USMNT's knockout route opens wide ahead of semi-final push

Your team's path to the World Cup semi-finals is wide open. The USMNT's group-stage dominance has set up a hugely favorable knockout route, with the bracket clearing in a way that removes several pre-tournament heavyweights from your side of the draw (1). Beat the group and the road to the last four avoids some of the biggest names in the competition. That early cohesion, Balogun's goals, Freeman's energy, Pulisic pulling the strings, suddenly looks like it could carry further than anyone expected. The knockout bracket is the kind of draw a host nation dreams about.