American players are wary of Vietnam
* USA - Vietnam: 8am Saturday 22/7, on MetaSports.
The United States ranks number one in the world and is the most successful in World Cup history with four crowns, including the last two in 2015 and 2019. They are eager to successfully defend their title at this year's tournament, to become the first team in football history, in both men's and women's playgrounds, to win three consecutive World Cups.
On the contrary, Vietnam has just entered the World Cup final for the first time and is 31 levels behind the US in FIFA. Therefore, according to calculations on Google's data, the US's probability of winning is up to 98.3%. However, defender Crystal Dunn is still cautious. She affirmed, the US needs to focus on the Vietnam match, instead of thinking about the second match against the defending runner-up Netherlands.
Dunn added on Reuters on July 20: "We have documents about Vietnam. But we have never played against them. Surely Vietnam will enter the game with the highest determination, trying to play their best game. Me and my teammates know for sure that will happen."
Sharing the same view as his teammates, striker Lynn Williams said: "Vietnam is a bit of a mystery. They will probably play with a slightly different style from their American opponents. The problem here is our ability to adapt quickly. What helps us become the strong team we are today is the planning of the game, and adapting quickly when entering the competition."
Dunn was born in 1992, can play as a winger and full-back. The former Chelsea player is experienced when she has worn the US national team shirt since 2013, with the team that won the World Cup in 2019. She is likely to start as a left-back when playing in Vietnam.
And Williams was born in 1993, currently on the payroll of the NJ/NY Gotham FC club. She has played for the US team since 2015 and has scored 15 goals and created 11 goals in 53 games.
According to the analysis of the American CBS station, Vietnam has two good attacks: Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha and Huynh Nhu. They think that this duo will be the "first reagent" for the defense that is absent Becky Sauerbrunn - a veteran midfielder born in 1985 and has won the World Cup twice - due to injury. They also predicted that Vietnam would retreat deep into the formation, concentrating all of its troops on defense, and limiting American offensive firepower.
At the 2019 World Cup, the US also played the opening match with a representative of Southeast Asia, Thailand. That match, they won 13-0.
