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Key events
Ewan Murray
Scotland’s switch to three/five man defence is no surprise. The inclusion of Nathan Patterson at right wing back instead of Aaron Hickey will turn heads, however. There have been no reports of a Hickey fitness, albeit his minutes are typically managed after a significant injury that saw him miss more than a year at Brentford. Hickey was short of his best against Haiti and received a yellow card, with those elements perhaps the simple explanation for this switch.
The exact shape of Scotland’s midfield will be intriguing. Ryan Christie plays in a deeper role for Bournemouth than typically for Scotland. Christie, one of three changes to the starting XI, is likely to be used to support Che Adams in attack.
Scotland’s team shirts are embroidered inside the neck with a message from Joe Jordan. “I came from a small place and set out in my life and career to go the furthest I could,” it reads. “For me that was playing for my country in World Cups.”
Scotland look to be 5-4-1, or even 4-5-1. Morocco will again play 4-2-3-1, by the looks of it.
Ewan Murray
Ally McCoist, who scored the winner for Scotland against Switzerland at Euro 96, is wandering around the media centre in Boston wearing his country’s strip from that very era. Scotland were denied a place in the knock-out stage of that tournament on goal difference (or, as far as Scots are concerned, because David Seaman let a Patrick Kluivert shot through his legs at Wembley as England beat the Netherlands 4-1).
There are shades of 1996 around Scotland’s scenario here. A narrow win over Haiti leaves Steve Clarke’s team with at least the possibility of being in a goal difference scrap for the last 32. Scotland could almost certainly avoid that anxiety with the claiming of a point from this game against a hotly-tipped Moroccan team. Morocco are rightly the heavy favourites. Scotland have to prove the cliche true in showing they are better as the underdog. Easier said than done.
Three changes for Scotland: Kieran Tierney, Nathan Patterson and Ryan Christie wil start with Aaron Hickey, Ben Gannon-Doak and Lawrence Shankland on the bench. That suggests a formation change. Morocco are unchanged from the Brazil game.
The teams
Scotland: Gunn, Hanley, Hendry, Tierney, Patterson, McTominay, Ferguson, Robertson, McGinn, Christie, Adams. Subs: Kelly, Gordon, Hickey, Fletcher, Dykes, Stewart, Souttar, Hyam, Doak, Hirst, Shankland, McLean, Ralston, Curtis, McKenna.
Morocco: Bounou, Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui, El Aynaoui, Bouaddi, Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannous, Saibari. Subs: Mohamedi, Tagnaouti, Amrabat, Saadane, Talbi, Rahimi, El Ouahdi, El Mourabet, Yassine, Sbai, Belammari, El Kaabi, Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Halhal, Saleh-Eddine.
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
With the USA team winning well against Australia, feels like all three host teams will go through. The hosts in 2010 and 2022 didn’t get through the groups but good for business, right? Nice piece from the excellent Joe Callaghan.
In putting himself out front and centre Marsch has, arguably, given his players the room to feel their way into the roles, before meeting the moment. Out there in the rest of the world, some may already be tiring of Marsch’s excesses but Canada is revelling in his leadership. Thursday was both catharsis and crisis and Marsch led the country through both and left windmilling his arms for more.
Tony Barr gets in touch with a question: “D’you think there’s a lot of ‘we mustn’t underestimate the Scots’ doing the rounds on the Moroccan TV pre-game chat, or is that peculiar to English pundits when your lot are up against lower opposition?
”Either way, I like to think the Moroccan Alan Shearer (Hamdallah?) is telling someone right now that Scotland ‘ iinahum laysuu ‘aghbia’’.”
Weather watch: it’s *just* 26 degrees in Foxboro, with some clouds in the sky. What counts as a heatwave in Largs, to put it another way.
The transfer market never stops and Ayyoub Bouaddi has been linked with just about everybody since his showing against Brazil. He’s a Lille player at present, but unlikely to be one beyond the closure of the window.
Ouahbi was referring to Bouaddi’s performance in a 1-0 victory against Ancelotti’s Madrid in October 2024 on the day he turned 17, which ended with Lille’s supporters singing happy birthday to him on the pitch.
That ensured that every big club in Europe has been tracking his progress since. Arsenal are in preliminary talks to sign a player believed to be valued at about £70m by Lille; Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are thought to have registered an interest and Liverpool had scouts watching him on Saturday.
Against Brazil, it was noticeable the Morocco fans were significantly louder. That should make the atmosphere one to remember in Foxboro.
Steve Clarke is not a man to overstate things and he was typically realistic in his assessment of the Moroccans.
“We are under no illusion about the size of the task. I feel Morocco are a really, really good side. They reached the last four of the last World Cup and I have a feeling this Morocco team is slightly better than that, so that gives you an idea of the task ahead. They have power, they have pace, they have little bits of skill that can open up a game. For me they are the real deal, a top side. We will have to be at our very best to compete.
“It is a big challenge for us. We give them a lot of respect. We expect they will probably have more of the ball, more possession. We have to make sure that when we have the ball we can be a threat to Morocco.”
Scott McTominay did not have his best game against Haiti but he remains his team’s key man.
You need only walk in the vicinity of Hampden Park to learn of McTominay’s standing as a Scotland player. Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law have never been depicted on portraits on the gable end of terraced flats close to the national stadium. McTominay, a player born in England, produced such an iconic moment against Denmark last November that it will sit as an artistic reference point for ever more.
Paul MacInnes has been out and about with the Scotland fans.
Just 10 days since they first began arriving in New England, Scotland fans have managed to bring yet another nation under their thrall. Carrying a letter of support from FC Cologne, the last place to fall for the Scots two years ago, they have charmed, amused and fascinated the locals in Boston and beyond. Following the antics of the Scottish fans, their discovery of tailgating or their dancing at the baseball, appears to have become an American pastime, with clips ubiquitous on everyone’s social media feeds.
Preamble
The Tartan Army have been making friends in Boston, and they were able to celebrate a first win since 1990 when beating Haiti on Saturday . The Concacaf team proved nothing like an Iran from 1978 or Costa Rica from 1990. Not that Scotland were particularly impressive, and there were Caledonian nerves jangling all evening. Will John McGinn’s deflected goal be the high point? Here comes a real challenge in the shape of the African champions* (Cas ruling permitting) Morocco, a team who were much the better team in their opening match with Brazil. And were semi-finalists last time out, though this is a far more expansive team that the battling outfit from Qatar. If the equation for qualification is four points then a draw here would be handy. Exiting the group stage via the front door for the first time would be within Scotland’s grasp. It’s on? Well, that’s what we’re about to find out.
Kick-off is 6pm ET/11pm UK time/8am AEST. Join me.
Key events
Alexander Abnos
Paris Hilton is, for some reason, leading the USA chants pregame.
Pablo Iglesias Maurer
The atmosphere here at Lumen Field (excuse me, Seattle Stadium, how dare I) is positively electric a full 30 minutes before kickoff. This was predictable — the stadium has a well-earned reputation for being among the loudest in the United States — but it is still a sight to behold. The place is nearly full, and there are no shortage of Aussie fans as well, very prominently sat behind the goal at the south end of the stadium. Truly incredible atmosphere.
Pre-anthem mailbag
Sorry I can’t get to everything, but please keep writing!
Any suggestions for a US nickname akin to “Socceroos”?
“Although I think the nickname ‘The Yanks’ is pretty great, it’s no ‘Socceroos’. And the best I can come up with is ‘Soccer Moms’ and I’m ashamed I’m even writing that down.” – Joshua Reynolds
“Soccerillos, of course, because of the armadillos.” – Kirk Allbright
“I’m sorry to trash my country, but looking at the three host mascots, USA clearly has the worst. 1. Tiger 2. Moose 3. Eagle. As far as a good nickname, the Minutemen?” – Zach Neeley
That might add a bit of spice the next time the USA face England.
An Australian perspective (and please, if you’re awake in Australia right now, send me a note!):
“Australia needs a draw from this game. We cannot lose and leave it until the last minute against Paraguay to get a point. I’m excited for this game – I think Australia can repeat their performance against Turkey barring Popovic not going back into defensive and negativity mode. Keep throwing players up on the counter and get the ball forward when we have to. No Pulisic, Irakunda and Metcalfe out could be a sign for 0-0.” – James Pareskevas
On nomenclature:
“Football or soccer? It is all about who you are communicating with. When I am on a Premier League MBM I use football. Mainly because the blowback is tedious. When I post on The Athletic I say soccer, once again because it is simpler. For those UK football fans for who the term soccer is an irritant you should not have invented it.” – Mary Waltz
I’m often astounded that so many of the people who take the USA (or Australia, or Ireland, etc.) to task for the word “soccer” don’t realize that the etymology runs through England.
And we have to get a word from Peter Oh: “Are any of the US players wearing kangaroo leather boots?”
Australian lineup: Head-scratcher or tactical brilliance?
Australian Associated Press reports …
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has dropped goalscorers Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe to the bench for Australia’s blockbuster clash with the United States.
Veteran Mathew Leckie, playing for the first time at his fourth World Cup, and Nishan Velupillay are the two inclusions in attack for the game that could determine who finishes top of group D.
Irankunda, who was electric in the 2-0 win over Turkey, including scoring a brilliant opener, and Metcalfe, who delivered a wonderful second-half goal, loom as impact substitutes.
“Impact substitutes” could be an understatement if Australia’s five-man backline can contain the US attack early.
Which is one reason why the US punditocracy may be just a tad overconfident, perhaps?
The rivalry?
Is there bad blood between the USA and Australia? Alexander Abnos notes the feisty undertones in a relatively recent friendly:
A couple of players-turned-commentators have fanned the flames a bit, as Jack Snape relates:
The slandering began late last year when the USA were drawn against Australia. Former professional player and now TV pundit Mike Grella said the Socceroos represented a “lay-up” for the hosts.
Grella addressed the backlash to his comments on Wednesday: “I’ve got tell you something, I don’t think they’ve ever been more united as a football side. If they do something in this tournament – which they won’t – if they do something in this tournament, they should make a statue of me there in Australia, because I’ve unified an entire country.”
The barbs didn’t stop with him. Former USA player Landon Donovan also dismissed the Socceroos’ chances after the draw, and took aim at Australia’s “smug” coach. “You can get on the Qantas airplane and head back home,” he said.
I feel obliged to note that Grella and I went to the same college. Many years apart.
But Snape also notes that the countries and their soccer cultures are similar – youth participation has been strong, but building professional success is a work in progress.
Starting XIs: Pulisic out
The injury that was downplayed during the opening game against Paraguay is apparently more serious than first indicated. Throughout the week, the driving force of the US attack was limited in training, raising questions about his availability today.
He is indeed not available. Ricardo Pepi will take his place.
Australia will have five at the back, so it’ll be important for Jordan Bos (Feyenoord) on the left and Jacob Italiano (Grazer AK) on the right to get forward. The USA lineup includes two players who’ve spent time as wingbacks, and left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson (Fulham) is likely to play that role, but the broadcasters’ graphics are insisting that Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven) will be in midfield, not at the back.
The full lineups:
Australia: Beach; Bos, Burgess, Souttar, Circati, Italiano; Velupillay, Okon-Engstler, O’Neill, Leckie; Toure
USA: Freese; Robinson, Ream, Richards, Freeman; Dest, Adams, Tillman, McKennie; Pepi, Balogun
Neither of Australia’s scorers from the 2-0 win over Turkiye, Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, will start.
What’s at stake …
The US men are out to do what no US men’s team have done in 96 years.
Win a second consecutive World Cup match.
Only twice have the US men followed a World Cup win with anything other than a loss. In 2002, they kept enough momentum from their opening win against Portugal to get a draw against South Korea, then lost to Poland and needed a Portuguese meltdown in another group game to advance to the famous 2-0 win over Mexico in the Round of 16. In their credible run in 2014, they followed the exorcism against Ghana by snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against Portugal, then bowing out with two dignified defeats against Germany and Belgium.
More commonly, a US men’s World Cup win is followed by a game fans would rather forget. In 1950, the famous win against England preceded a 5-2 defeat by Chile. In 1994, the last time the Cup was on US soil, they followed their rousing win against Colombia with a loss to Romania that reminded the casual US sports fan why they didn’t really care for soccer. In 2010, the “Howard to Donovan to Altidore to Dempsey to wow this is really happening DONOVAN SCORES ON THE REBOUND AHHHHHHHHH!! BAR CELEBRATIONS GO VIRAL” win over Algeria sent them to a second straight elimination at the feet of Ghana. Then in 2022, the Flying Pulisics avenged a 1998 loss to Iran but ran into the Netherlands.
Australia won two straight World Cup* games in 2022, beating Tunisia and Denmark to reach the knockout rounds, but they can also make history. The Socceroos have never finished first in a World Cup group. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results, so if Australia win this game, it would take a convoluted series of results (Paraguay over Turkiye, Paraguay over Australia, USA over Turkiye) to complicate matters.
Before the 2022 Cup, the Socceroos had only won two World Cup games in their history – one in 2006, when they also got a draw to advance to the knockouts, and one in 2010.
(*) – pointing out once again that the term “World Cup” refers to the entire tournament including qualification, so what I’m describing above is technically based on results from World Cup finals, which is the term for the 32-team … I mean, 48-team … tournament we’re watching now.
Jeff Rueter
With Christian Pulisic out, Mauricio Pochettino opts for a big man/little man strike partnership with Ricardo Pepi slotting in alongside Folarin Balogun. Pepi is the pool’s best hold-up forward, willing to drop into midfield to help in possession sequences and a consistent contributor to a frontline press. He can now do all kinds of off-ball work with Balogun able to stretch the backline and keep Australia from clamping into too tight a defensive block.
Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie offers adequate balance in midfield, with width coming via Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson.
Christian Pulisic is out
The lineups are out, and Christian Pulisic is not only not among the starters, but he’s not listed among the subs either. Mauricio Pochettino has told the Fox pregame broadcast that the US star is unavailable.
Pulisic has been dealing with a calf injury since before the first game against Paraguay, which was aggravated in the first half. Pulisic exited at half-time of the 4-1 win.
Ricardo Pepi comes into the XI in his place, which will presumably change the look considerably.
Preamble
Welcome to a matchup between two countries united by one vital fact …
Both countries refer to this sport as “soccer” rather than “football.”
Actually, most English-speaking countries commonly use the word soccer. Consider Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa.
Australia is unique in the sense that the word is incorporated in their nickname – Socceroos. Which raises an important question: Why doesn’t the US team have a cool nickname like that?
Feel free to send in your ideas while waiting for this one to start. In any case, this is a vital game, with each team poised to advance to the knockout rounds.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look at what Australia and the USA will each need to do to win Friday’s clash in Seattle:
Australia
Back Nestory Irankunda: the 20-year-old was expected to be an impact player at this World Cup, coming on as a substitute to affect matches against tiring opposition. A player of the match performance when starting against Turkey showed how Irankunda has become one of the Socceroos’ most important players. While still learning his wing-craft, his speed and determination without the ball are vital in a Socceroos outfit seemingly happy to give their opponents’ possession, and his ability to make the most of transition and direct opportunities – as seen for his opening goal against Turkey – can be a superpower.
United States
Midfield rotations are key: this is the kind of thing that any USMNT fan would have known before last week’s fantastic opener, but the nature of the US’s play in that game made it especially so. Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro took time in his presser to specifically compliment the starting trio of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman, whom he described as “floating” and a key part of a “pentagon” of play. For as well as Australia played against Turkey, they did not dictate the tempo, conceding more than 70% of possession and getting overrun in the centre of the park. If the US are going to do something with similar levels of possession, they’ll need their midfield to continue rotating effectively to help pull the Socceroos’ back two lines out of shape, manufacturing gaps in what had proven to be an airtight defence.
The Princess of Wales reflects on an “increasingly digitalised world” in a new essay, written after her return to overseas visits following her treatment for cancer.
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