Know Your Enemy - Midfielders
What the formula says about the likely starting midfielders the US will face in the World Cup group stage
England
Mason Mount
Age (in November) - 23
Club Career - one season in Dutch top tier, one season in the English second tier, and just started his fourth season in the English Premier League; 24 goals & 20 assists in 105 Premier League caps
International Career - 1 goal & 2 assists in 8 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his fourth season with Chelsea in the Premier League; 32 caps, 11 goals, 10 assists last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - .739
HOT - .659
Declan Rice
Age (in November) - 23
Club Career - just started his seventh season in the English Premier League; 6 goals & 8 assists in 167 Premier League caps
International Career - 1 goal & 0 assists in 5 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his seventh season with West Ham United in the Premier League; 36 caps, 11 goal, 4 assists last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - .668
HOT - .675
Kalvin Phillips
Age (in November) - 26
Club Career - six seasons in the English second tier, and just started his third season in the English Premier League; 1 goals & 3 assists in 49 Premier League caps
International Career - 0 goals & 0 assists in 7 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his first season with Manchester City in the Premier League; 20 caps, 0 goals, 1 assist last season for Leeds United
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - .569
HOT - .455
Wales
Ethan Ampadu
Age (in November) - 22
Club Career - one season in the English fourth tier, one season in the German Bundesliga, one season in Italian Serie A, and just started his fourth season in the English Premier League; 0 goals & 0 assists in 26 Premier League caps; 0 goals & 0 assists in 3 Bundesliga caps, 0 goals & 3 assists in 29 Serie A caps
International Career - 0 goals & 0 assists in 8 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his third season with Chelsea in the Premier League; 29 caps, 0 goals, 3 assists with Venezia in Serie A last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - .447
HOT - .361
Joe Allen
Age (in November) - 32
Club Career - two seasons in the English third tier, seven seasons in the English Premier League, and just started his eighth season in the English second tier; 16 goals & 11 assists in 199 Premier League caps
International Career - 0 goals & 0 assists in 9 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his first season with Swansea City in the English Championship; 41 caps, 0 goals, 1 assist with Stoke City in the Championship last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - .395
HOT - .434
Iran
Ali Gholizadeh
Age (in November) - 26
Club Career - five seasons in the Iranian top tier, and just started his fifth season in the Belgian top tier; 6 goals & 6 assist in 48 Belgian First Division caps
International Career - 3 goals & 1 assist in 14 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his fifth season with Charleroi in the Belgian First Division; 30 caps, 7 goals, 3 assists last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - .350
HOT - .324
Vahid Amiri
Age (in November) - 34
Club Career - four seasons in the Iranian second tier, one season in the Iranian third tier, one season in the Turkish top tier, and just started his sixth season in the Iranian top tier
International Career - member of the 2018 Iranian World Cup squad; started all three group stage matches; 3 caps, 265 minutes, 0 goals, 0 assists; Iran finished third in their group, beating Morocco, losing to Spain, and drawing Portugal
Recent Form - just started his sixth season with Persepolis in the Persian Pro League; 24 caps, 1 goal, 2 assists last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - n/a (538 doesn’t rank teams in the Persian Pro League)
HOT - n/a
Ahmad Nourollahi
Age (in November) - 29
Club Career - three seasons in the Iranian second tier, seven seasons in the Iranian top tier, and just started his second season in the Emirati top tier
International Career - 3 goals & 1 assist in 16 World Cup qualification caps this cycle
Recent Form - just started his second season with Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE Pro League; 23 caps, 3 goals, 0 assists last season
Formula Scores (through the end of the 21-22 season)
RAW - n/a (538 doesn’t rank teams in the UAE Pro League)
HOT - n/a