Projecting the USMNT World Cup squad: Who we'd take to Qatar

Zimmerman has established himself as one clear starter, and it's hard to make the case Berhalter doesn't view Long, who has started the past six USMNT matches, as the other. What's in question is how many other center-backs will be there and if any of them can unseat Long. How much weight to put in that kind of statistical evaluation varies, of course, and it's impossible to create the exact same circumstances to measure two goalkeepers perfectly. However, Berhalter has cited expected goals to support some of his opinions in the past, so it's fair to believe he values this on some level. Distribution and ability to play out of the back matter, but with such a large discrepancy between how they've performed in the most fundamental, important part of the job, the choice seems clear.

However, while addressing delegates from African and Asian confederations, Blatter said allegations of corruption and some of the criticism, including those from sponsors, were "very much linked to racism and discrimination". As "the game is getting faster" and "speeds up", Adidas used some new features, allowing to provide speed and improve the accuracy of the ball. In January 2019, Infantino said that FIFA was exploring the possibility of having neighbouring countries host matches during the tournament, in order to reduce political tensions. Although, by April 2017, FIFA had yet to finalise the number of stadiums Qatar must have readied in five years' time, Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy said it expected there would be eight in and near Doha . On 19 May 2022, FIFA announced the list of 36 referees, and 69 assistant referees and 24 video assistant referees for the tournament. Of the 36 referees, FIFA included two each from Argentina, Brazil, England and France.

Commentators have noted the clash with the Western Christmas season is likely to cause disruption, whilst there is concern about how short the tournament is intended to be. FIFA executive committee member Theo Zwanziger said that awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar's desert state was a "blatant mistake". Frank Lowy, chairman of Football Federation Australia, said that if the 2022 World Cup were moved to November and thus upset the schedule of the A-League, they would seek compensation from FIFA.

A last-minute change of the tournament’s start date was only the latest bit of uncertainty to surround soccer’s showcase event. Ear­ly goal by Camp­bell re­mained the dif­fer­ence at the full-time whis­tle as Cos­ta Rica reach third straight World Cup. The Cen­tral Amer­i­can team beat New Zealand 1-0 on Tues­day evening to se­cure the last re­main­ing berth for the World Cup. FIFA un­veils list of 16 cities in Unit­ed States, Cana­da, and Mex­i­co that will host match­es in 2026 World Cup.

Match-day tickets go on sale for Rugby World Cup 2021 as fans urged to join the ‘Family Reunion’ With 100 days to go, rugby fans from all over the world can now buy their tickets to rugby’s much anticipated ‘family reunion’ at Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand. Rita Ora, BENEE and Shapeshifter set to light up Rugby World Cup 2021 Incredible performances celebrating wāhine toa in music and sport will create a spectacular entertainment showcase with renowned artists Rita Ora, BENEE and Shapeshifter taking to the stage at Rugby World Cup 2021. The countdown is on to the start of the World Cup in Qatar, with the host nation kicking it all off on Nov. 20 when they take on Ecuador. Anthony Gordon says he is focussing on making it into Gareth Southgate’s England World Cup squad, while also insisting he was never “desperate” to leave Everton in the summer. The England Under-21 international has begun the season sharply under club manager Frank Lampard and has... In May 2014, Sepp Blatter, who was FIFA president at the time of the selection but later banned for illegal payments, remarked that awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake" because of the extreme heat.

It may be little surprise that Austria are not at the World Cup seeing as they haven’t competed on the grandest stage since 1988, but recent years have seen an upturn in form, culminating in a narrow last-16 defeat to eventual winners Italy at Euro 2020. We're going position by position, from goalkeeper to attack, and sorting the player pool in four tiers based on recent form and Berhalter's perceived preferences since the beginning of World Cup qualifying. After qualifying via the play-offs, Wales' first game will also be on Monday November 21. Each week, we'll take a look at the favourites to see how they are shaping up and also check in with other nations as their players either shine or struggle. Luis Enrique has admitted he has yet to decide on Spain’s final squad for the World Cup.

Transfers Nkunku completes Chelsea medical ahead of transfer - Paper Round 7 HOURS AGOHere we take a look at some of the best players who won't be at the แข่งขันบอลโลก this year. Belgium seemed to have steadied the ship after a woeful summer but their loss to the Netherlands in their final Nations League did point to a side who are someway off the best in the continent. When you have a talent like Kevin De Bruyne, however, there are no reasons why things can't improve quite quickly. The same could be said of a Portugal side that can blow by the likes of the Czech Republic one game but who seem to come undone all too often against the continent's better sides. Putting up quite the fight for the No. 9 jersey with club and, in the former's case, country. Tite's full-backs look a little weaker than the rest of the squad but you'll have to get the ball off them if you really want to test that Achilles' heel.

Robinson played more minutes and created more chances than any player on the team during World Cup qualification, while Dest's ability on the ball is special for a full-back. Based on how consistently they've been called in, both Yedlin and Cannon will probably be on the final roster, although Yedlin -- the only projected roster player with previous World Cup experience -- appears more likely to have a meaningful role. On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region and supporting terrorist groups.