4:05 PM ET
Jeff CarlisleU.S. shot analogous
- Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. nationalist squad for ESPN FC.
AL RAYYAN, Qatar -- US defender Walker Zimmerman said helium and his teammates person nary occupation with the unit that comes with a must-win game.
The US men's nationalist squad volition look Iran astatine the Al Thumama Stadium connected Tuesday, with a spot successful the knockout rounds connected the line. Iran is 1 constituent up of the Americans successful the standings acknowledgment to Team Melli's 2-0 triumph implicit Wales, making the crippled a must-win for the Americans, portion a gully volition apt beryllium capable for Iran to advance.
"Our extremity is evidently to triumph the World Cup, and successful bid bash that, we person to get to the knockout stages," Zimmerman said. "For us, our knockout crippled comes 1 crippled earlier. You look astir astatine a batch of antithetic teams and groups and they're each going into their 3rd game, astir of them with having to get a result. Whether that's a necktie oregon win, there's going to beryllium pressure, there's going to beryllium an intensity. For us, that's a win. And we person nary occupation with that, starting our knockout a small spot earlier."
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For each the absorption connected the US onslaught going into this World Cup, they person been rock-solid defensively done 2 games truthful far, conceding conscionable Gareth Bale's punishment successful the opener against Wales. But Zimmerman's chap center-back, Tim Ream, remains wary of Iran's attack.
"Obviously determination are a mates of precise bully players up beforehand [including Mehdi] Taremi with his finishing, truthful he's 1 to beryllium alert of," helium said. "But this crippled is going to beryllium astir america and astir what we request to bash and what we person to bash to beforehand and to win. Being alert of their compact signifier and their antagonistic attacking is going to beryllium key."
On the flip side, the US person struggled to people goals, with Tim Weah's tally against Wales the lone clip they person breached through. The chances person been there, with respective notable ones against England, but wide the squad has lacked precision successful the last third. Set pieces, agelong a spot for this American side, could play a origin arsenic well.
"There person been a batch of moments successful modulation wherever we tin beryllium a small spot sharper," Zimmerman said. "We tin prime retired that last pass, and hopefully make more. But acceptable pieces is simply a immense spot for this team. And so, having to spell backmost and look astatine the plays, ticker each of them, spot what we tin bash differently, spot what areas we tin deed ... we privation to marque definite everyone is doing their job.
"It's going to travel down to the small things connected acceptable pieces and truthful we decidedly request to enactment connected those, and marque definite that that tin beryllium a existent spot of ours, due to the fact that I deliberation we person the unit to people goals disconnected of acceptable pieces."
1:35
Herculez Gomez praises the United States' show successful their 0-0 gully with England astatine the FIFA World Cup.
USSF backs down pursuing uproar implicit Iran flag
After posting images connected societal media with altered images of the Iran flag, which had removed the emblem of the Islamic Republic, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) removed the posts and replaced them with the existent emblem aft sizeable blowback connected Sunday.
The Islamic Republic emblem, designed successful 1980, is 4 curves with a sword betwixt them. It represents the Islamic saying "There is nary deity but God" and honors the day connected the Persian calendar erstwhile the Islamic Revolution took hold.
The USSF initially posted the images with the halfway representation connected the Iran emblem removed, though an representation connected the team's website inactive included an unaltered image. A USSF spokesperson said the volition successful removing the emblem was to amusement enactment for protesters successful Iran pushing for much adjacent attraction of women pursuing the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country's morality police. The ensuing protests person seen at slightest 450 radical killed since they started arsenic good arsenic over 18,000 arrested, according to Human Rights Activists successful Iran, an advocacy radical pursuing the demonstrations.
Iran's authorities reacted by accusing America of removing the sanction of God from their nationalist flag. According to the authoritative Iran quality agency, Iran threatened to record a protestation with the FIFA morals committee, portion a study from The Associated Press besides stated that Iran was threatening ineligible action.
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USMNT skipper Tyler Adams looks up to the USMNT's decisive last Group B clash with Iran.
A USSF spokesperson said that the determination to change the Iran emblem was made by the federation, successful conjunction with experts connected Iran. The spokesperson added that neither US manager Gregg Berhalter nor the players had immoderate anterior cognition of the decision, which was confirmed by some Ream and Zimmerman during Sunday's availability.
Iran's players person attempted to locomotion a good enactment betwixt supporting the protesters portion besides not moving afoul of the Iranian authorities. Iran's players didn't sing the nationalist anthem up of their opening crippled against England, though they did sing the anthem earlier the 2nd lucifer against Wales. Fans successful enactment of the Iran authorities also harassed protesters astatine the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium connected Friday successful the lead-up to the Wales game.
The USSF spokesperson said that the determination to instrumentality down the posts was an interior determination and was not owed to extracurricular pressure. The spokesperson added that the USSF inactive supports the protesters successful Iran, and the maneuver volition apt adhd much substance to a lucifer already fraught with governmental overtones. Zimmerman emphasized that the squad is focused connected Tuesday but remains successful enactment of women's rights.
"I deliberation it's specified a focused radical connected the task astatine hand, but astatine the aforesaid clip we empathize, and we are steadfast believers successful women's rights and enactment them," said Zimmerman.
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