4 USMNT players on yellow cards at risk of missing World Cup round of 32

Bullet point summary by AI

• The U.S. men’s national team secured a spot in the World Cup knockout rounds with a dominant 2-0 win over Australia.
• Four key starters now risk suspension if they receive another yellow card in the final group match against Turkey.
• Coach Mauricio Pochettino faces a tough decision on whether to protect his yellow-card players or prioritize a potential group-winning result against Turkiye.

Things are going quite swimmingly for the U.S. men’s national team at the World Cup, with the vibes surrounding the team being immaculate. Mauricio Pochettino’s side secured a place in the knockout rounds with a 2-0 win over Australia on Friday afternoon, positioning themselves to win Group D if Paraguay wins or draws against Turkiye in the other match later in the evening.

Finding a way to dominate play without star Christian Pulisic, who sat out as a precaution after suffering a calf injury in a 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12, was very encouraging. The one downside of this win over the Socceroos was the fact that three key players picked up yellow cards for the Americans.

Star striker Folarin Balogun, who scored twice in the World Cup opener, earned one in a scrum in the 89th minute after some Australian players were venting their frustrations about the result of the match. Balogun was the third U.S. player to earn a yellow card in the match after Antonee “Jedi” Robinson drew one in the 56th minute and Chris Richards picked up one on a challenge earlier in the contest.

Robinson was substituted out of the match after he picked up the yellow by Pochettino, which was a safe play to avoid having Robinson baited into a second yellow, which would have resulted in the U.S. playing with 10 men for the remainder of the match. The USMNT entered the day with Tyler Adams playing on a yellow after earning one in the Paraguay match, but he managed to play the full match without getting booked.

How the new yellow card rules could impact the USA in final Group D game

Given the extra match in the knockout stages as a result of the expansion to 48 teams, FIFA changed the yellow card accumulation rule. In the 32-team edition of the tournament, yellow cards were wiped out after group play and prior to the semifinals, meaning players needed to get through two knockout matches without worrying about carrying an extra yellow to the semis.

The 48-team tournament has added a third knockout game to navigate prior to the semifinals, meaning players will have two separate opportunities to wipe their ledger clean. It is important to note that if a player does earn a second yellow prior to those clean slates, they will still need to serve a suspension in the following match.

So in essence, four U.S. starters in key positions could find themselves out of a round of 32 matchup if they pick up another yellow in the Group D finale against Turkiye on Thursday. Even though the squad is deeper than ever before under Pochettino, he may opt to play things safe if the USMNT’s position is settled ahead of time.

If Paraguay wins or draws against Turkiye, the U.S. will clinch Group D and essentially be playing a dead rubber with Turkiye, which only has a stake in the match if they draw with Paraguay. If that is the case, Pochettino could opt to play things safe and either sit some of his stars on yellows or sub them out early to guard against the possibility of a mandatory suspension.

Things get more complicated if the U.S. needs a result against Turkiye to ensure a Group D win. In that case, Pochettino would likely roll with his usual starters and trust his men to play smartly with the knowledge that an unnecessary challenge could lead to dire consequences for the knockout stages.

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