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Happy Juneteenth to everyone out there. I’m sure those words will irk a few readers, but to be honest, I’ll take any federal holiday, as it means we get some time to enjoy anything we want. I know not every company is observing, but who doesn’t want a day off in the middle of June? Today is even a bit more special because we get a USA World Cup game as well.
My first-ever soccer article was about the USA World Cup team, and not only did the team win, but we won. I was wrong about the final score, but I was correct about Team USA winning. They were able to take down Paraguay. What I think was most enjoyable about the game — aside from the victory — was that the crowd was genuinely into the game. I know it is easy when goals are being scored and the team is winning, but America is not a soccer country. So, seeing the crowd going crazy and giving the team more energy was fun to watch.
Now they have a test against Team Australia. This should be a win for Team USA if we are going to base it on a recent game they’ve had in an international friendly competition. They played back in October, so the teams are largely the same. Those games aren’t always predictive, though. In order to keep the momentum coming, Team USA will need to remain aggressive in its attack. If they can strategically push the ball downfield, they should get a few good looks at a goalie that can be beaten.
Team Australia had a nice outcome in their first game as well, having won the first contest against Turkey. I don’t hate the Turkish team. They have some decent talent as well. Some games of the World Cup can just be dismissed because there is a huge mismatch. That isn’t the case here. Australia was methodical in its attack and won the game 2-0.
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If you look at the stats from their first game, there is a big argument that Australia got lucky to win the game. They had half the shots on goal of Turkey, and they had possession of the ball for just 28% of the time. So, they were able to make the most of their opportunity. They had 12 fouls compared to just four on Turkey. I suppose there should be a fair amount of credit given to the Australian defense, considering they were able to stop all eight shots on goal, and if their opponent had the ball that often, it means they had to consistently stop the pressure.
If Australia can slow the game down against America, they might have another chance. I don’t think this is the most impressive team in the tournament, but they look like they don’t make a lot of mistakes. Will the kangaroo clan be able to capitalize on the USA’s mistakes today?
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It is possible. The USA was the beneficiary of an own goal to start the scoring, then they got two more in the first half. They did create some great opportunities, but missed some of those chances. Their defense only faced one real attack, and their goalie stopped the ball. Australia needs to be more aggressive than they were in the first game, but I don’t think that’s their nature. I expect Team USA to win, but I think this is going to be a lower-scoring game. Give me the under 2.5.
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