Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has slammed the USA's 'arrogance' ahead of facing England in a vital World Cup showdown on Friday evening.
Gregg Berhalter's side kicked-off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Wales at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium after a Gareth Bale minute penalty cancelled out Tim Weah's first-half strike. After dominating the opening period, the Stars and Stripes will have been left disappointed with such a lacklustre second-half showing.
Victory would have significantly boosted the USA's chances of progressing from Group B and opened up a notable three-point cushion between themselves and Wales. It now appears likely that qualification could be decided in the final round of fixtures.
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The Three Lions enjoyed a thumping 6-2 win over Iran in their first outing of the tournament and Marsch, who was part of Bob Bradley's coaching staff at the 2010 World Cup, believes his nation's confident mentality could backfire. “We’re foolishly optimistic in the US," he claimed.
"We always think we can be the best, and we expect to be the best - even in this sport, where we are clearly not.
“That’s our arrogance, that’s what we are. We will expect to get out of the group and we will expect to win a game or two, even though those expectations are far too high with where we’re at.
“Everyone in the US, anytime we play England, everyone gets really excited. I’ll be cheering for the US and I know it will take their absolute best performance to have a chance.
“But one of the things that’s uniquely American is that sense of fearlessness. We thrive and enjoy the moments when things are their hardest and when everyone expects us to lose.”
Marsch also offered a comparison between the England teams of 2010 and 2022, claiming that Gareth Southgate's outfit present a sterner challenge than the side Marsch and Bradley faced in South Africa. 12 years ago.
The 49-year-old explained: “I think just the combination of the expectation and the fact the team wasn’t in great form led to England not performing at that World Cup.
“A lot of their players now are performing at a high level so the task for the US is actually bigger this time than it was in 2010.”
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