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Former USA goalkeeper Brad Friedel has claimed that Wales will provide a tough challenge for his nation in Group B of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
USMNT have been clubbed alongside Wales, England, and Iran in Group B at the FIFA World Cup. Friedel surprisingly picked the Dragons over the Three Lions as a bigger challenge for the USA in the group stage.
He said (via Daily Mail):
"I think it's a scary group. And the game that scares me the most is the first one, against Wales. The United States, historically, has not done well when they are not the underdog. When we are underdogs, we take it on."
Friedel heaped praise on his former Tottenham Hotspur teammate and Wales captain Gareth Bale:
"A lot of people think the US should beat Wales but this Welsh team is good. They have some excellent players and I've seen up close how special their star man, Gareth Bale, is. I played with him at Tottenham and even though he is a little bit older and not the Gareth Bale of eight years ago, when he is at it and he wants things, he is just so good."
He added:
"Watching him in the MLS Cup final showed me how the fire still burns inside. He came off the bench and scored with a towering header over a defender that is six-feet and six inches tall, leading his LAFC team to an historic win. Forget the USA, no team has defenders that can stop Gareth when he wants to do that."
Friedel claimed that USMNT need to do well against Wales and Iran, especially in their first game against the former.
He believes that if they lose against the Dragons, it will be tough to reach the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup:
"If we lose that first game, it becomes a real hard group. The Iranian team is very well structured, technically good and no pushover. And yet it's a game that on paper, people think the United States should win."
He added:
"We could lose to England, but that doesn't scare me. Getting up for that game is simple. Can this US team motivate itself to do really well against Wales and Iran?"
USMNT's group stage fixtures at 2022 FIFA World Cup
The USA qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as they came second in the CONCACAF group behind Mexico.
They will first face Wales in their opening match in Group B on November 21. They will then face England on November 25.
Their final group-stage game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be against Iran on November 29.
