US knows a World Cup win over Iran would erase past mistakes

If the World Cup-opening draw against Wales was the United States putting many of its worries on display, then the 0-0 draw against England on Friday was the reverse.

The two results counted for the same one point each. But the feeling coming out of each of those games could not be more different.

“I think we’re not really afraid of playing against top-tier teams,” Weston McKennie told reporters on the heels of a performance in which he controlled midfield against some of the world’s best. “And I think it works in our favor if people think that we’re underdogs going into games because then they might take us lightly or something. I think we surprise them every time.”

If that was the case against England, it will not be so against Iran in a do-or-die final group stage finale on Tuesday. There would be no good feelings about a draw this time — that would result in Iran advancing and the United States taking a long flight home with questions surrounding the direction of the program.

After five years of buildup to this World Cup following the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament, it will all come down to this.

“We’re not going to overthink it,” center back Tim Ream told reporters. “We win, we’re in.”

Doubtless, this is a group that can play with anyone at its best. The Americans got the better of England on Friday, leading to a familiar round of moaning from the British press.

That was the cause of some schadenfreude on Saturday morning, but if the U.S. does not advance, the draw with England will mean little, and the failures of McKennie, Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest to convert big chances against the English will be replayed for four years.

Ditto for Walker Zimmerman’s ill-fated challenge in the box against Wales, which led to Gareth Bale’s equalizer from the penalty spot.

The fact is, the United States could be (maybe should be) going into this game with six points and safe passage secured to the knockout stage.

“It’s clear now,” coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Any time you’re in a World Cup and you get to go into the last group game controlling your destiny, that’s a pretty good thing.”

Still, Berhalter admitted that failing to secure the win against England left him wanting.

Follow all the 2022 World Cup action with more from the New York Post

“We’re close a number of times and we put a lot of pressure on them,” he said. “And we want to keep getting better in this tournament, and that’s our goal.”

The biggest question for Berhalter going into the Iran match surrounds the status of Giovanni Reyna, who made his World Cup debut at the 83-minute mark against England. The only change Berhalter made to his starting lineup over the first two games was to put Haji Wright at striker over Josh Sargent. If the U.S. fails to advance, his usage of Reyna in particular will come under massive fire.

It would be hard to argue, though, that Berhalter didn’t get the tactics right on Friday, when it was only the result that didn’t come.

Iran, which put itself in position to advance with two stoppage-time goals after a red card Friday on the Wales goalkeeper, is ranked 20th in the world and seeking its best result at a World Cup amid mass unrest at home. For the U.S., whose best players were in elementary school when Landon Donovan scored against Algeria to advance in 2010, there is at least some familiarity in this scenario.

“Hopefully not as dramatic as that goal,” captain Tyler Adams told reporters. “I don’t want to leave it until the end.”