World Cup

The USWNT U-20s were bounced out of 2022 U-20 Women’s World Cup in the group stage on Wednesday after suffering a 3-1 defeat to reigning champions Japan in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The U.S. finished the group stage with one victory and two losses, the team’s worst showing in the 10 editions of the tournament.

The Americans finished third in Group D ahead of Ghana but behind Japan and the Netherlands. The U.S. opened the tournament with a 3-0 victory vs. Ghana but then followed that game with a 3-0 defeat to the Dutch.

Ninety-five days to go now. There's still so much to prove but so little time for our boys in r̶e̶d̶, white and blue ahead of the World Cup. 

The past week in Europe saw the emergence of a young star, strong performances from guys on the fence and two locked-in starters enter transfer purgatory. 

The World Cup in Qatar will kick off a day earlier than scheduled if FIFA's ruling bureau agrees to a plan to hold the opening ceremony and the host nation's first match on Sunday, Nov. 20, a source close to the discussions told Reuters.

The original plan was for the opening ceremony to be held before Qatar's game on Nov. 21 against Ecuador — which created the unusual situation of two matches being held before the ceremony.

Normally the ceremony is conducted before the kickoff of the first game of the tournament.

Opening week of the 2022-23 season is in the books, and by the time next weekend's action gets under way we'll be less than 100 days from the start of the World Cup in Qatar. Every performance truly matters now.

USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter has built a solid core of players over the qualifying cycle that'll comprise a majority of the 26-player squad, but there are still fierce competitions raging and open places for players who go on a tear through the first couple months of the season.

Christian Pulisic is no stranger to pressure. 

He put the USMNT on his back as a teenager during the failed 2018 qualifying cycle, played in and won a German Cup final at 18, took on the burden of a $70 million price tag at Chelsea, played in and won a Champions League final there and has continued to handle the strain of being the national team's game-changer in the final third with incredible consistency, like Landon Donovan before him but without the emergence of a Clint Dempsey to work with.