Fans of the U.S. men’s national team couldn’t ask for a better performance so far in the 2018 FIVB Men’s World Championship. 

Team USA went undefeated through its first two pools, the only team in the entire tournament to reach this point without losing a match. 

With 90 kills and a 59.21 success rate, veteran opposite Matt Anderson ranks as the top hitter in the competition. Outsides Aaron Russell and Taylor Sander also appear in the top five, with Sander also ranking as the No. 3 server with .43 aces per set. Micah Christenson is the top setter with 8.07 assists per set.

That collection of impressive stats comes together to illustrate the strength of the Americans’ passing and first-ball contact, so a lot of credit should go to libero Erik Shoji and the passing of Russell and Sander.

The team showed depth and versatility in the last match of its second pool, sweeping Iran with a a second-string lineup that featured middle blocker Dan McDonnell swinging from the outside after securing a spot in the Final Six with wins over Canada and Bulgaria. 

“I was really pleased with how we competed, even though we had already qualified for the finals,” USA head coach John Speraw said. “Dan McDonnell played great at outside for the first time since high school. I loved being able to run the double quick.”

The Americans will now face Brazil and Russia in Pool I. Italy, Poland, and Serbia make up Pool J. The top two teams from each third-round pool will advance to the semifinals.

Here’s what to know about the USA’s opponents in the third round.

Russia | 11 AM CT, Sept. 27

WATCH LIVE

In the first meeting of the tournament between Russia and the USA, the Americans dominated, with Sander, Russell, and Anderson each contributing double-digit kills. The USA trailed midway through the fourth set, but three consecutive blocks pushed the U.S. men ahead and facilitated a four-set victory. The Americans also out-served Russia seven to four.

But even that night, Speraw knew better than to underestimated Russia, and he predicted the two teams would see each other again. 

“This is a long tournament. The teams will all be better by the time they get to Turin,” he said. “I anticipate [Russia] being in the Final Six. They get their serves going, they are an incredibly difficult team to beat.”

Russia’s only other loss came at the hands of Serbia in five sets in the first round. The second round saw a much more successful Russia, with the reigning Volleyball Nations League champs sweeping the Netherlands and Finland and handing red-hot Italy its first and only loss of the tournament.

Brazil | 11 AM CT, Sept. 28

WATCH LIVE

Douglas Souza and Wallace de Souza have been the key to No. 1-ranked Brazil’s 7-1 World Champs performance, during which a four-set loss to the Netherlands has been the only stumble. 

Souza ranks third on the Best Spikers list with 94 kills and a 57.67 success percentage. De Souza, the top scorer from the 2016 Olympics, is tied with Souza with 109 total points in addition to boasting a 54.26 success percentage. 

The USA has not faced Brazil yet in this edition of World Champs, however, the rivalry between these two teams is long and storied. Just a couple months ago, Brazil defeated the Americans in pool play of VNL, but the USA earned redemption with a sweep in the bronze-medal match of the tournament. 

Last year, the USA played Brazil three times with the South Americans winning every meeting.