The USMNT have a tough opponent in the Oranje, leaning on the efforts of their rising star, Cody Gakpo, who has scored in all 3 group matches. While he is a dominant winger, he is not afraid to spread the field, which will require the attention and defensive prowess of both Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. A potential flaw of the Dutch has been their reserved attack, with only 8 total shots on target. They do manage to make the most of their opportunities, so USA must stay vigilant. The looming issue from USA is their stamina, as they seem to take their foot off the gas in the last half of their matches, allowing their opponents to dictate the pace of the match and set up many shots. They also need Pulisic healthy, which he himself has expressed confidence in, but the potential of this match going into extra time puts him in more risk of reaggravating the injury. 

Both teams have only conceded 1 goal through 3 matches, so there is potential for a slow, low-scoring game. By my projections, this match will be highly contested in possession, with Netherlands getting the bare majority. USA will start on the offensive, with a couple of miscues and shots off target leading up to a goal right before halftime, assisted by Pulisic. However, Netherlands will return to the field resilient, and Gakpo will score not long into the second half. Then ensues a long, tense back-and-forth before the end of regulation. Ultimately, I predict Netherlands getting the best of the young USA team, either in extra time or penalties. 

Projection: Netherlands win 2-1 (ET)
Reality: Netherlands win 3-1 (FT)

Australia has been one of the many revelations of this World Cup, but they face a hungry tournament favorite in Argentina. A statistic that will likely be reflected in this match is Argentina's 43 shots taken and Australia's 50 shots allowed. This means that Argentina will get a lot of good opportunities, and they'll hope to capitalize on their high percentage of shots on target. However, it should be specified that nearly half of Australia's 50 shots allowed were from the 4-1 loss to France, and they have since developed a more defensive approach. Much of this should be credited to Matthew Ryan, the goalkeeper with 9 saves. Of course, it's a different story saving a ball shot by Messi and Álvarez, the duo responsible for nearly half of Argentina's shots taken.

Performances have been trending upward on both sides. On one hand, Argentina could only score off a penalty in their historic loss to Saudi Arabia, then responded with a pair of 2-0 victories to win their group. On the other hand, Australia allowed 4 goals from France, then proceeded to shut out the rest of their group. My projections have Argentina controlling a great majority of the match, but conceding an early goal from one of Australia's few shots at goal. However, it won't take long for Argentina to get not one but two goals before the end of regulation to advance to the quarterfinals.

Projection: Argentina wins 2-1 (FT)
Reality: Argentina wins 2-1 (FT)

The golden boot contender, Kylian Mbappe, leads the reigning world champions into a European matchup against a familiar foe in Robert Lewandowski. They have faced off in numerous club matches, and rumors report Mbappe once tried convincing Lewandowski to come to PSG before he ended up in Barcelona. However, this will be their first faceoff in international competition. The hope is that these world-renowned scorers will lead a shootout, but Lewandowski has admitted to having to play more on the defensive against the relentless Argentinian attack. With that mentality, there's no reason to believe he'd have to play any less defensive against France's strikers. Their attack is so unmatched, that they were the only team in their group who could score against Australia, and they did so 4 times.

Poland's defensive strategy is promising in that they've only conceded 2 goals, but consequentially, they've only scored 2 as well. They may have to let Lewandowski loose in order to keep up with France, who have taken nearly triple the amount of shots (and shots on target) than their opponents. By my projections, France's midfielders will lead an effort to keep the ball out of the penalty box, allowing only 2 shots on target the whole match. Poland's defense will also be dominant, but they'll concede 1 late goal and won't have enough juice left in order to respond. Besides, a France-England quarterfinals feels destined after having not faced each other in 5 years (the longest drought since 1984-1992). 

Projection: France wins 1-0 (FT)
Reality: France wins 3-1 (FT)

The odds are not in Senegal's favor as they face off against England, who I believe had the best group performance in the entire tournament. England's unexpected X-factor has been the golden boot contender, Marcus Rashford, who finally made his way into the starting lineup against Wales, scoring 2 goals in the 3-0 win. Harry Kane has also been a key contributor with 3 assists, which is the most from any player in the World Cup so far. I believe they're just now heating up, and Senegal still doesn't have an answer to fill the absence of Sadio Mané. England hasn't been committing a lot of penalties, and are one of the only teams yet to have received a yellow card. If Senegal can be the aggressive team that finally brings out some carelessness and temper from England, that could give them an edge.

Both teams have not allowed a goal in the first half, so Senegal needs to be sure to set the tone early in the second half so the momentum doesn't swing in England's favor late. By my projections, we'll see a 2-0 win in regulation for England, with every goal occurring in the second half. However, both teams will be looking to reverse the curse, so expect a fast-paced start to the match as they both try to get on the board early. I'll even go as far to say that Senegal could contend for possession majority early, but in the later half, England will win back control as they have done successfully in every group match. 

Projection: England wins 2-0 (FT)
Reality: England wins 3-0 (FT)

Japan's group win and advancement to the knockout stage hasn't been without controversy, such as the seemingly out-of-bounds ball that turned into a goal. However, they played hard for every minute, and will certainly give an efficient Croatia team a very hard time. Japan has been one of the more physical, penalty-prone teams of the World Cup, which has worked in their favor more often than not. Croatia has one of the highest rates of shots-on-target, and their defense has prevented opponent shot attempts extremely well, but Japan has the ability to combat it. This match has the potential to be the most highly contested of the Round of 16.

Croatia is expected to have majority of possession, but Japan is comfortable playing off of the ball, and making the most of their opportunities when they come. By my projections, Japan will score early and attempt to play their lead the rest of the way. However, Croatia will manage to get the ball into the net eventually, pushing the match into extra time. At this point, I expect performances on both sides to decline drastically, and the winner will be decided in the penalty shootout. I'll default to Japan winning this off of the basis that their goalkeeper, Shūichi Gonda, is top 3 in saves (12). 

Projection: Japan wins 1-1 (P)
Reality: Croatia wins 1-1 (P)

South Korea is another team that surprised many by narrowly advancing to the Round of 16, with a mere goal differential of 0. They will face Brazil, widely considered the team with the best odds to win it all. Brazil rested a lot of their players in their loss to Cameroon, but otherwise beat the rest of their group with an aggregate score of 3-0. Their scoring hasn't been proficient, but they're known to have the most consistent defense in the world. This could end up being a very lopsided match, but there is a precedent of teams failing to advance very far into the bracket after resting their players. Also, there is the more pressing matter of potentially not having Neymar after he missed the final 2 matches of group stage with an ankle injury. Even if he suits up, will he be 100%?

Unlike a lot of the other top contenders, Brazil hasn't had a very large share of possession, but they are expected to have the edge over South Korea. By my projections, Brazil will get plenty of shots off, but many will be narrow misses that will feed into their collective mentality. Ultimately, it will come down to the substitution battle, where South Korea doesn't have the proven depth to match Brazil's. In this case, Brazil will win 1-0, with the lone goal coming in the second half, before the end of regulation. South Korea may be able to match Brazil's volume in shots, but Brazil's starting goalkeeper, Allisson, has had a clean sheet through this tournament, and I don't suspect that streak to end here.

Projection: Brazil wins 1-0 (FT)
Reality: Brazil wins 4-1 (FT)

Morocco has been my favorite team to watch in this World Cup. They have a talented attack and their defense has been a nuisance to even the most experienced strikers. They don't stand out in possession or pass accuracy, areas where Spain excel, but they play all 90 minutes with a lot of energy. Regardless, Spain is a force that can't be taken lightly, if that hasn't already been proven by their 7-0 win over Costa Rica. They're rigid, synergetic, and won't give a team many opportunities carelessly. It will be a lot harder to beat them when facing elimination, especially when they've already been humbled by an upset loss to Japan. Morocco is going to have to be aggressive, win the mental battle, and pray. If they pull it off, it will be the first time Morocco has ever won a match in the knockout stage, and their first quarterfinals appearance. Hopefully, that gives them enough motivation.

Even though I expect Spain to dominate time of possession, I suspect they'll take just as many shots as Morocco, and just as many shots on target. What the teams can do in those limited opportunities will make all the difference. By my projections, Spain's first goal will come at the tail end of the first half, giving them a lot of momentum going into halftime. Morocco will be able to equalize it, and find themselves playing more reserved as extra time approaches. In stoppage time, Spain will catch Morocco slacking, winning the game 2-1 in regulation.

Projection: Spain wins 2-1 (FT)
Reality: Morocco wins 0-0 (P)  

The last match of the Round of 16 is between two European teams with plenty of recent history, having played twice in the UEFA Nations League this year. Through the group stage, they both won 2 of their 3 matches, and have faced challenges in their defensive units. Both teams will look to take advantage of that, but Switzerland will get the shorter end of the stick with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the opposition's attack. If Switzerland can maintain the resilience they've exhibited in order to get here, the upset is possible. An observation many had in Portugal's upset loss to South Korea was that Ronaldo was failing to set up opportunities for the rest of his team. If Switzerland can apply enough pressure on Ronaldo to exploit this fault, then it will make it easier to counter-attack. 

While the potential for upset is there, it is easier said than done. After being eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2018, there's going to be a lot of motivation to get into the quarterfinals and beyond. After all, this could be Ronaldo's last chance to bring the trophy back to Portugal. By my projections, Switzerland will lead in possession through the first half, and earn the first goal convincingly. Afterwards, Portugal will start to dominate time of possession, and become increasingly aggressive in order to force the Swiss to turnover. They'll eventually overcome the deficit and win 2-1 in extra time.

Projection: Portugal wins 2-1 (ET)
Reality: Portugal wins 6-1 (FT)