After finishing third in the group A behind Ghana and Colombia, United States of America qualified for the round of 16 as one of the four lucky losers and will face group B winners Paraguay in the first knockout phase at their favourite Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday.
The John Hackworth-led side had a dream start in the tournament as they defeated host nation India 3-0 and went on to beat major title bidders Ghana 1-0 in the next match but things changed quickly for them in the last group match they played at Navi Mumbai. A heavy 3-1 loss at the hands of Colombian dragged them from top of the group to third.
But being back at their favourite venue again — JlN stadium — the US team would be glad to leave the memories of the defeat behind at the DY Patil stadium and get back to winning ways.
"We are very happy to be back in Delhi," said a pleased US coach Hackworth after their last match in a humid DY Patil stadium. "Navi Mumbai was tough. There's a such big difference being here. Players are more at ease to play here, we have spent a lot of time here and they are comfortable with the conditions. We need to remain positive despite the bad result in the last match and leave it behind us. We are taking a lot of positive in the fact that we have played five good halves of football and we just couldn't play upto our standard in only one against Colombia"
A team full of firepower up front, US have seen different protagonists finding the back of the net on every occasion. The five goals, which US scored during group stages, were scored by five different individuals and that makes them an unpredictable threat in that sense.
In spite of that, team's skipper Joshua Sargent remains the centre of attraction for the team and spot of bother for the opponent's defence. The former under-20 World Cup campaigner hasn't scored since the opening game and must be egging to find his scoring boots again. But as mentioned earlier, players such as Ayo Akinola, Andrew Carleton (1 goal each) and Timothy Weah are match winners in their own rights and are looking to bring happiness back to "soccer-loving fans" of the country who are saddened to see their team not qualifying for the senior World Cup in Russia next year.
"USA not making to the World Cup has an impact on the nation. People are very proud about our athletic accomplishments and the moment there's a big void like this (World cup disqualification), the fans specifically are disappointed. That bring some limelight on the boys here. I know it's a big responsibility on the shoulders of a bunch of 17-year-old lads but it's a new lesson for them," Hackworth explained.
But defeating Paraguay is no mean task as the South American outfit are no pushovers. The Gustavo Monirigo-led side are applauded for their goal scoring show in the competition so far. Scoring minimum three goals against all their group opponents — African champions Mali, Turkey and New Zealand — makes their forward four of Anibal Vega, Antonio Galeano, Alan Rodriguez and leonardo Sanchez (seven goals between them) a major headache for the US defence.
Playing a stretched 4-4-2 system; a high-pressing forward line would create a lot of problem for the centre-backs of Hackworth's side, who like to build their attack from behind.
Considering USA would play a three-man midfield, the two midfielders of Paraguay — Braian Ojeda and Julio Baez will have their task cut out. The two midfielders often fallback to help the defence but are caught out of position on counter, which leaves their backline exposed.
The defence line already looks shaky as they are perceived as the weakest link of the team. Conceding two goals against Mali in a space of 20 minutes after having a two-goal lead and two own goals by the skipper Alexis Duarte in the next match against New Zealand creates little confidence in their defensive fortress.
Despite the early kick-off mega clash between Colombia and Germany, this match has presence of star-studded performers in the attacking department in both the sides of the field and that is promising enough for another goal-fest clash.