FIFA Men's World Cup

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.  

USMNT hopeful Jordan Pefok made his competitive debut for Union Berlin on Monday, scoring what will surely be one of the most memorable goals of the striker’s career. The Jordan Pefok goal, which came in the 64th minute of Union Berlin’s 2-0 DFB-Pokal victory, was taken excellently and will surely excite Union and USMNT fans alike.

A well-oiled defense can be the difference between going out in the group stage and winning a tournament. Scoring four goals in a game is well and good until you turn around are realize the other team scored five. Every successful team needs to be able to keep the ball out of its own net. Defending is an art, and at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, many artists will be on display, putting their bodies on the line to ensure their team advances to the next round. But not all defenders are created equal.

It's being reported that Weston McKennie dislocated his shoulder in training ahead of Juventus’ preseason match against Real Madrid on Saturday night. With the World Cup just months away, how does this impact the USMNT’s preparation for the tournament?

Weston McKennie could be out for at least a month after dislocating his shoulder

GDS pic.twitter.com/iZ20D70lGP