McKennie, Dest match for World Cup opener vs. Wales

AL-RAYYAN, Qatar — United States males’s nationwide staff duo Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest pronounced themselves able to go for Monday’s World Cup opener towards Wales.

McKennie had been nursing a quad harm over the previous couple of weeks, however with membership facet Juventus and the U.S. working collectively to watch the midfielder’s progress, he has been steadily increase his health.

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“The week has gone good,” McKennie mentioned. “Clearly in my private place or how I am doing or how I’m when it comes to restoration, I got here in good, I got here in at a tempo that was managed.

“Juventus and the nationwide staff, they have been each working collectively to guarantee that I am 100% match right here. So I got here in, did a pair days of simply sustaining and hold it beneath management. We performed the pleasant the opposite day, and I felt good. I felt able to go, and that is the place I am at.”

Equally, Dest was affected by some muscle fatigue, and had even as soon as skilled indoors other than his U.S. teammates since arriving in Qatar.

“I am feeling good,” he mentioned. “In fact, after the final recreation, I had a bit little bit of fatigue. Proper now, it is going nicely. I am able to play.”

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Particulars have emerged from Thursday’s scrimmage towards Al-Gharafa SC — although publicly the U.S. are nonetheless saying it was a “coaching train” — with the Qatari membership divulging that the U.S. prevailed 6-0.

“It was an excellent scrimmage. We received quite a bit out of it, defensively, offensively,” mentioned defender Aaron Lengthy. “The ending was nice. Clearly, we had a few targets in there to get the fellows assured in entrance of the web.”

Now the main focus is firmly on Wales, and the way the U.S. will attempt to break down what is going to possible be a five-man backline in a bid to get off to a quick begin within the event.

“As a staff, as a bunch, we all the time need to simply focus recreation by recreation,” mentioned McKennie. “So in fact with Wales being the primary one, there isn’t any method that we will look previous them or something as a result of we all know they seem to be a sturdy staff.

“We all know that it is going to be a tough recreation. However we undoubtedly need to win the primary recreation, to come back out with three factors. [It’s been] simply three, 4 years of simply working as much as this second, I feel all the fellows are able to go, and the workers is able to go and put a recreation plan collectively. So hopeful we execute that.”