The first contributed to a rather late 2-0 win against the African champions, the second came inside six minutes against Ecuador and the third part of a routine victory against the World Cup hosts. USA, on the other hand, managed to escape the toughest group (according to the FIFA rankings). A slightly disappointing 1-1 draw with Wales was followed up by an excellent team performance against group winners and highly-fancied England. Berhalter’s men went into the final game of the group knowing they needed to beat Iran and that’s exactly what they did thanks to a really brave winner from Pulisic after a free-flowing attacking move.
The Chelsea player sent a message from his hospital bed, vowing to be back to fight against the “Oranje” on Saturday — let’s see if he’s fit enough to start the match. Sergiño Dest is another trick that the US has got up its sleeve. Dest is an attacking fullback who came through the Ajax academy, so he knows every Netherlands player, and he can read their tactics in a heartbeat too. Dest provided the assist to Pulisic’s goal against Iran. The USMNT went undefeated through the group stages, which was a pleasant surprise to many. The Netherlands will be putting up