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World Cup 2022: USMNT cannot ignore Gareth Bales and Wales


Give USA and their hopes of success at the World Cup – now only 12 days away – have had enemies lurking in plain sight for the past few months.

For the uninitiated, Gareth Bale Wales doesn’t seem to have any kind of threat since moving in Americas in June, essentially operating as little more than a senior substitute for Major League Soccer’s LAFC, rarely competing, and speaking in public even more rarely.

Best description for him now? More than any other player, for whom the United States should fear, watch out and prepare, when they face the Welsh side in their opening game of the tournament in Qatar on November 21.

“After all these years, Bale can still do things that no other player on that pitch could do,” former Wales international Iwan Roberts told me over the phone. “No other player in that game is more likely to influence the outcome.”

The difference in perception comes from a rare instance of Bale doing what Bale does. One of the most explosive and clutching performances in world football over the past decade, he made a crucial intervention in Saturday’s MLS Cup final, despite starting just two games for club since moving from Real Madrid last summer.

Introduced as an extra in extra time, he saved LAFC from impending defeat with an equalizer, before reserve keeper John McCarthy made a save. Philadelphia Union in the penalty shootout.

Jack Elliot, Gareth Bale scored CLUTCH in extra time

LAFC and Philadelphia Union came before the penalty shootout, thanks to Jack Elliot’s touch in the 120 +4 minute and Gareth Bale’s classy header in the 120 +8 minute MLS Cup.

Bale’s strike was a perfectly positioned header, and a reminder that he not only has the most successful career résumé of any player on the Welsh or United States national team. , he also has a long-standing habit of scoring the winning goal, regardless of his recent form. .

“It’s just Bale,” BBC Wales journalist Peter Shuttleworth, who has followed Bale’s career since he played for Wales’ youth teams, tells me. “He’s the man for the big moment. And because he’s done it so many times before, he changes the game, even when he’s not playing well.

“It hardly matters which tactical formation Wales uses. The Americans, like all opponents, will have to spend a lot of time worrying about where Bale is and what he’s doing.”

Underestimating Bale would be a huge risk for USA head coach Gregg Berhalter, as there is a long list of notable moments when he has made teams pay.

You choose to go. The winning goal for Real Madrid Barcelona at Spain’s Copa del Rey, with a spectacular run on the sidelines and a cut inside? Or a devastating aerial kick against Liverpool in the Champions League final?

As for the goal that took the lead in the Champions League with Atlético Madrid in extra time – not to mention his effort in helping Wales reach the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship, that country’s first major tournament since 1958.

Now 33 years old, and almost a decade erased when Madrid made him the most expensive player in the world, Bale is not at his best. Having largely fallen out of favor at Real during his final two seasons there, his main focus before retiring was to enjoy one last time for his national team.

It’s difficult for the opponents now, because there are matches these days when Bale doesn’t do anything special. However, for Berhalter, thinking must still be the possibility of danger lurking at any moment. Bale’s prowess in force, speed, and long-range attack can’t be controlled by simply talking softly to centre-backs Cameron Carter-Vickers and Walker Zimmerman. Everyone needs to keep an eye on where Bale is hiding, with midfielders like Tyler Adams having a particularly important monitoring role.

The most important match of any World Cup, for any team, is the first, because that’s what drives your entire campaign. History is leaning heavily in favor of those who shined in the opening games. At the 2018 World Cup, there were 13 teams that lost their first match. In which, 12 people did not pass the round of 16.

With you and Iran Also in Group B, it is not an unreasonable suggestion that the winner of the Wales/USA match will have a place in the round of 16, while the losing team will need immediate repairs if they want to save their tournament.

Wales’ Gareth Bale: Number 42 | Stu Holden’s Top 50 Players

Wales’ Gareth Bale is known for his technical ability, speed and finishing. He earned 42nd place in the list of the top 50 players of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

However, the Americans will be up against a very different opponent. The United States has a well-balanced roster, although headed by their own star Christian Pulisic. Wales, in part due to its small population, is often the most heavily populated. Bale and Aaron Ramsey have operated at their highest level in the Champions League, but players like veterans Chris Gunter – of the AFC Wimbledon in the 4th tier of English football – is also likely to be included.

“In a way, Bale is almost like the CEO of the Wales team,” added Shuttleworth. “He has influence over who gets picked and how they play. He controls a lot of things, but the players happily follow along because they know he cares about the team and because of what he can do. .

“You can see that when the team is working together, the young players pay attention to everything that Bale does.”

On the field on November 21, the Americans were advised to take the same approach.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to daily newsletter.


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