AUSTIN, Texas: Coach Felix Sanchez said Qatar is ready for a difficult encounter with hosts the United States in the semifinal of the Gold Cup.

The semifinal will take place on Thursday as Qatar will aim to reach the title clash in their maiden appearance in their Concacaf debut.

“It will be a difficult match because we will be playing against our rivals on their home soil,” Sanchez said on Wednesday.

“We played a challenging quarterfinal against El Salvador and battled through with a fighting performance,” the Spaniard added.

“The players are confident and are feeling better physically. We are confident in the abilities of our players. They are a committed bunch.
We are looking forward to the match,” Sanchez said.

“The team is ready for this match in which we seek to fight all the way. After our last game, I spoke that we braved the tremendous pressure of championship matches here in the US, and this clash is another challenge for us.

“We look forward to reaching the final, and this remains our collective goal at every event we take part in.,” Sanchez said.

When asked about the team’s readiness for the 2022 World Cup after participating in this tournament, Sanchez said on Wednesday: “We feel great in every tournament we take part in. We are preparing the team for the 2022 World Cup by developing a plan to prepare ourselves against diverse and solid opponents. As I said earlier, this tournament is for us to gain experience, and we must be fully focused. And even though we always try to look solid as a team, we also try to correct the mistakes we make after every game.”

He added: “Being competitive in this tournament was one of our goals and the players showed a strong character; we will try to replicate our performances from our last three matches.”

Sanchez heaped praises on the US team: “We have analyzed and studied the way our opponent plays. I believe they play with great comfort and are confident of their level, and they will play to win to reach the final. Our opponents are a strong team that wants to win the title.”

“From the tactical point of view, they have different shape structures, so they adapt to everything. They try to find, always, solutions against anything that they are playing, to find the spaces to have the chance; the possibility to attack and to punish the opposition,” said Sanchez.

He added: “I believe the match will be tight and everyone will enjoy it, and based on our past performances in this tournament, we have proven our ability to compete against any team by adapting to the style of the CONCACAF teams. We are the team that has played the toughest matches.”

With nine goals scored in the group stage and three more in the quarterfinals, Qatar is the team with the most goals in the Concacaf Gold Cup as it enters its semifinal matchup with the United States.

The champions of Asia scored ten goals in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and 19 total in their championship campaign. Qatar is banking on the same strategy in its quest to take the trophy as guests of the 2021 edition of the Gold Cup.

Qatar has scored 12 total goals to date, evenly split between halves. Two goals have come from the penalty spot, both in the second half.

Qatar’s young goalkeeper Meshaal Barshim said that the match against the United States would be an excellent opportunity for the maroons to showcase their abilities against the hosts.

The two teams will clash in the semifinal of the Gold Cup with Qatar on a three-match winning streak.

“US is considered one of the best teams in the tournament and CONCACAF region along with Mexico. Everyone knows their capabilities well. We came here to compete and give a good account of ourselves as a team. It happens great to see the fans in the stands, and this gives the tournament a special flavour in light of the circumstances the world is going through due to the COVID situation,” Barshim said on Wednesday.

“Our goal is to win and qualify for the final, we will give a 100% effort  to reach the final. We will do our best, I can promise this” Barshim assured.