AL RAYYAN, Qatar - U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter named Tyler Adams captain for the World Cup on the eve of their opener against Wales after he emerged as the popular choice to lead the Americans on their return to soccer's showpiece event after an eight-year absence.
Leeds United midfielder Adams, 23, is the youngest captain by a distance at this year's tournament, with England's Harry Kane the only other skipper under the age of 30 in Qatar.
DOHA - Spain winger Ferran Torres faces big challenges at the World Cup in Qatar but his relationship with the daughter of national team coach Luis Enrique is not one of them, according to the Barcelona player.
"Not at all," Torres told a news conference on Sunday when asked whether he felt pressure because of the relationship. "I think the coach and I, we know how to differentiate between when it's family and when we are manager and player. I think we have to get on with it in a natural way, just that and we're getting along fine."
DOHA - France coach Didier Deschamps has decided not to replace injured striker Karim Benzema in his World Cup squad, leaving the reigning champions with 25 players for their title defense.
Benzema trained with the squad for the first time since arriving in Qatar on Saturday but was forced to leave the session early with a thigh injury and scans ruled him out of the tournament.
Asked on Sunday by TeleFoot whether he would replace the Ballon d'Or winner in his squad, Deschamps said "No".
DOHA - The United States and Wales will head into Monday's World Cup clash knowing that victory could decide one of Group B's two qualifiers, with England fancied as heavy favorites to advance as group winners.
With a golden generation of talent spearheaded by Gareth Bale and playing at their first World Cup in 64 years, Wales will be out to echo their recent successes at European level, having reached the Euro 2016 semifinals and the last 16 at Euro 2020.
MEXICO CITY - Mexico coach Gerardo Martino named striker Raúl Jiménez in his squad traveling to the World Cup in Qatar as he continues his recovery from injury problems.
Jiménez, 31, has only played four matches this season for Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers after sustaining knee and groin injuries.
QATAR - The U.S. men's World Cup squad are showing their support for the LGBTQ community by way of a rainbow-themed team logo inside their training facility and media workroom.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar which is hosting the tournament starting on Sunday.
The design features seven rainbow-colored vertical stripes below "USA" in dark blue letters and is part of the "Be the Change" initiative the team adopted in 2020 with the goal of inspiring action on social justice issues.
A lot of people were left hurting by Ricardo Pepi's snub from the final 26-man USMNT World Cup roster.
The 19-year-old from El Paso, TX, is a hugely likable talent who came up clutch in qualifying with three goals, including the go-ahead strike on the road in Honduras and a brace against Jamaica. What worked against Pepi is that those three goals were all registered in back-to-back games over a year ago.
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.
Leeds United had a horrific collapse vs. Spurs on Saturday with a 4-3 loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after leading 3-2 as late as the 80th minute. For Tottenham’s first goal U.S. fans discovered what would happen if Tyler Adams marked Harry Kane during a corner kick.
With Leeds leading 1-0, Tottenham scored a controversial equalizer through Kane in the 25th minute. Clément Lenglet appeared to foul Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier when the cross was delivered.
Who saw this coming? Just days after being left off England’s World Cup squad, Ivan Toney is the hero at the Etihad as Brentford gets its first win away from home on the season. His brace was the difference in the Bees’ 2-1 victory which ensures that Arsenal will be top of the Premier League going into the break.