57
21:17
Williams crosses well from the left corner flag to the first post, where Bale is already ready to head in. But McKennie is there and heads the ball out of the danger zone.
54
21:15
The Welsh are now risking a little more and trying to play a little faster up front. But the last bit of accuracy is still missing from coach Rob Page’s team.
51.
21:10
Yellow card for Tim Ream (USA)
Tim Ream with the tactical foul against the starting Gareth Bale.
49
21:09
US captain Tyler Adams, together with his team-mates, keeps attacking the Welsh opponents and keeps the space tight.
47
21:07
The US boys start the second round energetically and pick up where they left off. They have a lot of possession and play happily up front.
46
21:05
Go on! And Wales makes a change: the tall striker Kieffer Moore comes on for Dan James.
46
21:05
Kieffer Moore comes on for Wales
46
21:05
Wales come off the bench with Dan James
46
21:05
Kick-off 2nd half
45
20:54
Mid-term conclusion:
The USA deservedly lead 1-0 at the break against weak attacking Welsh. The British have their problems with the young, enthusiastic American team. Christian Pulišić in particular was hard to stop that night, even from Wales’ experienced defensive line. The offensive player also set up Timothy Weah’s goal in the 36th minute. Wales have barely gotten out of their own half so far and need to take a lot more risks in the second half if they want to take anything from here.
45
20:48
Yellow card for Chris Mepham (Wales)
Mephan can only stop the nimble Pulišić with a jersey pluck.
45
20:47
Official stoppage time (minutes): 4
44
20:46
Can the Welsh cause danger with a corner kick? However, Wilson’s cross at the far post cannot be used by any teammate. It continues with a kick off for the USA.
42
20:45
The playfulness of the young American troupe is beautiful to look at. But Christian Pulišić, who has now almost become a veteran, runs tirelessly at the opponent and tears many gaps in the opponent’s chain.
40
20:41
Yellow card for Gareth Bale (Wales)
Gareth Bale can’t believe it, but he also sees a warning from the referee. There is a lot of ball in his tackle in midfield against Yunus Musah, but also a lot of man.
38
20:41
The North Americans are now well deserved in the front. Wales took a lot of risks with the pressing just before their own 16.
36
20:37
Tooor for USA, 1-0 by Timothy Weah
The US takes the lead! The starting point is a strong solo by the fast Christian Pulišić, who in the end still has an eye for his team-mate and plays a perfect through ball into Timothy Weah’s run. The striker runs away from his opponent and pushes him past the running keeper into the bottom right corner with his toes.
33
20:36
Slight excitement on the lawn. Chris Mepham tackles Christian Pulišić with British toughness and knocks him down with a check. His teammates and the defender do not understand the referee’s whistle and make this clear loudly.
32
20:34
The red-clad “dragons” from Wales let the opponent get very close to their own penalty area. Because they have their chains very close together, the Americans continue to have a hard time with this.
29
20:31
The other full-back for the US boys also plays an offensive role: Sergiño Dest tries a hard long-range shot from 25 meters. But the ball rushes clearly over the box.
28
20:30
Because not that much is happening on the pitch: the two teams have only met twice in their history. And Wales have never won a game. The USA won one and drew once.
26
20:28
The strikingly offensive Antonee Robinson brings the next cross up to the second post. But fellow player Timothy Weah can’t hold his own and Wales can clear once more.
23
20:25
Through Pulisic and Robinson, the Americans somehow manage to play their way into the 16s of the defensively strong Welsh. But Robinson’s cross pass into the backcourt can be safely cleared by the multi-legged back line.
20
20:23
Wales can gain some possession in their own half, but rarely get out of their own half. Gareth Bale is still almost invisible on the pitch.
17
20:19
The first impression was not deceptive – the USA continue to have more of the game here and mostly push the Welshmen deep into their own half.
14
20:17
The subsequent free kick gives the men from the island the first smaller shot chance. Ethan Ampadu takes heart in the backcourt and shoots the ball a few meters over the crossbar from over 30 meters.
13.
20:14
Yellow card for Weston McKennie (USA)
Almost a copy of the foul from two minutes ago: This time McKennie Williams falls rudely on the outline.
11.
20:13
Yellow card for Sergiño Dest (USA)
The AC Milan right-back sent Neco Williams on the touchline and rightly saw his first yellow card.
10
20:13
Double chance for the Americans! First Rodon almost heads a cross from Weah into his own goal, but keeper Hennessey can safely deflect the central ball to the side. Immediately afterwards, Sargent heads the ball to the left outer post after a cross from the left. Lucky for Wales!
7.
20:08
It is already clear that the USA determine the course of the game in the initial phase. Wales are concentrating on their traditionally strong defence.
5.
20:05
The next standard for the Americans: a corner kick from the left again doesn’t lead to a chance to score.
3.
20:04
Christian Pulisic pulls a first foul in the right half field. And the ex-Dortmunder is also allowed to take the free kick that follows, but he fails completely. The Welsh can clear the far too shallow cross at the first post.
1.
20:01
Here we go! The Americans compete in white jerseys, while the Welsh are classic in red.
19:46
Wales coach Robert Page approaches Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies with a back five and plenty of experience. OGC Nice’s Aaron Ramsey is expected to keep things in order in midfield, while Gareth Bale features in attack alongside Fulham duo Harry Wilson and Daniel James.
19:36
In terms of personnel, there are many well-known names in the starting XI in the USA. The former Bundesliga players Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie form the midfield together with the great talent Yunus Musah. Josh Sargent and Christian Pulisic are also two ex-Bundesliga players in attack. A Giovanni Reyna from BVB is even still on the bench.
19:32
The Welsh are led by their star, Gareth Bale. For the 33-year-old, who won the MLS a few weeks ago with his new team Los Angeles FC, this World Cup is likely to be one of the last big highlights. The ex-Real Madrid player manages a team that is very experienced in the Premier League and peppered with a few veterans.
19:24
It’s also a comeback for Wales on the World Cup stage – but unlike the Americans, it’s been 64 years since the last appearance! The anticipation of the Welsh team is accordingly great that they have finally qualified again.
19:23
For this World Cup, the US boys and their coach Gregg Berhalter have made it their goal to get through the group phase first and then continue to perform well in the knockout phase. However, it won’t be easy in a group with England, Iran and today’s opponents from Wales. They have also only managed one win against the Grenada side in their last five internationals. So the signs could be better.
19:16
After the United States surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, coach Gregg Berhalter’s team are making their comeback on the big stage today. And with the youngest squad of the tournament! But that’s no longer a coincidence: for a number of years, more and more American talents have been appearing in European football in particular, making it into the European top flight more and more often. Examples of this can be found in abundance: be it a Sergino Dest, Christian Pulisic or Weston McKennie.
19:07
In the first game of group B in the early afternoon things were already happening. The English defeated Iran confidently 6:2 and thus lived up to their role as favourites. Before this World Cup, most experts were sure that the Brits would probably take first place in the group. But the race behind it could be exciting. Because between the USA and Wales it was difficult to find a favorite team in advance.
19:05
Have a nice good evening and welcome to the evening game of today’s World Cup day! From 8:00 p.m., USA take on Wales at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.