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USA player ratings vs. Wales: A tale of two halves

To beat Wales to open its World Cup campaign, scoring twice was always going to be necessary for the United States. Why? Because even if he did absolutely nothing for 89 minutes, you knew Gareth Bale was going to score in the 90th. 

The U.S. got its first in a sensational opening 45 minutes, but that second goal never came as Wales gained the ascendency for large portions of the second half. The inevitable moment finally arrived in the 82nd minute after Walker Zimmerman fouled Bale in the area, and the 33-year-old came up clutch from the spot.

Ranking the best forwards playing at the 2022 World Cup

Every four years the World Cup brings together the world’s best players and Qatar 2022 will not be an exception.

On the attacking front, the exotic winter tournament brings us a combination of new talent, legendary strikers, generational wingers and a pair of GOATs.

In celebration of the World Cup being so close, we rank the forwards who are most likely to make an impact at Qatar.

National Security: Ranking the best goalkeepers at the World Cup

Every World Cup cycle, the same question pops into the minds of soccer fans: why can't (insert player) do that for (insert club team)? These players pop into the national consciousness for a few short weeks in the summer, then return to obscurity as soon as the final whistle blows.

Team-by-team guide: 2022 Uruguay World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Uruguay World Cup preview who'll play in Group H against Portugal, South Korea and Ghana.

World Cup Appearances: 14th

Best Finish: Champions (1930, 1950)

The oldest players at the 2022 World Cup

Egyptian Essam El-Hadary is the oldest player ever at a World Cup. The goalkeeper was called-up for Russia 2018 and even had the privilege of playing against Saudi Arabia in a group stage game at the age of 45 years and ten days.

Yeah, kudos to Essam.

His record, by the way, will remain untouchable during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, that didn't stop us from asking who's going to be the oldest players at the tournament. And well, from two Mexican goalkeepers to stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić, here's the answer. 

Can an African team win the World Cup?

Many football lovers hope an African team will finally win the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup. The world has been waiting for this since the great Brazilian player Pelé predicted (in the 1970s) that an African country would win before the year 2000. That didn’t happen, but it didn’t stop Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, from saying (in 2021): "An African team must win the World Cup in the near future."

Josh Sargent enters World Cup in hot form after scoring on Zack Steffen in final club game before break

The United States men’s national team begins its World Cup campaign against Wales in just over a week and it’s still not clear who will start at the striker position. Josh Sargent helped his case for the starting role after scoring in Norwich City’s final game before the World Cup break on Saturday.

Norwich lost 2-1 to Middlesbrough on Saturday with the lone goal for the Canaries coming from Sargent. In the seventh minute he slotted in a shot past fellow American goalkeeper Zack Steffen to open the scoring.

Fastest footballers in the world: Meet the 21-year-old Ukrainian wanted by Arsenal

Who are the fastest soccer players right now? UEFA has just released its study of top speeds throughout the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, and the main takeaway is that speed does in fact kill.

The list for the 10 fastest players in the world's premier club competition is loaded with many of today's most exciting footballers: AC Milan's Rafael Leão, Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Barcelona's Ousmane Dembélé.

USWNT seeks timely reminder of its global dominance with Germany visit

The USWNT is looking to make a statement after losing consecutive matches for the first time in five years.

Who's on the plane to Qatar? Our final 26-man USMNT squad prediction

Monday, Nov. 7, marks exactly two weeks until the USMNT opens World Cup play against Wales at Al Rayyan Stadium. The event is almost upon us, and it all becomes very real Wednesday when manager Gregg Berhalter reveals his final 26-man roster at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

There are still plenty of question marks to discuss in our final USA World Cup roster prediction. Berhalter just wrapped up a nine-man fitness camp for MLS-based players, and he'll spend the next 24 hours gathering all the latest intel on European-based guys who are suffering with lingering injuries.  

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