England

AL RAYYAN, Qatar - A slightly different career path could have seen Yunus Musah lining up alongside fellow 19-year-old Jude Bellingham for England against the United States on Friday. He could even have been playing for Ghana against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on Thursday.

Instead, the teenaged midfielder will pull on the United States shirt for the 20th time in Friday's World Cup Group B clash in Al Khor when his side will try to spring a major upset.

The United States began its World Cup odyssey with a bittersweet 1-1 draw against Wales on Monday, and Gregg Berhalter's men return Friday against an England team that reaffirmed its status as a tournament favorite by hammering Iran 6-2 to go top of Group B after Match Day 1. 

One of the biggest talking points from the USMNT’s 1-1 draw vs. Wales was the absence of wonderkid Giovanni Reyna. The controversy of him not playing has USA fans wondering will Reyna play vs. England?

Through the first 45 minutes of action against Wales it felt like USA head coach Gregg Berhalter could do no wrong. He made the tough call of starting Timothy Weah ahead of Reyna and it paid off in the form of the game’s opening goal. 

Since the 2022 tournament kicked off, many viewers have found themselves wondering, “Why is the World Cup stoppage time so much higher than normal?” The United States was given eleven minutes of stoppage time against Wales, while England and Iran played an additional 15 minutes in the first half and then a further 14 minutes at the end of the full 90. 

If winning Group B at the World Cup comes down to goal difference, England already has it in the bag after its extremely impressive 6-2 opening victory over an Iran side in disharmony. 

Kick-off at Khalifa International Stadium was scheduled for 1 p.m. in the UK, but obviously that didn't stop England supporters from getting rowdy as hell on a Monday afternoon.

Tame would be an understatement when discussing the "One Love" campaign. A message that hopes to unite everyone, "One Love" promotes diversity of thought and acceptance, especially with regard to sexual orientation. Regardless, FIFA felt the need to threaten players with “sporting sanctions” if they were to make a statement on the world stage. While many European nations opted to abandon their message of inclusion, Alex Scott remained undeterred.

FIFA’s concussion protocol is still Medieval and that was on full display during the first half of England’s opener vs. Iran on Monday. Iran’s goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, had a nasty clash of heads with teammate Majid Hosseini in the eighth minute.

Iran Goalkeeper Concussion Controversy

Here was the incident that took place.

England is already knocking pic.twitter.com/Y9t5lfHMi6