On brink of win, USMNT can't close out Wales

AL RAYYAN, Qatar -- The United States men's nationalist squad was forced to settee for a 1-1 draw successful their opening crippled of the World Cup against Group B absorption Wales.

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Tim Weah enactment the U.S. successful front, slotting location aft collecting a deft walk from Christian Pulisic. But aft struggling successful the archetypal half, Wales came backmost successful the second, with Gareth Bale converting an 82nd-minute punishment to unit each broadside to settee for a point.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid Reaction

1. U.S. can't adjacent retired Wales

The tactical layout of this lucifer seemed beauteous straightforward. The U.S. would person astir of the possession portion Wales would beryllium contented to beryllium backmost and effort to nail the Americans connected the break. And for overmuch of the archetypal half, that was precisely however things played out, with the U.S. enjoying a 66%-34% vantage successful possession.

The lone question was whether the U.S. could instrumentality vantage of its opportunities erstwhile they came. For a while, it looked similar the reply would beryllium "no". Joe Rodon astir talented the U.S. a extremity erstwhile helium headed Weah's hard transverse close astatine keeper Wayne Hennessey, and Josh Sargent followed up with a header that deed the extracurricular of the post.

Wales past appeared to beryllium settling into comfy territory connected defense, adjacent arsenic it generated adjacent to thing successful attack. But a infinitesimal of brilliance successful the 36th infinitesimal made for a U.S. breakthrough. Sargent's layoff to Pulisic abruptly recovered the American successful abstraction for 1 of the fewer times each half, and his walk recovered Weah successful the wide to slot past Hennessey successful the Wales goal.

It was a deserved tally for each of the enactment that the U.S. did successful the archetypal half, but it was made to endure successful the second, arsenic Wales made immoderate tactical changes (more connected that later) and committed much numbers into attack.

The timely instauration of Brenden Aaronson for a tiring Weston McKennie gave the U.S. immoderate much-needed vigor successful midfield. The power titled the tract backmost successful their absorption for a spell, but it wasn't enough. A clumsy and unnecessary situation by Walker Zimmerman connected Gareth Bale -- fixed that Bale had his backmost to extremity -- was correctly ruled a penalty, 1 that Bale converted with authority.

The 1-1 gully is simply a effect that volition instrumentality successful the U.S. team's craw. It was minutes distant from claiming each 3 points, and putting it successful a presumption successful which it could power its ain destiny successful Group B. With England rocking Iran 6-2, the conflict for 2nd spot present remains wide open, with a hard crippled against the Three Lions up next. While the effect is by nary means fatal, it's not what the U.S. was hoping for fixed however agelong it was up successful this match.

2. Second-half adjustments spark Wales revival

The Dragons had waited 64 agelong years since their past quality successful a World Cup, and successful having a matchwinner successful Bale successful their side, they had the imaginable to airs a information to conscionable astir immoderate team. But the archetypal fractional near 1 wondering conscionable however they had made it this far. Wales looked perfectly toothless successful attack, doing thing to occupation the U.S. defense.

Some of this was down to the Americans' suffocating midfield play done Tyler Adams arsenic good arsenic crisp and focused defending from Tim Ream. But Wales besides did small to assistance itself with immoderate wayward passes. Bale successful peculiar was peripheral figure, touching the shot conscionable 15 times successful the archetypal half.

The second-half instauration of striker Kieffer Moore gave Wales a spot much heft up front, and with Aaron Ramsey pushing further forward, the moves gave the U.S. defence thing antithetic to deliberation about. The changes had their intended effect, with Wales pinning the U.S. backmost for agelong stretches during the 2nd half. Ben Davies astir equalized with a 65th-minute header that was tipped implicit the barroom by U.S. keeper Matt Turner. Moore's header from the ensuing country went conscionable over.

Just erstwhile it looked similar the U.S. mightiness survive, Wales was handed a lifeline erstwhile Zimmerman's aforementioned clumsy situation connected Bale was rightly whistled arsenic a penalty. Bale slammed location the ensuing spot kick, giving Wales a priceless point, 1 that looked improbable for overmuch of the evening. Now Group B is wide open.

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3. Weah breaks caller ground

For practically the entirety of his nonrecreational career, Weah has recovered himself trying to look from the sizeable shadiness formed by begetter and erstwhile Ballon d'Or victor George Weah. But the younger Weah has been forging his ain way successful caller years, winning league titles with Paris Saint-Germain, Celtic, and astir recently, Lille.

On this day, Tim ventured into territory ne'er seen by his celebrated dad. George ne'er made it to a World Cup, though determination was an agonizing adjacent miss with Liberia successful during the 2002 cycle. Now Tim has a World Cup extremity to his name.

Making Tim's show adjacent much awesome is that helium operates successful a presumption that is the deepest connected the U.S. squad, with his pace, off-the-ball moving and finishing keeping talented players similar Aaronson and Gio Reyna connected the bench. Given his contribution, determination seems small uncertainty he'll support his spot, though connected different nighttime helium mightiness person walked distant with the crippled winner.

Player ratings

USA: Matt Turner 6, Antonee Robinson 6, Tim Ream 7, Walker Zimmerman 4, Sergino Dest 5, Yunus Musah 5, Tyler Adams 6, Weston McKennie 5, Christian Pulisic 6, Josh Sargent 5, Tim Weah 7

Subs: Brenden Aaronson 6, DeAndre Yedlin 5, Kellyn Acosta 4, Haji Wright 5, Jordan Morris 5

Wales: Wayne Hennessey 6, Ben Davies 6, Joe Rodon 6, Chris Mepham 6, Neco Williams 4, Aaron Ramsey 5, Ethan Ampadu 5, Connor Roberts 5, Daniel James 4, Gareth Bale 5, Harry Wilson 5

Subs: Kieffer Moore 6, Brennan Johnson 5, Joe Morrell 5, Sorba Thomas 5

Best and worst performers

BEST: Tim Weah, United States. Weah gets the nod, not lone for his contributions to the attack, but for his willingness to way backmost and assistance retired defensively.

WORST: Walker Zimmerman, United States. Defenders are often judged connected their mistakes, and truthful it proved for Zimmerman. There was nary request for him to clatter into Bale. It remains to beryllium seen however costly it mightiness prove.

Highlights and notable moments

The USMNT got a pep speech from President Biden.

President Joe Biden gave the USMNT a telephone up of their archetypal World Cup lucifer 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/e0d3yLvO1g

George Weah achieved a batch successful his illustrious playing career. He ne'er played successful a World Cup, though, thing lad Tim did connected Monday. Oh, and helium scored, truthful helium tin clasp that implicit Dad, too, astatine the adjacent household gathering.

Barely 2 weeks ago, LAFC were thrilled by a dramatic, precocious extremity from Bale. On Monday, the MLS Cup champions were a small little enthused by their No. 11's finishing.

🤐 https://t.co/Ho6YXAkfIB

After the match: What the players and managers said

Turner: "We gave them a lifeline. We dropped 2 points."

Weah: "It felt similar successful the archetypal fractional we had a batch of energy, a batch of momentum ... and past coming into the 2nd fractional we dialed down and Wales turned it up a notch. They started pressing us, they had astir of the shot and I deliberation successful the extremity that's what truly wounded us.

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- At 19 years, 358 days, Musah becomes the youngest subordinate to commencement a World Cup lucifer for the USMNT.

- Monday's starting XI has an mean property of 25 years, 102 days. It is the fourth-youngest USMNT lineup astatine a World Cup, down lone the 3 lineups astatine Italia '90, wherever the XIs averaged conscionable much than 24 years old.

- At 23 years, 279 days, Adams is the youngest subordinate to skipper the USA astatine a World Cup since 1950 and 3rd youngest overall.

- Prior to Weah's 37th-minute goal, the past subordinate to people vs. Wales successful a World Cup lucifer was Pelé successful 1958.

- The U.S. person precocious from the radical signifier each clip it has gotten a triumph oregon a gully successful its opening match, and has been eliminated each clip it has not.

- Bale's past 5 goals for nine and state person travel successful the 80th infinitesimal oregon later.

- The USMNT is winless successful its past 10 FWorld Cup matches against European opposition, with the past specified triumph coming successful the 2002 radical signifier vs. Portugal.

Up next

USA: The U.S. returns to enactment connected Friday, erstwhile it takes connected high-flying England astatine Al Bayt Stadium for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff.

Wales: Wales volition get Friday's slate of matches underway with a 5 a.m. ET kickoff against Iran astatine the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.