Happy Friday! It's the last day of simultaneous group stage games. Enjoy it while you can because you're probably not going to see it in future World Cups as the format expands. I'm Igor Mello, filling in for Mike Goodman, and let's get right to it!
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Friday at the World Cup:
- South Korea vs. Portugal, 10 a.m. ET
- Ghana vs. Uruguay, 10 a.m. ET
- Serbia vs. Switzerland, 2 p.m. ET
- Cameroon vs. Brazil, 2 p.m. ET
Remember, when the World Cup ends and Champions League resumes, you'll be able to catch all the action on Paramount+. Use offer code ALLYEAR now to get 50% off the annual plan. We've got UEFA club competitions, Serie A, NWSL, FA Women's Super League and more just one click away.
⚽ The Forward Line
How USMNT should line up
The United States are in the round of 16 for the first time in eight years and they made it here without losing a group-stage game and without conceding a goal on open play. Not many teams in the last 16 can check those two boxes off.
As we gear up for the Netherlands game, it'll be interesting to see how these two match up, especially because Louis van Gaal's side might try to sit back and control possession while the Americans have a strong midfield and might want to press and run and interrupt those passes from the Dutch in the middle of the park.
So how do we want to see the Americans line up against the Dutch? Former USMNTers Charlie Davies and Heath Pearce, two-thirds of the In Soccer We Trust podcast team, break it down:
- Charlie Davies' XI: Matt Turner; Sergino Dest, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie; Tim Weah, Josh Sargent, Christian Pulisic.
- Davies' reasoning: "Zero changes from the game against Iran. I'm assuming Sargent and Pulisic are completely healthy, and with that being said, the only discussion among the starting XI positions is who do you go with between Cameron Carter-Vickers and Walker Zimmerman. For me, against the Netherlands, a team that typically dominates possession, when you do have possession, you have to keep it. You can't give it back. Cameron Carter-Vickers is much more secure with the ball at his feet, much more secure when connecting the pass to the right option than Walker Zimmerman. This isn't a game where you have to rely on long balls and defend cross after cross."
- Heath Pearce's XI: Turner; Dest, Zimmerman, Ream, Robinson; Adams, Musah, McKennie; Weah, Sargent, Pulisic.
- Pearce's reasoning: "I lean more toward the partnership he [Zimmerman] built with Tim Ream in those first couple of games. I think we go back to that. But having said that, I'm not sure why we switched away from that against Iran in the first place. If one of them plays and the other doesn't, I'm not fearful of what's going to happen because they both now have gotten the taste of what it's going to take and be able to simplify the game."
For more on the USMNT game, Grant Wahl is in Qatar and he shares his latest mailbag, which includes he's projected starting lineup.
Craving more World Cup coverage? Listen below and follow House of Champions, a daily CBS Sports soccer podcast, bringing you top-notch analysis, commentary, picks and more during the big games in Qatar.
🔗 Midfield Link Play
How to prepare for Gakpo
Cody Gakpo has the hot hand with three goals off of four shots on frame during this World Cup. The 23-year-old has outperformed his non-penalty expected goals (npxG) and his expected assists (xA), averaging 0.56 goals per 90 minutes and 0.96 assists, according to fbref. Surely, he can't keep this up, can he? Is there anything the U.S. can do to cool him down?
James Benge, on how the USMNT should plan for Gakpo: "One wonders whether the presence of Sergino Dest, no one's idea of a lockdown defender, might prompt a slight tweak of formations or positioning so that the Netherlands can get Gakpo one on one with the USMNT's right back. If so, Berhalter might want to consider replicating the off-ball 4-4-2 that so quelled England on Matchday 2 with Weston McKennie acting as ballast in front of Dest."
Our Roger Gonzalez also has a detailed scouting report on the Dutch. Make sure to check that out.
Let's get to some links:
- Daily World Cup predictions! Most experts lean on Uruguay and Switzerland to make it out of their groups.
- House of Champions! Ian Joy, Luis Garcia, Michael Lahoud and James Benge take you through an absolutely wild day.
- In Soccer We Trust! Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Heath Pearce break down the Dutch and what lineups to expect from Gregg Berhalter.
- Uruguay's Luis Suarez unapologetic over 2010 World Cup handball: "The Ghana player missed the penalty, not me."
- Germany are out of World Cup by a razor-thin margin thanks to Japan's second goal in upset win over Spain.
- Romelu Lukaku had a night to forget as he came on in the second half and missed incredible opportunities to keep Belgium alive.
- Here's Alphonso Davies surrounded by family after Canada's final group stage game. We have a feeling they'll be back and better than ever.
- UEFA to investigate Juventus for potential breaches of licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations.
- "The Juventus situation now looks really complicated." Fabrizio Romano breaks down how why the entire Juve board resigned and what is next in Turin for the historic club, including the future of Max Allegri.
- Canelo Alvarez apologizes to Lionel Messi after criticizing Argentina's locker room celebration video.
- The World Cup is not the only place to scratch your soccer fix. We have Women's Super League (Manchester United-Aston Villa) and Women's Bundesliga (Wolfsburg-Eintracht Frankfurt) on CBS Sports Network this Saturday.
- Two NWSL teams put up for sale: Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars begin process to sell majority stakes.
- In theme with women's soccer, the Attacking Third podcast previews NWSL free agency and the NCAA College Cup.
- Remember you can catch the Champions League, Serie A, WSL and more on Paramount+ -- get 50% off the annual plan with promo code ALLYEAR!
💰 The Back Lines
Best bets
Let's pick some games! All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Cameroon vs. Brazil, Friday, 2 p.m. ET
💰 THE PICK: Player to score two or more, Gabriel Jesus (+600). Look, this is another big swing, but with Richarlison and all of the main starters on the bench because of a 66-hour turnaround between this game and their knockout stage game, this is the Arsenal man's chance to prove himself worthy of more playing time. Even a B-team version of Brazil is entertaining to watch, and without Andre Onana between the sticks, Jesus will look to light it up.
- Serbia vs. Switzerland, Friday, 2 p.m. ET
💰 THE PICK: Under 1.5 goals (+230). This is a tricky Swiss team to score on. They conceded only two goals in eight qualifying games and gave Brazil very little breathing room to create any big chances. On the flip side, this is a Swiss team that has only scored one goal in this tournament, so the logic is that this will be a low-scoring affair.