2022 World Cup – Page 3 – Syndication Server

What club teams are USMNT’s World Cup players on?

You’ve heard of Christian Pulisic, but what about Luca de la Torre?

The U.S. men’s national team is carrying 26 players on its roster at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

And we’re betting that there’s a chance you’re not totally familiar with every single player on the team.

If you’re at least a casual soccer fan, you probably know who Christian Pulisic is. If you follow the European leagues closely, then perhaps you’ve heard of Sergino Dest. If you’re a devout MLS fan, then you’re well-acquainted with the Nashville SC defending duo of Walker Zimmerman and Shaq Moore.

But what about Ethan Horvath, Joe Scally or Tim Weah?

To help you get to know these American players a little bit better, we’ve listed the club team that each of them plays for.

When the World Cup is over, we totally expect you to become an avid fan of Turkish side Antalyaspor in support of Haji Wright, obviously.

And no, none of these players feature for Ted Lasso at AFC Richmond. Or Wrexham AFC, the club in Wales owned by Ryan Reynolds.

🟥🟥🟥⬜️⬜️⬜️🟦🟦🟦 pic.twitter.com/NrVwVhEToT

— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 20, 2022

GOALKEEPERS

Matt Turner, Arsenal (England)
Sean Johnson, NYCFC (MLS)
Ethan Horvath, Luton Town (England)

DEFENDERS

Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic (Scotland)
Sergino Dest, AC Milan (Italy)
Aaron Long, NY Red Bulls (MLS)
Shaq Moore, Nashville SC (MLS)
Tim Ream, Fulham (England)
Antonee Robinson, Fulham (England)
Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)
Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC (MLS)

MIDFIELDERS

Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United (England)
Kellyn Acosta, LAFC (MLS)
Tyler Adams, Leeds United (England)
Luca de la Torre, Celta Vigo (Spain)
Weston McKennie, Juventus (Italy)
Yunus Musah, Valenica (Spain)
Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders (MLS)

FORWARDS

Jesus Ferreira, FC Dallas (MLS)
Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Christian Pulisic, Chelsea (England)
Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Josh Sargent, Norwich City (England)
Tim Weah, Lille OSC (France)
Haji Wright, Antalyaspor (Turkey)

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When did Landon Donovan retire from the USMNT?

It’s been a while. But we’ll always have that goal against Algeria in 2010.

If you only pay attention to the U.S. men’s national team when the World Cup rolls around, you might be wondering: Where the heck is Landon Donovan?

And it’s fair to wonder that – even if Donovan, 40, hasn’t played professional competitive soccer in a few years – because Donovan was still playing the last time the American men made the World Cup, back in 2014. But if you remember, there was a lot of controversy around him being left off the final roster by then-manager Jurgen Klinsmann. He and Donovan had a pretty tense relationship, to put it lightly.

Klinsmann’s son poked fun at Donovan’s omission from the roster on Twitter, and Donovan himself had some fun with it in a commercial for PlayStation.

While Donovan’s final appearance with the national team came later in 2014, he continued to play professionally for various clubs. Most folks who follow MLS remember Donovan as a versatile attacking midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but late in his career he also had a short stints with Club Leon in Liga MX in 2018 and the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League in 2019. And with that’s when Donovan’s decorated playing career in professional soccer came to a close.

In MLS, Donovan won league championships with the Galaxy. He still holds the all-time MLS assist record with 136 and is second in career goals with 145. The league named its MVP award after him.

On the international stage, it’s easy to argue that he’s one of the best players to ever wear the USMNT kit. Donovan is tied with former teammate Clint Dempsey with 57 goals for the title of the team’s all-time leading goal-scorer. Donovan is, however, the sole-owner of the team’s assist record with 58. He is the only 50-50 player in the USMNT’s history, and accomplished the mark in 157 appearances.

Donovan played in three World Cups and scored five goals in 12 games. And perhaps none was more noteworthy than this one against Algeria in 2010, which pushed the Americans into the knockout stage.

“And Dempsey’s denied again, but Donovan has scored!”

Goosebumps.

So, to recap, Donovan’s last national team appearance came in 2014, but not in the World Cup. He last played in MLS in 2016, and last played professionally in 2019. Since then, he’s done a bit of broadcasting and coaching – most notably with USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, a club that he is also the co-founder of.

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Ahead of USMNT showdown, Gareth Bale and his Wales teammates find way around team’s golf ban at 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Bale is a global ambassador for the R&A and an avid golfer when he’s not on the pitch.

Gareth Bale is a world-class soccer player who has previously won three La Liga titles and five UEFA Champions League titles with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. Now playing in the United States, he recently helped Los Angeles FC win the 2022 MLS Cup.

The 33-year-old from Cardiff, Wales, is also an avid golfer when he’s not on the pitch – just not at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. A key member of the Wales squad that begins the group stage of play on Monday against the United States, Bale and his teammates were told they were not allowed to play golf during the international event, with manager Rob Page wanting the team to be focused on the task at hand.

“Yeah. There’s no golf. We’re out there to do a job,” said Page. “In the past, I may get Gareth, Kieffer Moore or Aaron Ramsey come up to me and say, ‘What’s the plan for tomorrow afternoon? Are there meetings?’ I’d say, ‘No, there’s no meetings, so if you want nine holes then go and play’. But that is when you have a week building up to a double-header. Out there, we won’t have enough time. Every four days there is a game. It’s relentless.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ0oW3SBa3Y/

That doesn’t mean Bale’s golf swing is getting stale in the gulf. A golf simulator has reportedly been installed at the team’s luxury hotel.

“We’ve just been in the swimming pool, playing table tennis, pool and golf,” said Bale’s teammate Mark Harris. “Team spirit is great anyway but games like that help you. Gareth’s very good at the golf. I think most of us have had a swing and we had a go after training as we had some spare time.”

Bale is also a global ambassador for the R&A.

U.S. vs. Wales tees off … kicks off … at 2 p.m. ET on Monday.

Click for a full primer on the World Cup, courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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World Cup 2022: What are the offside rules?

This should help make the offside penalty a little clearer.

Offsides is one of the trickier penalties to identify in soccer because of how quickly it can happen and how difficult it can be to track positioning relative to when a ball is touched.

But once you know what you’re looking for, it’s a lot easier to spot.

Luckily, fans watching the World Cup won’t have to worry about learning differences to the rule, as it remains unchanged from the latest International Football Association Board (IFAB) “Laws of the Game,” the standardized set of rules soccer leagues and competitions abide by.

For those unaware of how the rule works, it’s first important to know that being in an offside position in itself is not a penalty.

As defined in the 2022-23 Laws of the Game, an offside position is simply when any part of a player’s “head, body or feet is in the opponent’s half” of the field and “nearer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent” (hands and arms up to the armpit aren’t considered for the purpose of offside).

Note: Being level with the second-to-last opponent or the last two opponents isn’t offside.

So when does being offside become a penalty?

It’s when a player deemed offside interferes in a play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a teammate. Or when the offside player interferes with an opponent by either:

preventing an opponent from playing a ball by clearly obstructing their line of vision
challenging an opponent for the ball
clearly attempting to play a nearby ball when the action impacts an opponent
making an obvious action that clearly impacts the ability of an opponent to play the ball

It’s also a penalty if an offside player gains an advantage by playing a ball or interfering with an opponent after the ball rebounds or deflects off the goalpost, crossbar, an official or opponent, including if that opponent deliberately saves a ball from going towards the goal.

However, once an opponent makes a deliberate play on the ball that isn’t a save, an offside player is no longer deemed to have an advantage.

Lastly, an offside penalty can’t occur on a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.

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2022 World Cup: What are the VAR rules?

A quick look at how VARs work.

The World Cup Qatar 2022 regulation guide allows for video assistance referees (VARs) to be used for match-changing decisions or incidents, so fans should expect to see these replay officials interject when most necessary.

In order to know how and when a VAR steps in, it’s necessary to look at The International Football Association Board (IFAB) “Laws of the Game,” which establishes the protocols used by the World Cup and other soccer competitions.

According to the laws, the VAR is a match official with independent access to match footage who can assist the match referee in the event of a clear and obvious error or serious missed incident in relation to:

goal/no goals decisions
penalty kick/no penalty kick
direct red cards (not second yellow card/caution)
instances of mistaken identity (a referee cautions or sends off the wrong player)

VAR reviews can only be initiated by a game referee, though the VAR and other match officials can recommend a review to the referee. And a VAR can’t be used before the referee makes a call on the field first.

Everything in regards to the play being reviewed by a VAR will be checked, eliminating the need for coaches or players to request a review. And there is no time limit on a VAR review.

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10 best players (Lionel Messi! Cristiano Ronaldo!) at the 2022 World Cup who have never won it all

A look at some of the greatest to ever play the game who have never tasted ultimate international glory.

As the soccer world rolls through Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there’s inevitably going to be a lot of discussion about “legacy” and superstars who have never quite broken through with a glorious moment in this competition.

I’m talking, of course, about some of the top dynamos in men’s soccer history who have never won the World Cup. To be clear, the players on this list aren’t necessarily to blame for their countries never standing on top of the international soccer world. This is still a team sport where everyone has to play in unison. And the best team — not the best player (awarded the Golden Ball at every tournament) — wins far more often than not.

From perhaps the greatest player in the history of the world’s most popular game to a prolific, talented striker with genuinely no realistic hope of ever winning the World Cup — here’s a look at the 10 best active players who haven’t won the prestigious championship, along with their respective odds to win this year’s Golden Ball. Note: We’re highlighting players who have been around for a good while but have still never made it to the top of the summit.

(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)

Every 2022 World Cup team nickname, from the Stars and Stripes to the Indomitable Lions

A look at the nicknames for every World Cup team.

You know by now all of the 32 teams participating in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which includes the United States after the team missed the last tournament.

But do you know each of those team’s nicknames?

Maybe you didn’t even know that these national teams have nicknames to begin with. But they do, just like other sports franchises around the world, and many of them have intriguing backstories, with some matching the uniforms worn by the teams.

So we’ve collected each of those nicknames to present to you as we get set for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to begin:

World Cup 2022: How to bet Mexico’s Group Stage opener against Poland

Picks and predictions for Mexico’s Group C opener against Poland.

Mexico opens up its World Cup action on Tuesday in Group C action against Poland.

It’s an incredibly balanced (and important) matchup when you consider the teams have the exact same +550 odds to win their group — tied behind Argentina’s -280 — and the same odds to win the entire tournament at +15000.

Mexico and Poland’s odds to win the match are nearly identical too, with Poland given the slightest of edges at +180 odds to Mexico’s +185. Odds that the match ends in a draw are +205. This is a toss-up in the truest sense of the term.

The only thing that seems certain is that these teams combine for fewer than 2.5 goals.

This will be the first World Cup meeting between these teams since 1978 when Poland beat Mexico 3-1 in the Group Stage. They’ve met three times since then, with the first two ending in 1-1 draws and Mexico winning the last 1-0 in 2017.

It its last three friendlies, Mexico has allowed a total of five goals, all to teams that didn’t qualify for the World Cup. That includes a 2-1 loss to Sweden on Wednesday.

Poland, on the other hand, scored just twice in its last three games, including a 1-0 win over Chile on Wednesday — a game Robert Lewandowski missed. The other goal was in September against Wales, which holds the same World Cup title odds as Poland and Mexico.

With both results ending in wins for Poland, I think they’ll come in with a little more confidence and find a way to beat Mexico’s defense while keeping the score down as they’ve been doing.

Prince’s Pick: Poland wins 1-0

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2022 World Cup winner live odds

Title odds for the 2022 World Cup.

If you’re going to bet on the World Cup, don’t be like so many other uninformed bettors eager to give their money away on bets that the U.S. men’s national team is going to win the whole thing.

Odds that the USMNT is the last team standing are 150-1 for a reason. There are 15 teams in the field with better odds, including U.S. group-mate England.

Do a little research, find out which teams have a track record of success in this thing, and then throw your money on it. When you’re ready, these are the odds at BetMGM for each team in the field.

Lines will update live throughout the tournament:

Brazil (+320) is the favorite, followed by Argentina (+550), France (+700) and Spain and England (+800).

The U.S. and Mexico are tied at +15000 along with Wales, Poland and Ecuador.

Of course, it could be a lot worse for the U.S. There are 12 teams with worse odds, including Canada at +25000.

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A guide to betting on soccer ahead of the 2022 World Cup

New to soccer betting? Here’s how it’s done.

With the World Cup beginning next week, a record number of Americans plan to place bets on the tournament, according to the American Gaming Association.

In all likelihood, a good percentage of those bettors will be first-time soccer bettors. So here’s a quick guide on what to look for when diving into the lines.

Unlike the big four in American sports — NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — with standard betting lines that offers a spread and moneyline odds for both teams and a point total over/under, a standard soccer line is just three numbers:

Winning odds for the home team, odds on a tie, and odds for the away team.

Of course, there are no home teams at the World Cup (besides the host Qatar). But even if the example above was a typical soccer match, Qatar would be the home team because, unlike most major American sports, the home team is listed first in soccer.

Ecuador is considered the favorite in the example because it has shorter odds. A $10 bet at +140 odds would win $14. That same $10 on Qatar’s +220 odds would win $22.

Bets aren’t limited to just a winner. While the spread and total aren’t listed on the standard line, going into the “all wagers” section (or whatever your sportsbook’s equivalent is) gives those lines and so many more options. They’re pretty straightforward from there.

Lastly, when it comes to betting on the World Cup, “futures” are important to know too. Sportsbooks offer futures odds on a number of items, including who you think will win the entire tournament and who you think will be the top goalscorer.

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