Gareth Bale analyses the USMNT ahead of World Cup opener
The Los Angeles Football Club striker said he is ‘right where I want to be’ ahead of Wales’ first World Cup game in 64 years.
Gareth Bale arrives at the 2022 FIFA World Cup having only played a total of 90 minutes for club and country in the past six months. The 33-year-old confessed that he was dealing with injuries after scoring a goal and winning the 2022 MLS Cup final with Los Angeles Football Club earlier this month.
Bale on facing the USMNT
It seems that the former Real Madrid striker is now fit and ready to make his World Cup debut with Wales against the United States men’s national team on 21 November. Gareth Bale is aware of the difficulty it will be to play against the Americans after spending a couple of months in Major League Soccer and sharing the locker room with some of them.
“Yeah, I’m right where I want to be, I’m here, before the first game and ready to go,” said Bale at Sunday’s press conference. “We’ve all been training hard here the last week and adapting to the heat, the time zones and, we have no excuses now. We put all the hard work in and, [come] game time tomorrow that’s where we hopefully can step up and deliver what’s needed to be delivered.”
“I have now some experience of playing against and with some of the US team. They’re a good young squad, who have some fantastic players,” added Bale. " They’re a good team. There are no illusions ...They’re here to win the game just as we are. We know it’s going to be a difficult match tomorrow and I’m sure they know the same thing too.”
This will be the first game for Wales at a World Cup in 64 years and they hope to walk out with the three points against a young United States team. The bad news is that midfielder Joe Allen will miss the opener due to a hamstring injury which has seen the central player sidelined since September.