2022 FIFA World Cup Thread

#28      
Seems like a similar problem to Illini football … while Penn State (Argentina), Alabama (Germany), USC (Italy), etc. are instantly recognizable and iconic every year - even if there are tweaks here and there - Nike just flings sh*t at the wall for fun with Illinois (USMNT).

Well you won't have to worry about seeing USC's kit in the World Cup this year.
 
#29      
First international break of the season. UEFA has Nations League play going on. Every other confederation is using the break to play friendlies. USMNT play two friendlies. They play Japan tomorrow in Dusseldorf with the match beginning at 7:25 AM CT and airing on ESPN2. They play Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in Murcia, Spain, with the match beginning at 1:00 PM CT and airing on FS1.
 
#31      

wettsten

Chicago
Didn't get a chance to watch much of it but it sounds like the USMNT's performance left a lot to be desired.
i watched part of the first half and we couldn't get much through the midfield although neither team was holding possession very well. lots of loose balls bouncing back and forth.
 
#35      

Shane Walsh

aka "Captain Oblivious"
Cynthiana, Kentucky
Two friendlies to warm up for USMMT, one loss, one draw, and no goals scored. How are we feeling?
 
#36      
Two friendlies to warm up for USMMT, one loss, one draw, and no goals scored. How are we feeling?

Against Japan, I'm not too concerned. I've had others tell me they see Japan as a dark horse in this tournament and think they'll come out of their group with Spain and Germany.

I'm more concerned with how they played against Saudi Arabia. That didn't exactly give you a good feeling for how they could do.
 
#38      

Shane Walsh

aka "Captain Oblivious"
Cynthiana, Kentucky
Against Japan, I'm not too concerned. I've had others tell me they see Japan as a dark horse in this tournament and think they'll come out of their group with Spain and Germany.

I'm more concerned with how they played against Saudi Arabia. That didn't exactly give you a good feeling for how they could do.
I am kind of the same. Hoping they were purposefully not showing looks against Saudis. Way too many turnovers in the defensive half of the field though. Those get you beat against top flight competition, and soundly.
 
#39      
I am kind of the same. Hoping they were purposefully not showing looks against Saudis. Way too many turnovers in the defensive half of the field though. Those get you beat against top flight competition, and soundly.

The announcers in both matches did say there were issues with the pitch they were playing on. I know for the match vs. Japan in Dusseldorf, they made it seem as if the way they mowed the pitch was uneven.
 
#41      
The USMNT is set to announce their World Cup roster tomorrow at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN2.

Will be interesting to see who makes the roster, especially with all the injury issues they have right now. Sam Vines broke his tibia last week and will be out 3-4 months, which means he obviously will be out for Qatar. Sergino Dest has been dealing with adductor fatigue recently. Josh Sargent and Cameron Carter-Vickers just returned to their club team lineups this past weekend. Luca de la Torre will be out until just before the start of the tournament with a hamstring injury. Weston McKennie, Matt Turner, and Chris Richards are also dealing with injuries. The center back position could end up being the biggest weakness on the roster due to the injury issues.
 
#43      
USMNT World Cup roster announced today:

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Sounds like the biggest snubs are Zach Steffen and Ricardo Pepi.
 
#45      
A lot of potential on that roster, but yeah the CB's scare the crap out of me. My fear is we are playing well and the core of Pulisic, Aaronson, Reyna, McKennie, Musah, and Adams are looking really dangerous...but our defense let's in some cheap goals.

Although, Ream has been having an amazing year at Fulham and has been a big reason Fulham is 9th right now. Hopefully he can be a rock that the other CB's can anchor around, and we'll be solid.
 
#46      
Being ignorant of the ways of World Cup rosters, is it normal to have 3 goal keepers on the team? I always thought teams played their main keepers nearly 100%. The #2 keeper only rarely was in net. #3 would never be on the pitch. It would take a catastrophic event for the third keeper to be out there.
 
#47      
Being ignorant of the ways of World Cup rosters, is it normal to have 3 goal keepers on the team? I always thought teams played their main keepers nearly 100%. The #2 keeper only rarely was in net. #3 would never be on the pitch. It would take a catastrophic event for the third keeper to be out there.

That's a good question, and you're right the 3rd keeper would very rarely be used. But, FIFA requires each team to carry 3 GK's.

Most club teams only keep 2 if I'm not mistaken and there have been rare occasions where both keepers get injured and a field player moves to GK. John Terry had to do that at Chelsea once.
 
#48      

wettsten

Chicago
That's a good question, and you're right the 3rd keeper would very rarely be used. But, FIFA requires each team to carry 3 GK's.

Most club teams only keep 2 if I'm not mistaken and there have been rare occasions where both keepers get injured and a field player moves to GK. John Terry had to do that at Chelsea once.

world cup full roster limited to 26 players but only 23 allowed on the match squad meaning 3 players won't even be on the bench in any given match. i didn't realize that 3 keeper rule was for the match squad, not the full roster. i don't think national associations have that rule.

from rule 19.4 (https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2df8816f3b27563c/original/r6gcejmanhw27gzaa9xb-pdf.pdf)
A total of 23 players shall be named on the start list (11 players and 12 substitutes). The 11 first-named players must start the match, and the other 12 are designated as substitutes. The numbers on the players’ shirts must correspond with the numbers indicated on the start list (numbers 1-23 only). All goalkeepers and the captain must be identified as such. Three players must be goalkeepers, with the number 1 shirt reserved for one of them.
 
#50      
Pretty pumped for the group pairings, simply from an entertainment perspective. I obviously cheer for the US first, but then I default to Germany (ancestry) and both teams have interesting groups with some compelling matchups. USA/England on the Friday after Thanksgiving is about to get REAL rowdy for me, lol...