Morocco is the central midfield duo of Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi and Romas Neil El Aynaoui, who frequently got the better of the midfield battles against Brazil. Morocco has the edge in talent and are the deserved favorite, but Scotland should be able to compete well through its organization and intense style. Player to Watch Moroccos teenage central midfielder is one of the top young players in this tournament. The French-born Bouaddi, 18, was given the challenging task of starting against Brazil in his World Cup debut, and he passed the test with flying colors as Morocco controlled the midfield for stretches. Currently at Lille, Bouaddi is likely going to find himself on one of the best teams in the world very soon. But while helping Morocco to a draw against Brazil was an acceptable result, Bouaddi will need to help deliver a win against Scotland. When:Friday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. ETWhere: PhiladelphiaTV: FOXStream: Watch three days free on FOX One On Friday night at Philadelphia Stadium, Brazil and Haiti meet in a Group C game that looks like a mismatch on paper. But as Cape Verde has shown us, the World Cup is full of surprises, and nothing is guaranteed. Brazil played Morocco to a 1-1 draw in its opening game and while many found this result to be typical of a match between two teams ranked inside the top 10 of FIFAs World Rankings, the Brazilian media and Brazilian fans were not as understanding. Following the game, Brazils head coach Carlo Ancelotti gave a fascinating press conference stating that the team was "anxious" and "nerves were all over the place." But Ancelotti also admitted that: "Theres a lot of pressure. Thats natural. But I think little by little, well also improve in that sense, as well." Finally, the legendary Italian manager apologized to Brazils supporters for how the team played, saying: "I am sorry we didn't play as well as we hoped." With Brazil, expectations are always that the team will contend, even if it hasnt been close to silverware in a long time. Brazil still has world-class players such as Vincius Jr., who scored a fantastic goal against Morocco. Against Haiti, the questions surrounding Brazil arent about talent, it is about mentality. Can this group handle the pressure? Can Ancelotti calm the nerves? Haiti will be hoping Brazil will continue to struggle as that might be the only chance the team has to pull off a stunner. Haiti lost its opening game to Scotland 1-0, which was the teams best chance of securing a result at this World Cup. Despite the loss, Haiti was very entertaining with its direct and fearless style. For long stretches, including the final 25 minutes, Haiti had Scotland on its heels and forced the Scottish into emergency defending on several occasions. Against Scotland, Haitis best players were its central midfield duo of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Danley Jean Jacques, who were very influential in the second half. Against Brazil, goalkeeper and captain Johny Placide will almost certainly have to make big saves to pull off the unexpected. Player to Watch The 32-year-old central defender is Brazils captain and leader. If the issues surrounding the team are anxiety and pressure, the captain will have to play a role helping to calm the team down and getting the players focused on the task at hand. Against Haiti, Marquinhos might not be tasked with a lot of defending, but his leadership responsibilities will be critical. When:Friday, June 19, 11 p.m. ETWhere: San Francisco Bay AreaTV: FS1Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Paraguay and Trkiye meet up in Fridays final game in what should feature two very desperate teams at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Both teams entered this tournament with hopes of being able to win, or at least finish in the top two of Group D. Instead, both Paraguay and Trkiye lost their respective openers by multi-goal deficits and a loss or even a draw could set the stage for a group stage exit. Making its first World Cup appearance since 2002 when it finished third, Trkiye had ambitious hopes heading into this month. Now it must win over Paraguay to keep these dreams alive. In its opening game, Trkiye was stunned by Australia despite having a lopsided 72-28% edge in possession. Trkiye also outshot Australia 30-9. Trkiye was not simply a victim of bad luck. Typically, most of its possessions lacked any ideas and nearly all of its shots were low percentage opportunities. In the second half, Trkiye was forcing chances and was making poor decisions. Arda Gler, 21, is one of Trkiyes most important players as he is also key to Real Madrids attack as well. Guler had eight shots against Australia, which is one of the most by a player in a single game at this World Cup, so far. Nearly all of his shots were from distance or were blocked when he didnt have much space to attack. Paraguay struggled to compete with the United States in the first half and ultimately lost 4-1. After the break, Paraguay was noticeably improved, and it is that improved level which the team must be at from the start against Trkiye. Carlos Alfros team was widely criticized for its effort by the local media and the test will be putting that game behind them. This is still a team capable of beating very good teams and during its qualifying campaign in CONMEBOL, Paraguay notched impressive wins over Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. In this game, Paraguays defense must mirror Australias approach of sitting deep and keeping an organized shape. That worked for Australia, and it can work for Paraguay too. At its best, Paraguay has better defenders than Australia. Player to Watch Paraguays captain and top central defender is extremely accomplished in South American soccer, where he has won everything possible with Palmeiras. As Paraguay looks to force Trkiye into low percentage shots, Gomez will be key to keeping Paraguays defense in shape and organized. Gomez is an emotional leader and the winner of this game between two frustrated teams could come down to who has the best leadership.
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