Football

USMNT World Cup 2022 roster: Goalie Zack Steffen off squad, forward Haji Wright going to Qatar – The Athletic

Published

4 months ago

November 10, 2022

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U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter named his 26-man roster for this month’s World Cup in Qatar on Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:

The list included a few surprises, most notably omitting goalkeeper Zack Steffen and bringing forward Haji Wright and center back Tim Ream.
Much of the roster was as expected. Stars Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna were never in doubt. Nor were expected starters like Yunus Musah, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Turner and Tim Weah.
There were a few key position battles, however, and calls that came down to the final few weeks and days of selection.

Key inclusions and omissions

Among the notable decisions was Berhalter bringing Nashville SC right back Shaq Moore over Boavista’s Reggie Cannon, Seattle Sounders winger Jordan Morris over FC Dallas veteran Paul Arriola and Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldán over Rangers youngster Malik Tillman.

No decision, though, was as surprising as the exclusion of Steffen, the Manchester City goalkeeper who entered World Cup qualifying as the USMNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper.

Injuries limited Steffen during qualifiers and allowed Turner to earn the top spot on the depth chart. Still, it was widely expected Steffen would make the team as a backup. The last few months, however, hinted at a change. Steffen pulled out of the June camp for family reasons and then left Manchester City on loan to move to Middlesbrough, where he would get more games. He was left off the U.S. roster for the September friendlies, as well, even though he was healthy enough to start Boro’s final game before the FIFA window opened.

Berhalter opted not to bring Steffen to Qatar, instead calling Luton Town’s Ethan Horvath and NYCFC’s Sean Johnson.

Ahead of Wednesday’s roster announcement, much of the attention was focused on two position groups: center back and forward. Berhalter delivered surprise inclusions in both spots.

Ream, 35, had not been called up by the U.S. since last October. He pulled out of that qualifier camp due to family reasons and had not been back with the U.S. since. With Chris Richards missing out due to injury, however, Berhalter opted to bring the veteran defender over other options like Genk’s Mark McKenzie or Troyes’ Erik Palmer-Brown.

At forward, it was considered to be a battle between Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok for two of the final three spots. Berhalter did bring Sargent, but he opted to leave both Pepi and Pefok at home and instead summoned Wright, who has scored four goals in his last four games and has nine on the season in the Turkish Süper Lig with Antalyaspor.

Wright made a return to the U.S. pool during the June window, his first call-up since 2019, off the back of good form that has seen him score 25 goals over the past two seasons. Wright netted on a penalty kick in his first game back with the U.S. against Morocco in June, but Berhalter also criticized the 24-year-old’s performance after substituting him out at halftime of a Nations League game against El Salvador later in the window.

Pefok had a hot start to the Bundesliga season with Union Berlin but has not scored since Sept. 18. Pepi, meanwhile, has five goals and two assists in nine games since moving to Groningen on loan this summer, but it wasn’t enough to push onto the World Cup roster.

Sargent has eight goals and two assists this season for Norwich in the English Championship. Jesus Ferreira made the team despite failing to score in his final seven games of the MLS season and without having played a game since FC Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs on Oct. 23.

The U.S. will open the World Cup on Nov. 21 against Wales. They takes on England on Black Friday, Nov. 25, and closes out the group stage on Nov. 29 against Iran.

It is worth noting that this roster becomes official on Nov. 14, when the final squads are submitted to FIFA. Players will continue to play in games for their clubs this week and there is time for injury replacements, if needed.

Starting XI preview

Based on qualifying and the squad we’ve seen over the last six games in June and September, there is a fairly clear idea of what Berhalter will be thinking for his first-choice XI against Wales. That being said, Berhalter did provide enough surprises in his full roster to leave us a little unsure about two key areas: center back and forward.

Here is our predicted XI vs. Wales:

Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: Matt Turner
Defenders (left to right): Antonee Robinson, Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman, Sergiño Dest
Central midfield: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah
Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Jesus Ferreira, Tim Weah

One position to watch

It has to be the No. 9.

The U.S. hasn’t been able to find a forward it can count on for consistent production, and Berhalter’s surprise inclusion of Wright adds another wrinkle to the mix.

Ferreira, as mentioned earlier, didn’t score in his final seven games for FC Dallas and has not played since his team was eliminated from the MLS playoffs on Oct. 23. Sargent, meanwhile, has eight goals this season for Norwich in the English Championship, but picked up an injury in late October and missed two games, and he hasn’t scored since Oct. 15.

Wright, meanwhile, enters the tournament as the team’s hottest goal-scorer. He has four goals in his last four games in the Turkish Süper Liga and has nine so far this season.

How Berhalter opts to use those three options remains to be seen, but there is no obvious choice or lock-down option.

Expectations for the group stage

The young stars who make up the core of this team have built excitement around this team, but it’s important to remember just how young this U.S. squad is.

The U.S. team that qualified out of CONCACAF had an average age of 24.07. Its starting lineup was even younger: 23.82. The average age of this full team when it takes the field against Wales will be slightly older (as would be expected, especially with Ream’s inclusion) at 25 years, 175 days. Still, there is just one player on the team with any World Cup experience: Yedlin.

The 2022 team also ties the 1990 USA side for most players under the age of 23 on a USMNT World Cup roster with nine: Adams (23); Aaronson, Dest, Josh Sargent and Weah (22); Jesus Ferreira (21); Musah, Reyna and Joe Scally (19).

World Cup history shows that there’s a ceiling on young teams. Only one country in the past five editions of the tournament has gone as far as a semifinal with an average squad age younger than 25.9: Germany in 2010. That team made the semifinals in South Africa, then brought back many of the same players four years later and won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

There is going to be a learning curve, but that doesn’t mean the floor shouldn’t be set at a certain level. For most, that means getting out of the group.

“I don’t care how old they are, I don’t care,” U.S. men’s national team legend DaMarcus Beasley said in an interview for “From Couva to Qatar: Remaking the USMNT,” a narrative podcast for The Athletic. “I have expectations for them to do well. I think they will. I 100 percent think they will get out of the group. I think they will silence a lot of critics.”

The four nations in Group B (U.S., Wales, England, Iran) hold an average rank of 15, the highest of any group in Qatar.

Full USMNT World Cup roster

USMNT World Cup 2022 squad

Position	Player	Club	Age	Caps
GK	Matt Turner	Arsenal	28	20
GK	Ethan Horvath	Luton Town	27	8
GK	Sean Johnson	NYCFC	33	10
DEF	Antonee Robinson	Fulham	25	29
DEF	Joe Scally	Borussia M’gladbach	19	3
DEF	Sergiño Dest	AC Milan	22	19
DEF	Shaq Moore	Nashville SC	26	15
DEF	DeAndre Yedlin	Inter Miami	29	75
DEF	Cameron Carter-Vickers	Celtic	24	11
DEF	Aaron Long	NY Red Bulls	30	29
DEF	Tim Ream	Fulham	35	46
DEF	Walker Zimmerman	Nashville SC	29	33
MID	Kellyn Acosta	LAFC	27	53
MID	Tyler Adams	Leeds United	23	32
MID	Luca de la Torre	Celta Vigo	24	12
MID	Weston McKennie	Juventus	24	37
MID	Yunus Musah	Valencia	19	19
MID	Cristian Roldan	Seattle Sounders	27	32
MID	Brenden Aaronson	Leeds United	22	24
FWD	Jordan Morris	Seattle Sounders	28	49
FWD	Christian Pulisic	Chelsea	24	52
FWD	Gio Reyna	Dortmund	19	14
FWD	Tim Weah	Lille	22	25
FWD	Jesus Ferreira	FC Dallas	21	15
FWD	Josh Sargent	Norwich City	22	20
FWD	Haji Wright	Antalyaspor	24	3

Required reading

(Photo: Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)

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Manchester United

Ratings: De Gea, Martinez & Sabitzer were great against Fulham; Fernandes’ brace was a positive too

Published

3 hours ago

March 20, 2023

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Manchester United beat Fulham 3-1 at Old Trafford in the Emirate FA Cup quarter final. It was Fulham who were the better team for large spells as Aleksandar Mitrović opening the scoring in the 50th minute of the match. A Willian handball gave a penalty for United which Bruno Fernandes scored – Willian, Mitrović and Marco Silva were sent off. Marcel Saboteur then scored his first goal for United before Fernandes scored a second.

Fulham started well at Old Trafford with Aleksandar Mitrović showing great strength down the right in the second minute, whipping in a good ball that Scott McTominay had to be alert to knock behind. Harry Maguire then headed clear the resulting set-piece. David De Gea made a save in the third minute as Issa Diop was found 15-yards out on an angle, looping a good header towards De Gea, who had the help the ball over the crossbar. Fulham were lively.

In the fourth minute of the match Mitrović had a penalty appeal waved away after he thought he was fouled by Luke Shaw in the box. United seemed to be sloppy from the start with Maguire adding to it with bad passing from the back. Andreas Pereira then drove forward in the eighth minute, found Mitrović who then set up Willian on the edge of the box, who should have found more but hit his effort far and wide of the target. United needed to be so much better.

In the tenth minute, Bruno Fernandes was down needing treatment after seemingly being elbowed just above his waist. He was fine to continue though. Marcus Rashford launched an attack in the 13th minute, finding Wout Weghorst on the edge of the box for the Dutchman’s finish was not good enough and was straight at Bernd Leno. Mitrović seemed to be lively in the early stages of the match, seeking a goal against United in the Emirates FA Cup.

Fulham had a good chance in the 14th minute with Harrison Reed nicking the ball off Lisandro Martinez then charging into the box. He had three in the box but his final ball was not good enough and the ball was cleared out for a corner. The corner found its way to Tim Ream on the left flank and he delivered a good ball across the face of the goal but there were no takers for Fulham. Andreas Pereira was booked in the 18th minute for a foul on Rashford.

Maguire was booked three minutes later, which would be a suspension for the semi final of the competition, should United get there where the winner of this match will face Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley. United were close in the 24th minute as Rashford cut onto his right foot, curled the ball into where Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer were but neither of them could reach it in the end. Fulham wanted another penalty in the 26th minute after Mitrović went down.

It was not given though as there was nothing in it – other than a dive for Mitrović. Fulham had a chance in the 31st minute but Mitrović was unable to find the back of the net. United had a chance at the other end a minute later with Rashford the source of imagination for United but on his final ball, Leno was able to get to block it which ricocheted of Rashford and out for a goal kick. United then started to find some flow but needed a lot more than they had brought to far.

Martinez defended well in the 40th minute as Mitrović was sent up the channel, having an eye for the box. He tried to beat the Argentinian defender with a change of pace but Martinez stayed strong and came away with the ball. Sabitzer had a chance on goal in the 41st minute, taking on a strike from 22-yards but Leno parried it away. Jadon Sancho started something a minute later, with Sabitzer also involved but Rashford did not get to it. It was 0-0 at half time.

There were no substitutions for either team during the break. Fulham started on top again in the second half with João Palhinha and Reed keeping the chance alive, Willian then back heeled the ball to Antonee Robinson who shot at goal but De Gea tipped it over the crossbar. De Gea made another save a minute later was Willian struck from the edge of the box. Fulham opened the scoring in the 50th minute through Mitrović, who buried the ball provided by Issa Diop.

In the 54th minute, United went direct to Weghorst who held it for Rashford, then finding Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder took his strike from the edge of the box but it was wide of the target. Ten Hag made a substitution in the 59th minute with Antony replacing McTominay. Willian started rolling back the years in the 64th minute, showing his class and ability. He was unable to inspire Fulham to double their lead though. United still needed to get something back.

De Gea performed another great save in the 66th after Mitrović rose highest to head towards goal. Fernandes had some involvement in something in the 68th minute, sending it in to Sancho, who struck it and it deflected off Rashford. In the 70th minute, Willian seemed to handle the ball, being honest about it. VAR got involved and the referee looked at the screen. He sent Willian off and gave United a penalty – it was a harsh sending off for the Brazilian.

Mitrović got nasty, pushed the referee and pushed his face into his face and was sent off for that. Marco Silva was also sent off for his reaction from the double red card, which turned into a treble. Fernandes took the penalty, scoring his ninth goal of the season for United. Two minutes later, Sabitzer scored his first goal for United after Shaw played the ball into him as he was running in the box. VAR looked at the goal and awarded it. United were 1-0 down to 2-1 up.

That was a dramatic ten minutes. Willian was perhaps treated badly for that sending off but what Mitrović did was out of order and he deserves that. Silva also deserved to be sent off for his reaction to what happened. Some will say United got their way with the referees again but it was purely on Fulham what happened. United just gained from it. That is what happens in football. The Fernandes penalty followed by the Saboteur goal was brilliant for United.

United seemed to cool the game down after that, trying to keep possession – dominating the game, which was a first to be fair. It was a terrible game for United before the penalty. Antony came close in the 88th minute – it tested Leno and Diop but he was not able to score. Fred replaced Rashford in the 83rd minute of the match, giving United more in the midfield with them 2-1 up at this stage of the match. United just needed to keep the ball and keep Fulham a bay.

In the 89th minute, Luis Boa Norte – Fulham’s assistant manager, made a triple substitution with Cédric Spares, Manot Solomon and Daniel James replacing Kenny Tete, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Harrison Reed. In the 90th minute, Tom Cairney replaced Andreas Pereira. Seven minutes were added at the end of the second half. United found a third goal, through Fernandes – his tenth of the season, assisted by Fred in the sixth minute of added time.

It was United that would face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Emirates FA Cup semi final at Wembley in April with Manchester City facing Sheffield United in the other semi final. United’s match will probably be on Sunday 23 April as they are playing in the UEFA Europa League the Thursday prior to the match. Ten Hag was happy, United were happy and the supporters were happy. Another trip to Wembley for United – another chance for another trophy this season.

Player Ratings

David De Gea: Made some great saves to deny Fulham – one of which kept them in the game. Conceded to Mitrović but later in the second half, that threat was gone. It was a comfortable match for De Gea. ★★★★★★★★

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Did not seem to be at his best until Antony was on the pitch. His final third play before that was dire. Their ability with each other is good to see. One of the better aspects of his game. ★★★★★★

Harry Maguire: Not the best performances – one of the worst. Hauled down Mitrović and was booked for it – therefore misses the semi final. Kept his place as Raphael Varane was ill and regressed massively. ★★★★★

Lisandro Martinez: The Argentinian really imposed himself against Fulham, although Harrison Reed did cause him to misjudge him. That said, he was great at the back for United and health with Aleksandar Mitrović well. ★★★★★★★★

Luke Shaw: Did not really get going to help United on the attack much. Did get his seventh assist of the season though playing the ball into Marcel Sabitzer for him to score his first United goal, overlapping Jadon Sancho. ★★★★★★★

Scott McTominay: He was disciplined positionally when he did not have the ball – not that he was bad with it. He got a chance on goal just before the break. Replaced by Antony in the 58th minute of the match – before the madness. ★★★★★

Marcel Sabitzer: Scored his first goal for United. Took time to adjust with Scott McTominay. Had a good shot in the first half and played in a cross. His goal was a brilliant finish – first Austrian to score for United. ★★★★★★★★

Jadon Sancho: Seemed off the pace in the first half. Seemed slow on and off the ball at times. Did not get much dynamism in the match but did win the penalty for United with the ball touching Willian’s hand. ★★★★★★

Bruno Fernandes: Careless with the ball at times. He changed his performance when United won the penalty levelling from the spot. He got his second of the game in added time, giving him ten goals and 10 assists this season. ★★★★★★★

Marcus Rashford: He was the one player that created something in the first half. He was quiet in the second half and did not get many chances. He was replaced by Fred in the 83rd minute with United 2-1 up. ★★★★★★

Wout Weghorst: It was not a great day for the Dutchman against Fulham. He was unable to get many chances towards goal, with his first shot not actually a shot, more of a back pass. He was put in the number ten role. ★★★★★

Substitutes

Antony: Replaced McTominay 58′. He helped United on the attack with led to the penalty. He was lively since his introduction. It was good that he recovered from illness ahead of this match. Superb player on his day. ★★★★★★★

Fred: Replaced Rashford 83′. Came on giving more energy with United in the lead. He got his fourth assist of the season for Fernandes’ second goal of the match. He was an important substitute for United. ★★★★★★

Match Information

Goals: Bruno Fernandes 75′ penalty’, 90+6′, Marcel Sabitzer 77′; Aleksandar Mitrović 50′

Assists: Luke Shaw 77′, Fred 90+6′; Issa Diop 50′

Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; McTominay (Antony 58′), Sabitzer; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford (Fred 83′); Weghorst

Substitutes Not Used: Butland; Lindelof, Malacia, Dalot; Mainoo; Pellistri, Elanga

Bookings: Harry Maguire 21′; Andreas Pereira 18′, Willian s/o 72′, Aleksandar Mitrović 72′

Written by John Walker

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Football

FIFA World Cup to have 104 matches in 2026 – Sky News

Published

11 hours ago

March 19, 2023

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FIFA World Cup to have 104 matches in 2026 Sky News
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Manchester United

Confirmed XI: Maguire & Martinez in defence; Sabitzer, Sancho, Fernandes & Rashford supporting Weghorst in attack against Fulham

Published

13 hours ago

March 19, 2023

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Manchester United face Fulham in the Emirates FA Cup quarter final at Old Trafford this afternoon. Erik ten Hag’s side will play their second quarter final of the season days after reaching their third quarter final in the UEFA Europa League, where they will face Sevilla over two legs next month. This match against Fulham is the final match for United prior to the international break, then the season will continue with United playing nine matches in April – another busy month.

Should United beat Fulham and earn a semi final place in the FA Cup this season, the match against Chelsea at Old Trafford in the Premier League would be postponed as that is the weekend the semi finals will be played at Wembley, so United would need to find the time to reschedule that match, plus the one against Brighton and Hove Albion that should have been played this weekend. Should United go all the way in both competitions, they will have a busy period ahead.

United and Fulham have already met at Craven Cottage in the Premier League this season, just prior to the FIFA World Cup where United won 2-1 with Alejandro Garnacho scoring the winner in in the last minute of added time. United will face Fulham again at Old Trafford on the final day of the Premier League season. The draw for the semi final of the FA Cup should be done prior to this match commencing, providing extra time is not needed between Brighton and Grimsby Town.

Manchester United

De Gea;

Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw;

McTominay, Sabitzer;

Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford;

Weghorst

Substitutes

Butland; Lindelof, Malacia, Dalot; Fred, Mainoo; Antony, Pellistri, Elanga

Fulham

Leno;

Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson;

Reed, Palhinha;

De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian;

Mitrovic

Substitutes

Rodak; Adarabioyo, Soares; Cairney, James, Lukic; Wilson, Solomon, Vinicius

United and Fulham have met 87 times in all competitions in the history of both clubs. United have won 53 times, drawn 20 times and lost 14 times. Earlier this season United beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage, just prior to the FIFA World Cup with Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho scoring either side of Dan James’ equaliser. This will be the second meeting of the two teams this season – United face Fulham at Old Trafford in the final Premier League match this season.

United and Fulham have met 14 times in the FA Cup – United have won eight times, drawn four times and lost twice. The last defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup came back in 1908. United have scored 27 goals, conceded 15 and kept four clean sheets. The last time the two teams met in the FA Cup was back in 2013 – a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford with Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and a brave from Javier Hernandez before Aaron Hughes scored a late consolation goal.

Andreas Pereira, Dimitar Berbatov, Andy Cole, Louis Saha, Edwin van de Sar, Paul Parker, Kieran Richardson, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Chris Smalling, Tim Fosu-Mensah, George Best and Charlie Mitten have all played for both Manchester United and Fulham. Best is probably the most well-known along with van de Sar, Parker, Cole, Berbatov, Mitten Saha and Smalling. Pereira is doing well at Fulham after being sold by United. He has three goals and six assists in 31 appearances so far.

Written by John Walker