It’s a rematch between two nations that have been World Cup-less for different amounts of time, with one being far longer than the other. The United States had made it a habit of qualifying for the World Cup, but they failed to do so for the 2018 tournament. On the other hand, Wales will play in their first World Cup match in 64 years on Monday. And Rob Page, the team’s manager, says they’re not just there to “fill the roster.”
Wales has not qualified for the World Cup since 1958, when they were ousted in the quarterfinals by Pele and the Brazil team, when he was only 17 years old.
Nonetheless, the Dragons have qualified for the last two European Championships, advancing to the semifinals in 2016 and the first knockout round in 2017.
After taking over for Ryan Giggs, Wales qualified for their second World Cup, and now Page hopes to lead them on another historic run in the competition.
He said, “Managers are greedy.” “We’re so glad we made it this far. You take a step back from the collective and begin to examine the teams separately.
With no disrespect intended toward the other teams, “we have to go into the group with enormous confidence that we can get out of the group,” and “we do.”
Wales are rated 19th in the world, three spots behind the USA, after advancing to Qatar through the play-offs, where they defeated Austria and Ukraine.
Group B is the only group having four top-20 nations, including England (5th) and Iran (20th), making it the most difficult to predict.
The United States is returning to the World Cup for the eleventh time, giving them significantly more experience than Wales, who are making their first appearance since 2010.
Actually, only Mexico (17 times) has made more World Cup appearances among CONCACAF countries, and the United States has advanced to the round of 16 in three of their last four World Cup appearances.
It’s no secret that head coach Gregg Berhalter surprised many by leaving players like Ricardo Pepi and Zack Steffen off the roster, but Berhalter insists that he will stick with his tried-and-true methods on the field.
There’s a big jump from CONCACAF to the World Cup, he remarked. It’s crucial that we show the world who we are as a group.
Now is not the time to abandon our core values. We push hard and play with a lot of aggression. The ball is something we’re interested in using, and we want to see whether doing so is feasible.
Berhalter, who will make history as the first person to play for and coach the United States at the World Cup, has promised that his team would not take Wales lightly on their home turf at Al Rayyan Stadium.
That’s because, at least in the eyes of the American press, Wales is mostly unrecognized. His assessment of their roster was that it was “essentially a Premier League team.”
That’s a really strong team in my opinion. They are familiar with the pressures of competing on a global stage.
The friendly match on Monday will be the third time the two teams have played each other. The United States is undefeated in those two matches.
Important People to Keep an Eye On
Author: Giovanni Reyna, United States of America With an average age of 25 years and 215 days, the United States has picked the second-youngest team in Qatar (as of the opening day of the tournament).
Reyna, an attacker for Borussia Dortmund, is one of the younger players hoping to make an impression at the World Cup for the first time. He has scored four goals in 14 career international appearances.
Reyna just turned 20 last month, and he has a chance to join an exclusive group of American soccer players — including his father Claudio — by being the 14th player in USA history to gain 15 caps before turning 21.
His versatility should see him used in various positions for the United States’ attack, but when he’s on the right flank, expect for him to use his inventiveness to set up chances for Sergio Dest of AC Milan. During the CONCACAF qualifiers, that’s where the United States national team’s offense relied on the most.
World Cup 2022, USA Wide Attack Threat
Bale, Gareth of Wales
In least one of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey contributed to nine of Wales’ thirteen goals at the Euro 2016 and 2020 competitions.
Bale may have been underutilized during the last year, but it didn’t show in their playoff victories against Austria and Ukraine, in which he scored three times.
The 33-year-old was instrumental in Los Angeles FC’s recent MLS Cup victory and claims to be healthy enough to play a significant role in each of the Dragons’ matches in Qatar.
A Gareth Bale World Cup victory for Wales in 2022
Prediction
Our supercomputer model of match outcomes reflects the fact that just a little margin separates the teams in the FIFA rankings.
The United States has a 39.5% probability of winning the match, while Wales only has a 31.2% chance. The United States has never played to a scoreless tie in 33 World Cup meetings.
The model predicts a 29.3 percent chance of a draw in what is clearly a pivotal encounter in deciding which of these teams could achieve their hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds.
