The United States returns to the transportation for its last World Cup group-stage crippled with immoderate decisions to make.
The Americans person already won Group D to fastener up a spot successful the knockout signifier and volition look winless Turkey successful Inglewood, California, connected Thursday.
Christian Pulisic returned to grooming aft missing a 2-0 triumph implicit Australia, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has to determine however overmuch to usage his prima subordinate successful a crippled that’s meaningless successful the standings and the knockout signifier close astir the corner.
There are akin decisions to marque with Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson. They’re each connected yellowish cards and would miss the archetypal knockout circular crippled if they picked up a 2nd against Turkey.
The U.S. has won consecutive World Cup matches for the archetypal clip since 1930. Its six goals successful the archetypal 2 matches are 1 abbreviated of the squad grounds for a World Cup.
Turkey has yet to people a extremity successful its archetypal World Cup successful 24 years and is already eliminated.
Thursday volition beryllium the 2nd time with six matches, including Germany looking to triumph its 3rd consecutive game, Ivory Coast aiming to marque the knockout signifier for the archetypal clip and Ecuador needing a triumph to flight the radical stage.
What to ticker Thursday
— Curacao vs. Ivory Coast, 1 p.m. successful Philadelphia (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Ecuador vs. Germany, 1 p.m. successful East Rutherford, New Jersey (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Japan vs. Sweden, 4 p.m. successful Arlington, Texas (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Tunisia vs. The Netherlands, 4 p.m. successful Kansas City, Missouri (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Paraguay vs. Australia, 7 p.m. successful Santa Clara, California (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Turkey vs. United States, 7 p.m. successful Inglewood, California (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)
Ecuador faces must-win against Germany
Ecuador arrived astatine the World Cup connected a 19-game winning streak.
It could look an aboriginal exit if it can’t find a mode to bushed Germany successful East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Ecuador opened the World Cup with a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Ivory Coast connected Amad Diallo’s extremity successful the 90th infinitesimal and played to a scoreless gully against Curacao, the smallest federation successful the World Cup.
That leaves Ecuador trailing some Germany and Ivory Coast successful Group E with 1 constituent and needing to bushed the Germans, who person already clinched the radical but volition beryllium without defender Nico Schlotterbeck for the remainder of the World Cup due to the fact that of an ankle injury.
Ivory Coast connected the cusp of knockout stage
Ivory Coast has a accidental to marque past successful its 4th World Cup.
With a triumph already nether their belt, the Elephants tin clinch a spot successful the knockout circular for the archetypal clip with a triumph implicit Curacao successful Philadelphia.
Ivory Coast pulled disconnected a 1-0 triumph implicit Ecuador and had a halftime pb implicit Germany earlier losing 2-1. Ivory Coast’s erstwhile champion accidental to scope the knockout signifier came successful Brazil successful 2014 erstwhile it opened with a triumph implicit Japan earlier losing the adjacent 2 games.
Curacao inactive has an extracurricular changeable of reaching the knockout round, needing a triumph and immoderate goal-differential assistance from Ecuador. Curacao has a extremity differential of minus-6, acknowledgment to an opening 7-1 nonaccomplishment to Germany.
Group F victor inactive up successful the air
The Netherlands and Japan volition beryllium playing for the apical spot successful Group F connected Thursday nighttime — the Dutch play Tunisia, the Japanese look Sweden — but some teams person said they privation nary updates connected each different arsenic their games are progressing.
“You person to absorption connected making definite you triumph the match,” said Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman, whose squad has a grounds World Cup unbeaten streak of 14 matches, excluding punishment shootouts. “We would emotion to beryllium archetypal successful the radical and of people the effect volition person an interaction connected that, but that’s not the astir important thing. Playing this crippled is the astir important thing.”
The Netherlands and Japan some person 4 points and a plus-four extremity differential. Sweden is astatine 3 points with its 5-1 nonaccomplishment to Dutch.
To decorativeness archetypal successful the group, Sweden has to triumph and person the Netherlands bash nary amended than a draw.
“It’s virtually my archetypal rodeo successful presumption of a World Cup truthful it’s going to beryllium caller to me,” Sweden manager Graham Potter said. “But yeah, it’s champion for america to effort to get the affirmative results and absorption connected that.”
Paraguay, Australia play for 2nd successful Group D
There’s plentifulness astatine involvement successful the last Group D lucifer betwixt Australia and Paraguay.
The Australians volition clinch 2nd spot successful the radical and a spot successful the knockout circular with either a triumph oregon draw. Paraguay clinches 2nd spot with a triumph and is astir assured advancement arsenic a third-place squad with a draw. The concern volition beryllium much tenuous with a nonaccomplishment for either team, with extremity differential apt deciding the fate.
The crippled is simply a spot of a full-circle infinitesimal for Socceroos manager Tony Popovic, who played his last planetary crippled arsenic a subordinate against Paraguay successful a affable 20 years agone erstwhile helium scored his eighth planetary goal.
“I didn’t people galore truthful I person to punctual you of that,” Popovic said. “It was a peculiar mode to extremity my planetary career. To deliberation that each these years aboriginal I’ll beryllium the caput manager and we’re up against Paraguay is special. That was a large time and hopefully time volition a peculiar time for Australia against Paraguay erstwhile more.”
Australia volition beryllium without defender Jacob Italiano and guardant Mat Leckie, who are dealing with injuries.
Paraguay volition beryllium without midfielder Miguel Almiron, who is suspended aft getting a reddish paper for covering his rima during a confrontation against Turkey. Mauricio volition commencement successful his place, manager Gustavo Alfaro said.
Stats of the day
Switzerland has qualified for the knockout signifier for the seventh consecutive clip successful large tourney shot (World Cups and UEFA Euros).
AP sports writers Dave Skretta, Josh Dubow and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
English (US)·