A rising selection in football, the United States is gradually establishing itself as a nation that counts in the “soccer” landscape.
Rather dominant in its confederation, Concacaf, Team USA must now confirm on the world stage.
She will try to join the knockout phase in a pool playable for her, where only England stands out clearly.
The story
Team USA has the best performance of a Concacaf selection in the World Cup with a semi-final ... in 1930, almost a hundred years ago, during the first edition.
Team form
Led by a generation of promising players (Adams, McKennie, Pulisic, Weah, Dest, Musah), the United States has established itself as a major North American nation in recent years.
To join Qatar and compete in the tenth World Cup in its history, Team USA had to go through a very tight qualifying phase in the Concacaf zone, finally 3rd behind Canada and Mexico.
Not qualified for the Russian World Cup, the Americans arrive this time with the ambition to make an impression in this edition.
For this, it will be necessary to first disentangle oneself from a hen overflown by an obvious political context, with Iran in particular.
The 26 players selected
Among the 26 players selected by coach Gregg Berhalter, some well-known heads from the five major European championships.
Among them, the son of George Weah, Timothy, trained at PSG and currently in Lille, but also the young and talented Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Sergino Dest, Yunus Musah or Tyler Adams.
A "roster" far from being devoid of talent - and interest.
Goalkeepers:
Horvath (Luton Town), Johnson (New York City FC), Turner (Arsenal)
Defenders:
Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Dest (AC Milan), Long (NY Red Bulls), Moore (Nashville SC), Ream (Fulham), Robinson (Fulham), Scally (Mönchengladbach), Yedlin (Inter Miami), Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Midfielders:
Aaronson (Leeds United), Acosta (LAFC), Adams (Leeds United), de la Torre (Celta Vigo), McKennie (Juventus), Musah (Valencia), Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Forwards:
Ferreira (FC Dallas), Morris (Seattle Sounders), Pulisic (Chelsea), Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Sargent (Norwich City), Weah (Lille), Wright (Antalyaspor)
The probable composition
American internationals now play in posh clubs, whether in Milan (Dest), Chelsea (Pulisic), Juventus (McKennie) or Valencia (Musah).
It's up to Gregg Berhalter, appointed in 2018, to find the right formula to allow the most prestigious team that the USA has known on paper to express itself well on Qatari pitches.
Probable line-up USA
Player to watch: Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic during the friendly match between the United States and Morocco in Cincinnati, June 1, 2022. SUSA / Icon Sport
Main star and face of the American selection, the disconcerting Pulisic, propelled captain, will have a big pressure on his shoulders in Qatar.
Familiar with major events, the 24-year-old winger has already played leading roles with Borussia Dortmund and offered himself a Champions League with Chelsea in 2020-2021.
He is one of the most talented footballers in the entire history of the United States, who are counting on him to lift them high.
Team USA match schedule