The heavies in Group D were established early Sunday morning with Australia upsetting Turkiye 2-0 in Vancouver.
The Socceroos, whose goals were scored by Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, joined the U.S. atop the group with three points each. The two will play each other at 3 p.m. Friday in Seattle. Australia faced 30 shots by Turkiye.
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In Saturday’s other action, Qatar scored late to earn a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in a match marred by a technological glitch with the Video Assistant Referee system. Depending upon the angle, Switzerland may have had a player offsides during the sequence that resulted in a penalty kick. A replay that would have included lines drawn on the field wasn’t shown during the game because of what FIFA described as a glitch. In images showed after the game, it appears a Swiss player is offsides in one image.
Brazil and Morocco played to a 1-1 draw in New Jersey. Morocco, whose goal was scored by Ismael Saibari, showed that its run to the semifinals in 2022 wasn’t a fluke. Brazil, whose goal was scored by Vinicius Jr., showed that it remains a contender.
Scotland survived a determined Haiti to win 1-0 on an own-goal in Foxborough, Mass. Haiti attacked and attacked but couldn’t find the tying goal.
Scotland sits atop Group C with three points. Brazil and Morocco have one each, and Morocco none.
Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland and Qatar have one point each in Group B.
Today’s action
1 p.m.: Germany vs. Curacao, Group E, Houston, FOX, Telemundo
4 p.m.: Netherlands vs. Japan, Group Group F, Arlington, Texas, FOX, Telemundo
7 p.m.: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, Group E, Philadelphia, FS1, Telemundo
10 p.m.: Sweden vs. Tunisia, Group F, Guadalupe, Mex., FS1, Telemundo
The matchups
Germany
Manager: Julian Nagelsmann
Best World Cup finish: Champion (1954, 74, 90, 2014)
Previous World Cup appearances: 20
Nickname: The Team (Die Mannschaft)
Colors: Black and white
Roster
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart), and Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich).
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), and Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United).
Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), and Florian Wirtz (Liverpool).
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), and Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United).
3 players to watch
Joshua Kimmich: 109 appearances, 10 goals, 28 assists for national team; 609 appearances, 59 goals, 147 assists for club teams.
Jamal Musiala: 41 appearances, nine goals, eight assists for national team; 264 appearances, 77 goals, 48 assists for club teams.
Nick Woltemade: 11 appearances, four goals, one assist for national team; 229 appearances, 86 goals, 36 assists.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: It has 1,500 different types of beer, 300 types of bread and 1,000 types of sausage. What more could anyone want?
Doug’s take: Germany has goals, goals, goals. Can it consistently defend?
Tahith Chong: Five appearances, three goals, one assist for national team; 271 appearances, 43 goals, 38 assists for club teams.
Sontje Hansen: Five appearances, one goal for national team; 253 appearances, 51 goals, 41 assists for club teams.
Armando Obispo: Five appearances for national team; 2236 appearances, nine goals, five assists for club teams.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: Pastel-colored buildings in Willemstad were painted in the 1800s because the previous white building gave the governor migraines. Problem solved!
Doug’s take: It would be awesome to see this team advance out of the group stage but it would also be unlikely.
Ivory Coast
Manager: Emerese Fae
Best World Cup finish: Group stage
Previous World Cup appearances: Three
Nickname: The Elephants (Les Elephants)
Colors: Orange and green
Roster
Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana (Rizespor), Mohamed Kone (Charleroi), and Alban Lafont (Panathinaikos).
Defenders: Pervis Estupinan (AC Milan), Piero Hincapie (Arsenal), Joel Ordonez (Club Brugge), Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain), Jackson Porozo (Tijuana), Angelo Preciado (Atletico Mineiro) and Felix Torres (Internacional).
Midfielders: Jordy Alcivar (Independiente), Moises Caicedo (Chelsea), Denil Castillo (FC Midtjylland), Alan Franco (Atletico Mineiro), Yaimar Medina (Genk), Kendry Paez (River Plate), and Pedro Vite (Pumas).
Forwards: Nilson Angulo (Sunderland), Jeremy Arevalo (Stuttgart), Jordy Caicedo (Atlas), Alan Minda (Atletico Mineiro), Gonzalo Plata (Flamengo), Kevin Rodriguez (Union Saint-Gilloise), Anthony Valencia (Royal Antwerp), Enner Valencia (Pachuca), and John Yeboah (Venezia).
3 players to watch
Moises Caicedo: 60 appearances, three goals for national team; 254 appearances, 19 goals, 17 assists for club teams.
Willian Pacho: 34 appearances, two goals for national team; 242 appearances, two goals, six assists for club teams.
Gonzalo Plata: 49 appearances, eight goals for national team; 251 appearances, 33 goals, 39 assists for club teams.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: It was the first country to constitutionally grant ecosystems the right to exist, persist, and regenerate.
Doug’s take: The game against Ivory Coast is going to be key for this team’s chances to advance.
Netherlands
Manager: Ronald Koeman
Best World Cup finish: Second (1974, 78, 2010)
Previous World Cup appearances: 11
Nickname: Oranje
Colors: Orange
Roster
Goalkeepers: Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Roefs (Sunderland), and Bart Verbruggen (Brighton).
Defenders: Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), and Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Quinten Timber (Marseille), Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven), and Mats Wieffer (Brighton).
Forwards: Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Noa Lang (Galatasaray), Donyell Malen (Roma), Crysencio Summerville (West Ham), and Wout Weghorst (Ajax).
3 players to watch
Ryan Gravenberch: 26 appearances, one goal, two assists for national team; 359 appearances, 46 goals, 45 assists for club teams.
Frenkie de Jong: 65 appearances, two goals, nine assists for national team; 464 appearances, 40 goals, 57 assists for club teams.
Donyell Malen: 52 appearances, 13 goals, nine assists for national team; 400 appearances, 154 goals, 59 assists for club teams.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: It has 23 million bicycles and 18 million people. Atlanta needs more cyclists.
Doug’s take: It’s the kind of the story every World Cup for Netherlands: More talented than the average teams but not good enough to beat the best teams. It’s true again.
Japan
Manager: Hajime Moriyasu
Best World Cup finish: Round of 16 (2002, ‘10, ‘18, ‘22)
Previous World Cup appearances: Seven
Nickname: Samurai Blue
Colors: Blue and white
Roster
Goalkeepers: Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), and Zion Suzuki (Parma).
Defenders: Ko Itakura (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Yuta Nagatomo (Tokyo), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), and Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord).
Midfielders: Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen), Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), and Ao Tanaka (Leeds United).
Forwards: Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Koki Ogawa (Nijmegen), Kento Shiogai (Wolfsburg), and Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord).
3 players to watch
Hiroki Ito: 24 appearances, one goal, two assists for national team; 200 appearances, eight goals, nine assists for club teams.
Takefusa Kubo: 49 appearances, seven goals for national team; 338 appearances, 45 goals, 41 assists for club teams.
Kaishu Sano: 13 appearances, two assists for national team: 261 appearances, 11 goals, 11 assists.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: Napping is acceptable and encouraged. I love a good nap.
Doug’s take: Japan should finish second in its group if it can find some goals.
Sweden
Manager: Graham Potter
Best World Cup finish: Second (1958)
Previous World Cup appearances: 12
Nickname: The Blue and Yellow (Blågult)
Colors: Blue and yellow
Roster
Goalkeepers: Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK Fotboll), and Jacob Widell Zetterstrom (Derby County).
Defenders: Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Herman Johansson (FC Dallas), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Victor Lindelof (Aston Villa), Eric Smith (St. Pauli), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), Elliot Stroud (Mjallby AIF), and Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Taha Ali (Malmo), Yasin Ayari (Brighton & Hove Albion), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham Hotspur), Jesper Kalstrom (Udinese), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic), Ken Sema (Pafos), Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg), and Besfort Zeneli (Union Saint-Gilloise).
Forwards: Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle United), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), and Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge).
3 players to watch
Yasin Ayari: 20 appearances, three goals, two assists for national team; 153 appearances, 15 goals, eight assists for club teams.
Anthony Elanga: 29 appearances, six goals for national team; 255 appearances, 44 goals, 41 assists for club teams.
Alexander Isak: 57 appearances, 17 goals, seven assists for national team; 346 appearances, 148 goals, 31 assists for club teams.
MLS ties
Herman Johansson: 14 appearances, two assists for Dallas.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: It is one of the world’s most effective recyclers. Go green, people!
Doug’s take: An under-the-radar team who must beat Tunisia to have a chance to get out of the group.
Tunisia
Manager: Sabri Lamouchi
Best World Cup finish: Group stage
Previous World Cup appearances: Six
Nickname: Eagles of Carthage
Colors: White and red
Roster
Goalkeepers: Abdelmouhib Chamakh (Club Africain), Aymen Dahmen (Sfaxien), and Sabri Ben Hassan (Étoile du Sahel).
Defenders: Ali Abdi (Nice), Adem Arous (Kasımpaşa), Dylan Bronn (Servette), Raed Chikhaoui (Monastir), Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida (Espérance), Moutaz Neffati (Norrköping), Omar Rekik (Maribor), Montassar Talbi (Lorient), and Yan Valery (Young Boys).
Midfielders: Ismaël Gharbi (Augsburg), Rani Khedira (Union Berlin), Mohamed Hadj-Mahmoud (Lugano), Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley), Mortadha Ben Ouanes (Kasımpaşa), Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich City), and Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt).
Forwards: Elias Achouri (Copenhagen), Khalil Ayari (Paris Saint-Germain), Firas Chaouat (Club Africain), Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver), Hazem Mastouri (Dynamo Makhachkala), Elias Saad (Hannover 96), and Sebastian Tounekti (Celtic).
3 players to watch
Hannibal Mejbri: 45 appearances, one goal, five assists for national team; 187 appearances, 11 goals, 35 assists for club teams.
Ellyes Skhiri: 82 appearances, four goals, one assist for national team; 428 appearances, 39 goals, 20 assists for club teams.
Sebastian Tounekti: 11 appearances, one goal for national team; 183 appearances, 22 goals, 14 assists for club teams.
MLS ties
Rayan Elloumi: 26 appearances, two goals, two assists for Vancouver.
Cool fact that should make you root for this country: Parts of the movie Star Wars were filmed there. I’m using the force to write this.
Doug’s take: Stuck in a very tough group with little hope to advance.
