The Official 2022 FIFA World Cup Thread

[TripleThreat]

YOUNG AMERICANS
The USMNT was by far the youngest team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, garnering valuable experience going through the rigors of World Cup qualifying. Through 14 qualifiers, the USA Starting XI came in at an average of 23.82, almost two years younger than the next closest team, Ghana at 25.67. Together, the other 31 participating teams averaged a Starting XI age of 27.5 through qualifying, nearly four full years older than the U.S. Sources say this is one of the youngest, but most talented teams the U.S. has ever fielded. While they may not win the world cup this year, they may garner the experience needed to make a serious run on home soil in the year 2026 when the World Cup comes back to North America.

2022 USA World Cup Roster

FORWARDS
Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)
Josh Sargent (Norwich City)
Timothy Weah (Lille)
Haji Wright (Antalyaspor)

MIDFIELDERS
Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United)
Kellyn Acosta (LAFC)
Tyler Adams (Leeds United)
Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo)
Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Yunus Musah (Valencia)
Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

DEFENDERS
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic)
Sergiño Dest (AC Milan)
Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls)
Shaq Moore (Nashville SC)
Tim Ream (Fulham)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach)
DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami)
Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)

GOALKEEPERS
Ethan Horvath (Luton Town)
Sean Johnson (NYCFC)
Matt Turner (Arsenal)

[TripleThreat]

Originally Posted by Dante84

Watch the boys run through Netherlands, Argentina, and Brazil and then MLS grows to be bigger than MLB in the next 4 years.

Even winning the World Cup while it would help, wouldn’t even make enough of a splash for this to happen. If people watched MLS games like we do NFL games, we could pay MLS players more money. Until then, all the good players and teams will be overseas where people treat soccer like we do football.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Dante84

Watch the boys run through Netherlands, Argentina, and Brazil and then MLS grows to be bigger than MLB in the next 4 years.

Signed: The last 30 years...

[Pants]

Originally Posted by penguinz

100% Ball was still in play and the keeper got him in the face. No contact to ball at all.

Ball was no longer in play. That still shot is after the ball already went off Messi's head and was going OOB. The keep was obv going for the ball.

[TripleThreat]

So - Looks like for tomorrow:

(#) = points accumulated thus far.

(4) Spain vs (3) Japan
(3) Costa Rica vs (1) Germany

Looks like it will be Spain & Germany because Spain will want to secure that #1 seed, and it's hard to see Germany losing to both Japan and Costa Rica.

(4) Croatia vs Belgium (3)
(4) Morocco vs Canada (0)

These 2 games are going to actually be INSANE - If you notice, Croatia and Belgium are practically playing an elimination game with Morocco having 4 points and a +2 GD. This should be Morocco + Belgium/Croatia moving on, because of the GD, it would be hard to see Morocco falling to #3 in this group.

[TripleThreat]

Originally Posted by Pants

Ball was no longer in play. That still shot is after the ball already went off Messi's head and was going OOB. The keep was obv going for the ball.

The ball was "in play" that's why it was called. It hadn't gone out of bounds yet. (as long as the ball isn't out of bounds it's in play)

That being said, it's another stupid rule that penguinz will probably call me "ignorant" again for because supposedly any rule you call dumb just means you're ignorant of said rule according to penguinz....

But in penguinz defense, he had a good analogy of the rule as he said "If Mahomes threw the ball and it was in the air and then he got plummeted with a late hit, its still a foul even though he no longer possesses the ball."

It's annoying because the keeper was playing the ball and it was a split second exchange of events but keepers can't run around punching people in the face while the balls in play. This rule is less dumb than the yellow card carry over for the group stage.

[|Zach|]

The drama. This has been a really interesting World Cup.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by Pants

Ball was no longer in play. That still shot is after the ball already went off Messi's head and was going OOB. The keep was obv going for the ball.

The ball was still in play. Still several feet in bounds when the contact happen.

Does not matter if he was going for the ball. He missed the ball and had contact to Messi's face.

Was a very poor challenge by the keeper and was lucky that Messi is pathetic from the spot.

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

No. I grew up in America. No one gives a shit about any of those people. Are they dead too or do all people stuck over there just look like that?

I'm assuming/hoping that you are joking. And either way don't you ever throw insults at Churchill. Man is a legend and I'm damn proud that our country can call men like him our close friend. Cousins is you will. If I had to put anyone that wasn't American on Mt Rushmore, he is probably my choice.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by TripleThreat

Even winning the World Cup while it would help, wouldn’t even make enough of a splash for this to happen. If people watched MLS games like we do NFL games, we could pay MLS players more money. Until then, all the good players and teams will be overseas where people treat soccer like we do football.

You really love going out of your way to shit on MLS but the fact is it did not exist until 96 and its growth has been incredible...in terms of quality of play...salaries...attendance...academies all of it. Even little Kansas City in the midwest acquired a 10 million dollar player and they are not even the rich ones in the space.

Meanwhile everyone is talking up this young US team who was built on the backs on MLS associated academies.

Nobody is saying it is as good as the EPL or anything like that...but it just seems really lazy to constantly be like "oh its not as popular as the most popular leagues in the world come back to me when it matters" when MLS is competing in a totally different sports landscape in the United States.

[|Zach|]

Damn I was hoping Mexico would go out by way of fair play tie breaker pic.twitter.com/IbwUsJTJbH

— USsoccerInfluencer (@USMNTinfluencer) November 30, 2022

[NJChiefsFan]

https://youtube.com/shorts/NB6sGDjko9A?feature=share

Just because of the jersey

[TripleThreat]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

You really love going out of your way to shit on MLS but the fact is it did not exist until 96 and its growth has been incredible...in terms of quality of play...salaries...attendance...academies all of it. Even little Kansas City in the midwest acquired a 10 million dollar player and they are not even the rich ones in the space.

Meanwhile everyone is talking up this young US team who was built on the backs on MLS associated academies.

Nobody is saying it is as good as the EPL or anything like that...but it just seems really lazy to constantly be like "oh its not as popular as the most popular leagues in the world come back to me when it matters" when MLS is competing in a totally different sports landscape in the United States.

I enjoy the MLS, it's the only professional soccer games I am able to take my son to, but facts are facts whether or not it was created in 1996, or 1946. My response was to the idea that if we won the world cup what could it do for the MLS 4 years from now... Not much if we cant generate the revenue from advertisements, ticket sales, and most importantly viewership.

When the top paid player in the MLS is making less than average WR's in the NFL, you're not going to attract top talent, and viewership for the MLS isn't going to skyrocket just because they win the World Cup.

Can the MLS become something in the future? Sure, but it's going to take years, and years, and years, literally decades for the MLS to become a competitive league compared to the overseas leagues other countries have built not a world cup win in 2022, though it would help and it would be nice for those of us who are already fans.

[|Zach|]

Fox News explains the sport of soccer, a three-part mini series. pic.twitter.com/p75STFvebe

— Jordan Gardner (@mrjordangardner) November 30, 2022

[POND_OF_RED]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

I'm assuming/hoping that you are joking. And either way don't you ever throw insults at Churchill. Man is a legend and I'm damn proud that our country can call men like him our close friend. Cousins is you will. If I had to put anyone that wasn't American on Mt Rushmore, he is probably my choice.

I definitely know who Churchill is. He was a racist imperialist piece of shit. Pretty much everyone in the history of the British Monarchy have been huge pieces of shit. He’s absolutely no different. If there is a hell I’m sure his soul is paying the price. He’s probably stuck having to watch England World Cup knockout matches as his punishment.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

He’s probably stuck having to watch England World Cup knockout matches as his punishment.

**** man! Don't even throw that out there. What if when we die, due to some unknown shit we end up on a list like that and after knowing the Mahomes era, have to spend eternity watching the Chiefs of the 80s, 90s and pre Mahomes 2000s? The horror!