Having taken an early lead at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Monday, USA fans were sent into delirium following Timothy Weah's goal, only for Gareth Bale's late equaliser for Wales to break their hearts with minutes to go.
Tasked with picking themselves up and going again, Greg Berhalter's side now face England in their second World Cup fixture on Friday evening, hoping to cause a shock against the current Group B leaders. The Three Lions made an emphatic start to the competition, beating Iran 6-2.
With attention now turning to the clash at the Al Bayt Stadium later this week, the USA know they cannot afford another slip-up, with group-stage football presenting very little margin for error. Hypothetically speaking however, if the US were to defeat England, what would their run through the knockouts potentially look like?
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Two wins from their next two would be ideal for the US, giving them the best chance at progressing from Group B as winners. A likely 7 points would more than likely be enough and topping Group B would more than likely to set up a last-16 showdown with either Senegal or Ecuador.
Suffering defeat against England would halt any progress, but a win against Iran next week could reignite hopes, dependent on how Wales fare against Carlos Queiroz's side. A second-place finish in the group could see the US face the Netherlands who looked in fine form against Senegal on Monday afternoon.
The quarter-finals for the Group B winners would set up an unfavoured clash with reigning world champions France, providing they overcame the winner of their last-16 match-up against one of Argentina, Mexico, Poland or Saudi Arabia. Finishing runner-up would mean a showdown with either Argentina or potentially Denmark.
If the run continues, Group B winners the US could face Belgium or Portugal in the semi-final, whilst a runner-up spot could likely bring ties with either Spain/Germany or tournament favorites Brazil in the final hypothetically speaking.
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