Alwatan Overview

On a 250th Fourth of July, Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT have become America's team, turning a World Cup run into a celebration of American soccer.

The real World Cup is finally under way! After a group phase almost completely devoid of jeopardy because of the tournament's farcical format, the first batch of knockout games treated us to some long overdue drama, with Germany and Netherlands among the big names to fall in the round of 32. A couple more heavyweights could have been kayoed too, though.

Where will the World Cup co-hosts be playing and who might they face if they go all the way to the Final

The striker will miss the upcoming clash with Belgium, but that doesn't mean he will let his emotions get in the way of what his team is building