Christian Pulisic should be healthy for the US national soccer team’s all-or-nothing game against the Netherlands on Saturday, says captain Tyler Adams, who is admittedly relieved after beating Iran in the Group B final to place them in the last 16 of the World Cup in Doha has moved in .
“A huge relief,” Adams told Good Morning America from Qatar on Wednesday. “I think for us our goal was to get into the World Cup to get out of the group, but anything can happen now.”
The USA advanced thanks to Tuesday’s 1-0 win, thanks to a late first-half goal from Pulisic, who suffered a bruised stomach in a collision with the Iranian goalkeeper and was substituted at half-time by coach Gregg Berhalter.
Pulisic was taken to hospital as a precaution but responded to the win on social media, writing that he will be ‘ready’ for Saturday’s round of 16 game against the Netherlands. Adams repeated the good news to GMA on Wednesday.
“He’s fine,” Adams said. “He’s in the best of spirits and feeling a lot better now but what a huge player for us to come through in the biggest moments. We rely on him a lot in the biggest moments so he’s doing fine.
“We’re just trying to make everyone at home proud … we’re going to do whatever it takes to bring this thing home.”
.@USMNT Captain Tyler Adams talks about the team’s epic #World Championship win and what we can expect in the next round. pic.twitter.com/OlB1HogBU5
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 30, 2022
US captain Tyler Adams is admittedly relieved after beating Iran in the Group B final to advance to the knockout rounds of the World Cup in Doha
The USA advanced thanks to Tuesday’s 1-0 win, thanks to a late first-half goal from Pulisic, who suffered a bruised stomach in a collision with the Iranian goalkeeper and was substituted at half-time by coach Gregg Berhalter
Pulisic was taken to hospital as a precaution but responded to the win on social media, writing that he will be ‘ready’ for Saturday’s round of 16 game against the Netherlands. Adams repeated the good news to GMA on Wednesday
As for the team, Adams described the group as “fearless, brave, relentless” and “diverse,” which he says are “all qualities of a team that can win.”
It would be a big step for a country that hasn’t reached the quarter-finals since 2002 and hasn’t won more than two games at a World Cup.
But according to Adams, Americans take on the “outsider” personality that comes into a game with a consistent football power.
“We have this American mentality that we might be the underdogs in a playoff setting, but anything can happen,” Adams said.
“We have confidence in our group and now it’s about going out and executing.”
Advancing through the group stage was Team USA’s goal, but after a disappointing draw in the opening game against Wales, that seemed little certainty.
Christian Pulisic of the United States scores his team’s first goal during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Iran and the United States
Incidentally, USA fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and Berhalter’s team struggled to find their identity ahead of this year’s tournament in Qatar.
“It’s been a process over the past four years,” Adams said. “It wasn’t easy, there were a lot of ups and downs, but we always found a way to respond to the most difficult moments, so we faced the odds and hit them head-on and if you look at the group, we did found a way to get us through a tough group and go to the next round.’
And not even the growing political animosity ahead of the Iran game can derail Americans’ focus, Adams said.
“That’s another thing that impressed me about this group,” he said. “We have been focused on our goal and goals in this tournament. That’s part of the job. There will always be a lot of outside noise, but how we dealt with it made the success on the field possible.
Referring to a message to his country, Adams said Team USA is “trying to make everyone at home proud.”
“The support has been amazing,” he concluded. “You know, we love the country. We love to repeat it and we will do everything we can to bring it home.
The United States meets the Netherlands (2-0-1) at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
US head coach Gregg Berhalter applauds fans after the Group B match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between IR Iran and USA at Al Thumama Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar