The United States is in the FIFA World Cup. The USA missed out on the world cup in 2018. It is a step in the right direction to be back in the tournament. Every United States soccer fan has been looking forward to this since around 2018. If the United States does well it will be good for the growth of the game here. The expectation is that they will at least advance to the elimination stage. If the United States can win an elimination match, it would be the biggest accomplishment in United States soccer in long time.
The United States is in Group B. The other teams in Group B are England, Iran, and Wales. While this is not the most difficult or easy group, it should be competitive with a lot of good matches. England is the team. The United States and Wales are expected to make it to the elimination stage. Iran is the underdog.
I wish former Reno 1868 FC goalie JT Marcinkowski would have cracked the roster. He’s played for the United States before. Jordan Morris and Christian Pulisic are the only players that stand out to me. The United States has a young team. They are the youngest team in the tournament. DeAndrea Yeldin is the only player on the team with World Cup experience. Nine players are under twenty three years old. Only nine of the players come United States pro clubs. Majority of the players play outside of the states. That is not surprising. A lot of players coming from England is not surprising. They have way more clubs and way more money coming in to their leagues than the United States does.
I am hopeful with this roster that the United States can play well. I don’t have big expectations for them though. If this was hockey the expectation would be that they at least reach the semifinals. The expectation here is just to get enough points to get out of the group stage. The United States isn’t consistent in how well they play. I think that will factor in in this tournament. They didn’t do well in their pre tournament games. Hopefully that is not an indicator for this tournament.
The United States opens the world cup with a game against Wales. Wales has been popular with American soccer fans recently due to the show Welcome to Wrexham about Ryan Reynolds buying the Welsh club Wrexham FC. The United States will follow that up with a game against England. That is the big game of the tournament for a lot of people. English fans have probably already written the game off as a win. English fans have probably all ready written off the whole tournament as England is gonna win. The United States might be underdogs in this game but that is where the United States have had some of their best moments. The United States finishes the group stage with a game against Iran. I am glad we are playing Iran last. They are the weakest team in the group. Playing them last could be good for a last minute effort to get out of the group stage.
The United States plays Wales on Monday, November, 21st. That game will be at 11am PST. The game will take place at Ahamad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The United States has only played Wales twice before. The United States got a 2-0 win in 2003 and they drew 0-0 back in 2020. There really is no history between the USA and Wales on the pitch. Wales is ranked 19th while the United States is ranked 16th. It should be a good match. It should be a close match. The United States should win though.
The United States plays England on Friday, November, 25th. Kickoff is set for 11am. The day after Thanksgiving. I wish they would play on Thanksgiving. The United States beating England on the day we celebrate people leaving England to come to America would have been glorious. The game will take place at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. That is the Largest venue in the tournament. The United States is 2-8-1 against England dating back to 1950. They have only play 11 matches in the last 72 years. The last win for the USA came back in 1993. 29 years ago. The last positive result for the USA came back in 2010 with a draw. 12 years ago. That was the last time they played each other in the World Cup. These two teams have not shared a pitch since 2018. England might be ranked 5th by FIFA but an upset may be in the works. I am really excited for this one. One of the things I am most excited for with this match is the 1776 memes that are going to come from it.
The United States takes on Iran on Tuesday, November, 29th. That game will be at 11am. The game will take place at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The United States has only played Iran twice. Once in the 1998 World Cup. That game ended in a 1-2 loss. The other game came in 2000. They drew that game at 1-1. The United States has not played Iran in 22 years. Iran is ranked 20th. This is the game the United States is most likely to win.
Zac Electrifly 