2022 World Cup kicks off Sunday in Qatar. Here’s what you need to know about Team USA

The United States is back in the World Cup for the first time in eight years after failing to qualify for the 2018 Russia World Cup and having to watch the sport’s biggest party from home.

That humiliating letdown weighed on the current batch of players and served as extra motivation to reach the Qatar World Cup, which kicks off Sunday with the host taking on Ecuador.

The USA is drawn alongside England, Wales, and Iran in Group B. The Americans open Nov. 21 against Wales, face England Nov. 25 and Iran Nov. 29. All three group games are at 2 p.m. and on Fox Sports and Telemundo.

Much of the U.S. delegation arrived in Doha last Thursday, the first of the 31 visiting teams to get there. Twenty-two of the 26 players had arrived by Monday morning and the final four were due to arrive Monday night as the group gets accustomed to the climate and time change.

The team is staying at a five-star luxury resort on The Pearl, a man-made island north of Doha popular with foreigners.

“We want to be here a long time, so we wanted to make it comfortable for the players,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter replied, when asked at a Monday news conference in Doha about the team’s posh accommodations.

The U.S. team is showing its support for the LGBTQ community by wearing a rainbow logo during training. Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, and the host nation has been the subject of criticism for its human rights policies.

“When we are on the world stage and when we are in a venue like Qatar, it is important to bring awareness to these issues and that is what ‘Be the Change’ is about,” Berhalter said. “It is not just Stateside that we want to bring attention to social issues, it is also abroad. We recognize that Qatar has made strides and there has been a ton of progress but there’s some work still to do.”

As far as the team’s chances to advance to the knockout rounds, there is reason for optimism. Although Team USA had ups and downs during qualifying, the roster includes a mix of Major League Soccer players and hungry, fearless young stars who make a living at storied European clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund.

There is so much buzz around this team that even fictional TV character Ted Lasso has gotten in on the pre-World Cup hype. Members of the U.S. team have been sent messages by coach Lasso on yellow billboards appearing in their hometowns.

The most high-profile player of the group, and the one under most pressure, is Chelsea forward/winger Christian Pulisic, the 24-year-old Hershey, Pennsylvania, native who has been dubbed “Captain America”.

Pulisic is not afraid to take on defenders, has a knack for scoring and winning free kicks. He will have help in the attack from Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Tim Weah (Lille), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas) and Leeds pair Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.

Reyna and Weah have prestigious pedigrees.

Reyna’s father, Claudio, now sporting director at Austin FC, is one of the most accomplished players in U.S. history. The elder Reyna made four World Cup teams between 1994 to 2006 and was captain of the 2006 team. Weah’s father, George, is the president of Liberia and one of the greatest African players of all time. He was voted the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year.

Despite its talent, the U.S. squad enters the Cup with a few big question marks. While youthful exuberance and energy are good qualities, it remains to be seen whether the team’s inexperience will be a detriment.

Team USA was by far the youngest team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Through 14 qualifiers, the USA starters averaged 23.82 years old, 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 Americans.

Failure to qualify in 2018 means that Inter Miami right back DeAndre Yedlin is the only player on the squad with World Cup experience. The 29-year-old Seattle native played three games at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, including one in the Round of 16. He was only 20 then. He is now a veteran leader.

“I can sit here and tell you [youth] is an advantage, or a disadvantage, but it is what it is,” Berhalter said. “We are pleased with how this team has been rebuilt, feel the core of this team has a ton of potential and are just excited to get the tournament started.”

Asked what advice he would give his players as someone who has played in the tournament, Berhalter said: “I could tell them about any experience I’ve had, but they’re not really going to know until the whistle blows against Wales.”

This young U.S. team is eager to have a good showing in Qatar and build a foundation for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Miami is one of the host cities.

Among the questions heading into the tournament is how the center backs will hold up. Miles Robinson tore his Achilles, Chris Richards is also injured and will miss the World Cup so Walker Zimmerman, Tim Ream, and Cameron Carter-Vickers will have huge responsibilities.

After relying on experienced keepers such as Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tim Howard, the U.S. nets are now being minded by World Cup rookies Matt Turner, Sean Johnson, and Ethan Horvath.

One of the biggest surprises when coach Gregg Berhalter named his U.S. World Cup roster was the exclusion of goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who had been considered a lock during most of the qualifying run. He and Berhalter had worked together at the Columbus Crew from 2016-18 and he was expected to battle Turner for the starting job in Qatar.

“Me and Zack go way back, and Zack’s been there for me a bunch of times, and to tell him he is not going to be part of the World Cup team was heartbreaking for me,” Berhalter said. “But those are decisions that we made as a staff and we move forward and now it’s about, ‘Well, who do we have in camp and how are we going to be successful?’”

Johnson said his first few days in Qatar have been “incredible” and the team has been coming together as the players trickle into camp.

Turner, a backup at Arsenal since joining the English Premier League club from New England Revolution over the summer, is eager to show the world what he can do.

“Making the World Cup roster involved a lot of sacrifice from family members, from loved ones and all of it just put together makes all of that worth it,” Turner said. “Getting the official word and finally hearing it, letting it sink in a little bit is a really, really special moment for me, my wife, and my family. It’s just truly remarkable how far I’ve come in my personal journey, and I just can’t wait for the opportunity to represent my country at the World Cup.”

USA ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS: Ethan Horvath (Luton), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

DEFENDERS: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergino 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)

MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC), Tyler Adams (Leeds), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

FORWARDS: Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Norwich), Tim Weah (Lille), Haji Wright (Antalyspor)

COUNTDOWN TO THE 2022 WORLD CUP

Where: Qatar

When: Nov. 20-Dec. 18

Who: 32 teams divided into eight groups. The USA is in Group B with Wales, England, and Iran

Defending champion: France (runner-up Croatia)

TV:: Fox, FS1, Telemundo