AL RAYYAN, Qatar — United States Defender Walker Zimmerman said he and his teammates had no problem with the pressure coming from a must-win game.
The United States men’s national team will face off Iran at Al Thumama Stadium on Tuesday, with a place in the knockout round. Iran is one point ahead of the Americans in the rankings thanks to Team Melli’s 2-0 victory Walesmaking the match a must-win for the Americans, while a draw would likely be enough for Iran to progress.
“Our goal is obviously to win the World Cup, and to do that, we have to be in the knockout stages,” said Zimmerman. “For us, our knockout was one game earlier. You look around a lot of different teams and groups and they all go into the third game, most of them are in the third game. Whether it’s a draw or a win, there’s going to be pressure, there’s going to be intensity. For us, it’s a win. And we don’t have a problem with that. knockout a little earlier.”
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For all the focus on the USA’s attack at this World Cup, they have defended rock-solid through two games so far, only conceding a goal. Gareth Balepenalty in the opening match against Wales. But Zimmerman’s fellow midfielder, Tim Ramremain wary of an Iranian attack.
“Obviously there are some very good players up front [including Mehdi] Taremi with his finishing, so he’s the one to watch out for,” he said. “But this match will be about us and about what we need to do and what we have to do to go forward and win. Being aware of their compact form and their counter-attack will be key.”
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Herculez Gomez praised the United States’ performance in the 0-0 draw with England at the FIFA World Cup.
In contrast, the US struggled to score, with Tim Weah’s goal against Wales being the only time they scored. Chances are there, with some notable ones against England, but overall the team was inaccurate in the final third. Fixed situations, which have long been the strength of this American side, can also play an important role.
“There have been a lot of times in the transition where we could have been a little sharper,” says Zimmerman. “We could pick out that last pass and hopefully create more. But the set-pieces are a huge strength for this team. And so it’s got to go back and watch the plays again. , look at all of them, see what we can do differently, see what areas we can hit… we want to make sure everyone is doing their job.
“It’s going to be the little things on the set-pieces and so we definitely need to work on those things, and make sure that can be our real strength, because I think we have the personnel to score from set pieces.”
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Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman support the people of Iran after US Soccer removed social media posts that included the Iranian flag without the Islamic Republic symbol.
USSF backs down after Iran flag uproar
After posting an image on social media with an altered image of the Iranian flag, which has removed the symbol of the Islamic Republic, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) post deleted and replaced them with the actual flag after Sunday’s significant incident.
The coat of arms of the Islamic Republic, designed in 1980, is four curved lines with a sword in the middle. It represents the Islamic saying “There is no god but God” and honors the date on the Persian calendar when the Islamic Revolution took place.
The USSF originally posted images with the center image on the Iranian flag removed, although an image on the team’s website still includes an unchanged image. A spokesman for the USSF said the purpose of removing the symbol was to show support for protesters in Iran pushing for more equal treatment of women after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22 years oldwho has been detained by the country moral police. The next rally had seen At least 450 people died since they started as well more than 18,000 arrestedaccording to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that lobbied after the protests.
The Iranian government has responded by accusing the US of removing God’s name from its flag. According to Iran’s official news agency, Iran threatened to file a protest with FIFA’s ethics committee, while a report from the Associated Press also claimed that Iran was threatening legal action.
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USMNT captain Tyler Adams looks forward to USMNT’s decisive final game in Group B against Iran.
A spokesperson for the USSF said that the decision to change the Iranian flag was made by the federation, along with Iran experts. The spokesman added that neither US coach Gregg Berhalter nor the players were aware of the decision in advance, which was confirmed by both Ream and Zimmerman during their appearances on Sunday.
Iran’s players tried to walk a fine line between supporting the protesters while also not offending the Iranian authorities. The Iranian players did not sing the national anthem before the opening match against England, although they did sing the national anthem before the second match against Wales. Fans support the Iranian government harassing protesters at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Friday before the match against Wales.
A spokesperson for the USSF said that the decision to remove the posts was an internal decision and not due to external pressure. The spokesperson added that the USSF still supports protesters in Iran and that the move would likely add fuel to a match already rife with political intrigue. Zimmerman stressed that the group is focused on Tuesday but still advocating for women’s rights.
“I think it’s a team focused on the current mission, but at the same time we empathize and we firmly believe in women’s rights and support them,” said Zimmerman.
