With the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off in five days, it’s time to explore THE Group B team to beat- Uncle Sam’s Army, the USMNT.
Every day until November 20th, we’ll explore a different team represented in this year’s tournament, from Group A to Group H, including predictions about where they’ll end up.
Earlier today, we looked at the dark horses of Group G – Cameroon. Now, let’s take another look at the Stars and Stripes, the USMNT.
USA
Group B
Nicknames: The Stars and Stripes, The Yanks, The Red, White, and Blue
Colors: Red, white, and blue
Location:
Coach: Gregg Berhalter (USA)
Top Players:
The US is ready to make a comeback with the youngest squad at the tournament after missing the 2018 World Cup. You’ve got Arsenal’s Matt Horvath in goal, defended by AC Milan’s Sergiño Dest and a powerful pair from Fulham, Tim Ream and Antonee ‘Jedi’ Robinson, not to mention Gladbach’s Joe Scally and Celtic’s Cameron Carter Vickers.
Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams of Leeds United (America’s Team) lead a dominant midfield starring Valencia’s Yunus Musah, Juventus’s Weston McKennie, and Celta Vigo’s Luca de la Torre.
Up top, you’ve got the red head Josh Sargent, Lille’s Timothy Weah, Haji Wright, Borussia’s wonderkind Gio Reyna, and Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic. The US attack is more loaded than your stepmom at a fireworks show on the Fourth of July.
Team History:
Qatar will mark the eleventh World Cup appearance for the US, with their best result coming in a semi-finals loss in 1930, when the US was really good at soccer for some reason.
The US men are the reigning CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League champion, defeating rivals Mexico for both titles. The Yanks have looked underwhelming in their last two outings against Japan and Saudi Arabia, though both matches were just friendlies.
Tournament Prediction: Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands.
The Stars and Stripes will slip by their first Group B challenger Gareth Wales, stealing the full three from The Dragons. Then they’ll take on England on Black Friday, pulling an improbable 1-1 tie despite the efforts of Mason Mount and Harry Kane. After tying IR Iran, The US will have enough to move ahead on points in the Group B second-place spot to face the heavyweight Dutch in the knockout stages. The Orange will prove too much for the Red, White, and Blue, who will probably lose 3-1.
Featured Image: Generated Image: DALL-E 2/USSoccerFederation/DM
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