For 90 minutes on Friday, the USMNT outplayed England at the 2022 World Cup and looked like the side full of Premier League and global superstars.
[ MORE: England 0-0 USMNT recap & highlights | What we learned ]
For the second straight game, the Yanks came flying out of the starting gate and set the tempo early on. Only this time, they didn’t retreat into their shell. This young team is growing, very quickly, right before our eyes, in their most difficult game of the group stage, at a World Cup.
GK – Matt Turner: 7 – We knew he was the best shot-stopper in the USMNT player pool, but his distribution — both short and long — were fantastic on Friday. With England forced out wide and to cross so much, he had to be strong and confident going up to catch the ball. And he was.
RB – Sergiño Dest: 7.5 – One of his best performances for the USMNT, both attacking and defensively, as he, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie frequently overloaded Luke Shaw. England didn’t have an answer for their combination play down the right wing.
CB – Walker Zimmerman: 6.5 – Harry Kane’s impact on Friday’s game was virtually zero, with two, three and sometimes four blue shirts surrounding him every time he touched the ball, and Zimmerman was typically first on the scene with pressure hot on his heels (literally).
CB – Tim Ream: 7 – It’s been simply incredible to see Ream come into this team, take up a starting spot and thrive in his role as not only the elder statesman of the squad, but also the initiator of possession. And he’s been brilliant. Just brilliant.
LB – Antonee Robinson: 7 – Much like Dest on the right, Robinson was a menace down the left flank and keeping Bukayo Saka on the back foot for 78 minutes. Using possession to defend and control games is what the great teams do, and the USMNT came dangerously close to doing just that on Friday.
DM – Tyler Adams: 8 – Jude Bellingham posed a serious threat as the central midfield pushing forward into attack on the right side of midfield, but Adams did a fantastic job shadowing him anytime he made those runs forward and never letting the full backs become outnumbered. It was the biggest threat that the USMNT defense would face, and Adams effectively nullified it.
CM – Yunus Musah: 7 – No one was more calm or comfortable playing through England’s midfield, pressing or not, time and again on Friday. Every time Ream or Robinson found themselves in trouble, it was a stinging pass into Musah’s feet that got them out of it. He’s 19 years old and already the safety net for a side that has taken two massive steps toward the knockout rounds.
CM – Weston McKennie: 6.5 – The game’s best scoring chance fell to McKennie midway through the first half, a difficult chance on the half-volley from near the penalty spot. He has a reputation as a big-game player, so he’ll be expected to put that one away next time.
RW/CF – Tim Weah: 7 – Weah’s deployment as a more narrow winger/center forward hybrid gave England fits, occupying both center backs and pinning the full backs deeper defensively than they would have liked. After scoring in the manner he did against Wales, England were forced to respect his speed in behind, which created acres of space between the Three Lions’ midfield and defense for McKennie and Dest to exploit on the right and Robinson and Christian Pulisic on the left.
CF – Haji Wright: 6.5 – Hold-up play and the ability to occupy both center backs on his own were the reasons Wright was picked to start against England, and he provided plenty of both, and it was an incredibly important job that opened up space for the rest of the attack.
LW/LM – Christian Pulisic: 6.5 – Not his best game by any stretch, but he hit the crossbar late in the first half and was somewhat sacrificed in the 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid setup. He crossed the ball seven times, which will have played into England’s hands in keeping him out of the middle of the field, but it wasn’t a lost cause with Wright and Weah in the middle.
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Lionel Messi’s second-half goal gave Argentina’s World Cup hopes a massive lift as the Albiceleste broke through against stubborn Mexico to win 2-0 in Lusail on Saturday.
Enzo Fernandez, 21, also scored for Argentina in the win, which comes after a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the opener.
STREAM LIVE ARGENTINA vs MEXICO
Mexico’s brave performance was broken by Messi’s splendid finish and now Mexico (1 point) needs to beat Saudi Arabia (3 points) and get help from Argentina (3 points) vs Poland (4 points) to make the Round of 16.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
The world’s — maybe history’s — greatest ever player had a frustrating day and spent 65 minutes thinking this could’ve been his last World Cup match.
Twenty-five minutes later, he had a goal and an assist and Argentina was heading to Poland likely a draw or better away from going to the knockout rounds.
C’est la Messi.
Mexico executed Tata Martino’s masterful plan for over an hour and looked set to walk away with a point. Messi wasn’t getting the ball in dangerous spaces and Lautaro Martinez was so ineffective that he was taken off the pitch.
Then: One hesitation when Angel Di Maria spotted Messi. Two touches for the Atomic Ant. 1-0.
Messi would later assist young Enzo Fernandez’s goal to re-certify his status as one of the very best to do it in any team sport. Argentina only had 0.28 expected goals on the day but when you have two magic shots, it’ll get the job done.
Lionel Messi
Nicolas Otamendi
Hector Moreno
Que golazo Enzo Fernandez! 😍#FIFAWorldCup
(via @TelemundoSports)pic.twitter.com/EM7mrkZmdV
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 26, 2022
Kick off: 2pm ET, Saturday Nov. 26
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
It’s Messi, of course, who says he’s playing in his final World Cup, but it’s also about who’s going to step up as a difference maker for Argentina. Lautaro Martinez had a goal taken off the board for a razor-thin offside versus Saudi Arabia, while Julian Alvarez had a shot saved in his sub’s role and both Paulo Dybala and Angel Correa were unused subs in the opener.
Mexico’s midfield was excellent to start the tournament. Will Hector Herrera again join Edson Alvarez and Luis Chavez is setting the tone for Tata Martino’s team? And can El Tri find a finisher after Henry Martin and Co. failed to find the back of the goal versus Poland.
Current FIFA world ranking: 3
World Cup titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
World Cup appearances: 17
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (2nd place)
Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Key players: Lionel Messi, Angel de Maria, Lautaro Martinez
Current FIFA world ranking: 13
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 16
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONCACAF (2nd place)
Coach: Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino
Key players: Guillermo Ochoa, Hector Herrera, Raul Jimenez
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Belgium will look to get back to their best and make it two wins from two in the group stage but Morocco will make it extremely tough for Kevin de Bruyne and Co.
STREAM LIVE BELGIUM v MOROCCO
Roberto Martinez saw his side totally dominated by Canada in their Group F opener but they took their one big chance and won the game, largely thanks to poor finishing from Canada and Thibaut Courtois saving a penalty kick. The No. 2 ranked team in the world has to improve. Fast.
Morocco caused Croatia plenty of problems in their opening game and a draw was a fair result as their high-pressing caused Croatia a lot of problems. They will look to do exactly the same against Belgium and could have plenty of joy if Hakim Ziyech is found in dangerous areas in the final third.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Belgium vs Morocco.
Kick off: 8am ET – Sunday, November 27
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Kevin de Bruyne was almost apologetic after being named man of the match against Canada as he said he and his teammates really struggled in their World Cup opener. Belgium have to give their back three more protection as they are really susceptible to speedy wide players cutting in wide and teams playing direct and cutting out their midfield playmakers. Roberto Martinez will surely start the likes of Meunier and Onana in this game to try and give Belgium a little more control and solidity. Michy Batshuayi is expected to continue to fill in for the injured Romelu Lukaku once again.
Morocco will try and do exactly what Canada did to Belgium and they have the players to do it. Ziyech and Boufal will cause problems out wide and Morocco looked solid defensively against Croatia. There is a real whiff of an upset in the air around this one as Morocco will be roared on by their large group of supporters in Qatar.
Current FIFA world ranking: 2
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 14
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Roberto Martinez
Key players: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard
Current FIFA world ranking: 22
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CAF
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Key players: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Youssef En-Nesyri, Romain Saiss
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Japan and Spain sent early messages in Group E with an upset of Germany and demolition of Costa Rica, respectively, to start the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
[ LIVE: Watch World Cup en Espanol en Peacock ]
Japan reached the Round of 16 at the last World Cup and gave Belgium everything it could handle before bowing out 3-2, while Costa Rica surprised everyone in 2014 when it emerged atop a Group D with England, Italy, and Uruguay, then beating Greece in the Round of 16.
Of course, Spanish boss Luis Enrique and Germany’s Hansi Flick will be fancying themselves the favorites to emerge from the group, but the latter now knows better than ever before that anything can happen in Qatar after a 2-1 loss to Japan. Spain hammered Costa Rica 7-0 in their opener and they look the real deal.
[ MORE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Below is everything you need to know on World Cup 2022 Group E.
Recap/highlights: Spain 7-0 Costa Rica – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Germany 1-2 Japan – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Sunday, November 27: Spain vs Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Sunday, November 27: Japan vs Costa Rica – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan – 5am
Thursday, December 1: Japan vs Spain – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 2pm
Thursday, December 1: Costa Rica vs Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
1. Spain — 3 points (+7 GD)
2. Japan — 3 points (+1)
3. Germany — 0 points (-1)
4. Costa Rica — 0 points (-7)
Current FIFA world ranking: 7
World Cup titles: 1 (2010)
World Cup appearances: 16
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Luis Enrique
Key players: Rodri, Pedri, Pau Torres, Jordi Alba
Current FIFA world ranking: 11
World Cup titles: 4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
World Cup appearances: 20
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Hansi Flick
Key players: Manuel Neuer, Antonio Rudiger, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka
Current FIFA world ranking: 31
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified from CONCACAF via interconfederation playoffs
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Key players: Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell, Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz
Current FIFA world ranking: 24
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 7
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from AFC
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Key players: Maya Yoshida, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Takumi Minamino, Daichi Kamada
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Newly famous international darlings Canada will try again for a number of firsts, when they face Croatia in their second game at the 2022 World Cup on Sunday.
STREAM CROATIA vs CANADA LIVE
Canada outshone many of the tournament’s heavyweights during the first round of group games, ultimately falling just short of their first World Cup point and, had things gone just a bit differently, their first win.
Group F is an intriguing one, with favorites Belgium struggling in their opener and Croatia and Morocco both failing to impress against one another. As things stand, it’s wide open for anyone (and everyone).
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Croatia vs Canada.
Kick off: 11am ET, Sunday (November 27)
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
On one hand, Canada were downright brilliant when they made their World Cup return, 36 years in the making on Wednesday. On the other hand, they lost 1-0 to Belgium and are the only team in Group F without a point thus far. The Canucks won plaudits (and new fans) as they showed no fear whatsoever playing against the no. 2 team in the world and were comfortably the better side on the day, so said Belgium boss Roberto Martinez after the game. Alphonso Davies was denied by Thibaut Courtois from the penalty spot, with the game still 0-0 and Canada seeking its first-ever World Cup goal (yeah, that too). Sunday, perhaps.
As for Croatia, their opening draw with Morocco raised a few red flags for a nation that went all the way to the World Cup final just four (and a half) years ago. With five of 11 starters age 30 or older, Croatia have very little range and mobility, and no explosiveness anywhere in the side. Despite holding nearly 65 percent of possession in the game against Morocco, Croatia managed just five shots in 90 minutes (two on target) and a paltry 0.52 xG. If things don’t turn around on Sunday, it’ll be the end of an iconic era that, unfortunately, lasted one cycle too long.
Current FIFA world ranking: 12
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Zlatko Dalic
Key players: Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Mateo Kovacic
Current FIFA world ranking: 41
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 2
How they qualified: Qualified from CONCACAF (1st place)
Coach: John Herdman
Key players: Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Milan Borjan, Jonathan Osorio
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