USA World Cup draw 2022: Group B results with England, matches, fixtures, players, squad and coach

Kyle Bonn

USA World Cup draw 2022: Group B results with England, matches, fixtures, players, squad and coach image

The United States across its FIFA World Cup history has proven to be an enigma, a consistent participant yet one that has failed to break through to the upper echelon of footballing nations.

Participating in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, that tournament is a good representation of the USMNT's World Cup history, reaching the semifinals before falling to Argentina 6-1. Since, they've reached the World Cup 10 times in 21 tournaments, missing a long stretch between 1954 and 1986 before establishing themselves as a consistent participant.

The miss to qualify for the last tournament was painful, and a return to the 2022 event is a positive for the federation. However, there will be aspirations of reaching the knockout stage, and even potentially winning a game, and a group stage exit would be seen as a disappointment, likely received as yet another wasted cycle.

A team with plenty of talent entering its prime, the squad is bursting with promise for the future. However, there are only so many World Cups to capitalize on a window of talent, and it feels like this cycle is the start of that window. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams are both 23, while Brenden Aaronson, Gio Reyna, and Ricardo Pepi are all 21 years old or younger.

The future is now for the United States, as this tournament is the first of a realistic three-World Cup window for this group of talent. It cannot be wasted.

WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H

Drawn into Group B of the 2022 World Cup with England, Iran, and the UEFA playoff winner, there are plenty of storylines for this USMNT group heading into the tournament this November.

USA World Cup snapshot

  • Current FIFA World Ranking: 15 (March)
  • World Cup titles: 0
  • World Cup appearances (last): 10 (2014)
  • How qualified: CONCACAF 3rd place
  • Record in 2021 W-L-D (Goals Scored/Allowed): 17-2-2 (43/12)
  • Record in 2022 W-L-D (Goals Scored/Allowed): 3-2-1 (9/4)

World Cup Group B table & fixtures

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
B1: England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B2: Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B3: USA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B4: WAL/UKR/SCO* 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

* = Winner of European playoff (Wales vs. Ukraine/Scotland)

Group B match schedule

Date Match Time (ET) Stadium
Mon, Nov. 21 England vs. Iran 8 a.m. Khalifa Int'l Stadium
Mon, Nov. 21 USA vs. WAL/UKR/SCO 2 p.m. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
Fri, Nov. 25 WAL/UKR/SCO vs. Iran 5 a.m. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
Fri, Nov. 25 England vs. USA 2 p.m. Al Bayt Stadium
Tues, Nov. 29 WAL/UKR/SCO vs. England 2 p.m. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
Tues, Nov. 29 Iran vs. USA 2 p.m. Al Thumama Stadium

United States squad preview

Christian Pulisic is the most well-known player in the USMNT squad, but he is far from the only contributor.

Weston McKennie is the midfield engine, and his recovery from a broken foot will be critical to any success the U.S. wishes to engineer, while Tyler Adams has developed into a young leader.

  • Star Players: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams
  • Captain (Vice-captain): Tyler Adams (Christian Pulisic)
  • Players to Watch: Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson
  • Players to play in WCQ final stage: 38
  • Players in Top 5 Euro leagues (% of WCQ pool): 17 (45%)

MORE: Teams qualified to 2022 World Cup

Projected full-strength USA starting 11

4-3-3 (left to right): Matt Turner (GK) — Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Sergino Dest — Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna — Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Brenden Aaronson.

USA strengths

The United States is one of the youngest teams at the World Cup, with a youth core that should be together for nearly a decade. This team is stacked at the wing position, with four starting-caliber wingers in Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, and Tim Weah, necessitating a possible drop for Reyna into midfield.

There is also a wealth of talent in midfield for the U.S., with the development of a partnership between McKennie and Adams that makes the team formidable in possession.

USA weaknesses

The two areas of weakness for the U.S. squad come at either end. At goalkeeper, the team has two players at Man City and (soon) Arsenal, but neither starts for their club, so form will be a problem for Gregg Berhalter to sort through. At the striker position, the team has been unable to replace the presence of Jozy Altidore, and while young talents like Ricardo Pepi and Jesus Ferreira provide hope for the future, they do not yet appear to be ready to carry the goalscoring load.

Projected full-strength USA World Cup squad

Player Position Age Club Caps/Goals
Ethan Horvath Goalkeeper 26 Nottingham Forest 7 / 0
Zack Steffen Goalkeeper 26 Man City 29 / 0
Matt Turner Goalkeeper 27 New England Revolution 16 / 0
Reggie Cannon Defender 23 Boavista 24 / 1
Sergino Dest Defender 21 Barcelona 17 / 2
Chris Richards Defender 22 Hoffenheim* 8 / 0
Antonee Robinson Defender 24 Fulham 25 / 2
Miles Robinson Defender 25 Atlanta United 21 / 3
DeAndre Yedlin Defender 28 Inter Miami 73 / 0
Walker Zimmerman Defender 28 Nashville SC 28 / 3
Kellyn Acosta Midfielder 26 LAFC 51 / 2
Tyler Adams Midfielder 23 RB Leipzig 27 / 1
Luca de la Torre Midfielder 23 Heracles 7 / 0
Weston McKennnie Midfielder 23 Juventus 31 / 9
Yunus Musah Midfielder 19 Valencia 16 / 0
Cristian Roldan Midfielder 26 Seattle Sounders 31 / 0
Brenden Aaronson Forward 21 RB Salzburg 18 / 5
Jesus Ferreira Forward 21 FC Dallas 9 / 3
Jordan Morris Forward 27 Seattle Sounders 46 / 10
Ricardo Pepi Forward 19 Augsburg 11 / 3
Christian Pulisic Forward 23 Chelsea 48 / 21
Gio Reyna Forward 19 Borussia Dortmund 12 / 4
Tim Weah Forward 22 LOSC Lille 22 / 2

*On loan

Who is USMNT head coach?

Gregg Berhalter, a former U.S. international defender who has 44 caps for the USMNT, was hired following the failure to reach the 2018 World Cup.

The hire was somewhat controversial, as Berhalter's coaching resume prior to his time with the national team didn't quite inspire confidence, and there were accusations of nepotism as his brother Jay was chief commercial officer of U.S. Soccer at the time of the hire.

Since, however, Berhalter has successfully quieted doubters with successes such as the 2021 Gold Cup title and winning the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League. He has also ushered in a new youth movement that has seen unprecedented levels of young talent earn significant minutes with the national team.

  • Manager (Nationality): Gregg Berhalter (United States)
  • Date hired: December 2, 2018
  • Record as national team manager (W-L-D): 33-8-6
  • Major titles since hire: 2021 Gold Cup, 2019/20 CONCACAF Nations League
  • Notable victories: 1-0 W vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina 1/28/22 (Friendly), 2-0 W vs. Mexico 11/13/21 (WCQ), 1-0 W vs. Mexico 8/2/21 (Gold Cup), 3-2 W vs. Mexico 6/7/21 (CONCACAF Nations League Final), 4-1 W vs. Canada 11/16/19 (Nations League group), 1-0 W vs. Ecuador 3/22/19 (Friendly)

USMNT World Cup qualifying results

Date Opponent H/A Result Score
Sept. 3, 2021 El Salvador A D 0-0
Sept. 6, 2021 Canada H D 1-1
Sept. 9, 2021 Honduras A W 4-1
Oct. 8, 2021 Jamaica H W 2-0
Oct. 11, 2021 Panama A L 1-0
Oct. 14, 2021 Costa Rica H W 2-1
Nov. 13, 2021 Mexico H W 2-0
Nov. 16, 2021 Jamaica A D 1-1
Jan. 28, 2022 El Salvador H W 1-0
Jan. 30, 2022 Canada A L 2-0
Feb. 3, 2022 Honduras H W 3-0
Mar. 24, 2022 Mexico A D 0-0
Mar. 27, 2022 Panama H W 5-1
Mar. 30, 2022 Costa Rica A L 2-0

USMNT WCQ Leaders

Category Leader Total
Goals Christian Pulisic 5
Assists Ricardo Pepi, Antonee Robinson 3
Appearances Antonee Robinson, Kellyn Acosta 13
Minutes Antonee Robinson 1,061

USMNT in the FIFA World Cup

The United States has been involved in World Cup competition since the competition's inception in 1930, reaching the semifinals of the very first World Cup.

Overall, the nation has qualified for 10 competitions, and has been a regular contender to exit the group stage. However, the knockout rounds have baffled the North Americans, with just a single knockout stage victory in history. That came against Mexico in 2002, meaning the U.S. has never won a knockout stage game against a team from another confederation.

There were a number of recent near-misses that indicate the United States is close to breaking through, including the extra-time loss to Ghana in 2010 and the Tim Howard game against Belgium in 2014. Infamously, the U.S. did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

  • World Cups: 10
  • Most Recent: 2014
  • Farthest Reached*: Quarterfinals (2002)
  • Goals scored: 37
  • Goals conceded: 62
  • Record (W-L-D): 8-19-6

*Does not include semifinal appearance in 1930, a tournament which featured only 12 teams and a four-team knockout stage.

Year Stage Reached Eliminated By W-L-D
1930 Semifinals (3rd) Argentina 2-1-0
1934 Round of 16 Italy 0-1-0
1950 Group Stage N/A 1-2-0
1990 Group Stage N/A 0-3-0
1994* Round of 16 Brazil 1-2-1
1998 Group Stage N/A 0-3-0
2002 Quarterfinals Germany 2-2-1
2006 Group Stage N/A 0-2-1
2010 Round of 16 Ghana 1-1-2
2014 Round of 16 Belgium 1-2-1

*Host

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.