When Does England Soccer Team Play Again

The U.S. men'due south national squad'due south render to the World Cup, which takes place this November and Dec in Qatar, will feature a challenging group stage rich in rematches and compelling narrative. The Americans were placed in Group B during Fri'southward draw and volition face England, Iran and a European qualifier still to be adamant.

The U.S. will kick off its 11th World Cup and first since 2014 on November. 21 against either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine. Passenger vehicle Gregg Berhalter's team, which is the youngest to qualify for the tournament, then will play England in the third World Loving cup clash between the closely linked nations. The Americans volition conclude the starting time circular with a match confronting geopolitical rival Iran, which eliminated the U.S. from the 1998 tournament.

The exact Earth Loving cup schedule normally is decided by the draw, but FIFA was waiting for the specific matchups to be adamant before selecting stadiums and starting time times in Qatar.

For the second time, FIFA grouped the four draw pots past national team ranking (barring 3 playoff winners in pot No. four) and not by region or geography. The old system, where the quality in a given pot could vary significantly, was more likely to produce a genuine "Group of Decease" than the current, more counterbalanced arroyo. As a result of its place at No. fifteen in FIFA's latest ranking released Thursday, the U.Southward. was placed in pot No. 2 along with 2018 runner-up Croatia, Kingdom of denmark, Germany, United mexican states, Netherlands, Switzerland and Uruguay.

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Later on FIFA's customary dawdling, dancing and self-congratulation, High german World Cup winner and erstwhile MetroStar Lothar Matthäus helped fix the Americans' World Loving cup path by placing them into Group B, setting up a showdown with England that'southward surely going to generate considerable hype. Several U.S. players are at English clubs, including star forrard Christian Pulisic (Chelsea); U.K.-born left back revelation Antonee Robinson (Fulham); goalkeepers Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest) and Matt Turner (joining Arsenal this summer); and frontwards Josh Sargent (Norwich City).

Iran, the highest-ranked team from Asia, came next, followed past the remaining UEFA playoff winner. The qualifying path that volition produce the Americans' opening World Loving cup opponent wasn't completed this calendar week because of the postponement of the Scotland-Ukraine semifinal necessitated by the Russian invasion. That game at present is scheduled for June in Glasgow, with the winner traveling to Cardiff to play Wales for the ticket to Qatar.

In its six modern-era Globe Cups (since 1990), the U.S. has advanced from the group stage three times, finishing get-go once (2010).

It has experienced both ends of the draw'southward spectrum of difficulty in recent appearances. In 2010, the Americans were sent to one of the well-nigh forgiving World Loving cup quartets possible: a grouping that featured a pedestrian England side that was the lowest ranked amidst the top seeds (as well host Southward Africa); Slovenia, which was by far the lowest-ranked European team; and Algeria, which was back in the World Cup for the first time in 24 years.

Four years subsequently in Brazil, depict karma delivered the U.S. to the "Group of Expiry," a barbarous assignment that featured curvation-nemesis Republic of ghana, a Portuguese side featuring prime number Cristiano Ronaldo and eventual champion Deutschland.

Naturally, both groups came down to the wire and were decided by the smallest of margins. In 2010, Landon Donovan's iconic stoppage-time goal against Algeria lifted the U.South. from a flight home to beginning place. And despite being outplayed for the bulk of the first round iv years after, the opportunistic Americans took advantage of John Brooks's late winner against the Blackness Stars and Portugal's implosion against Germany to finish 2nd on goal difference.

Earlier he even saw Fri'south event, Berhalter said advancing to the knockout rounds was both the aim and the standard for his young simply ambitious team. As the the No. 2 seed in its grouping, the U.S. can reasonably set that goal.

"The starting signal is getting out of the group. And once yous practice that, it'southward tournament fourth dimension. It's knockout, single-emptying, so annihilation can happen," Berhalter said Thursday morning before boarding his flying to Qatar.

Berhalter was a member of the 2002 U.South. squad that progressed to the World Loving cup quarterfinals and the '06 squad that went winless.

"Your focus becomes much more than narrow, and it's about every single point, every single game, every single goal you give up or yous score. That's what the Earth Cup is near. The goal starts off for every team is just to get out of the group," he said. "You see time and time again height teams not getting out of their group. It has to be a priority for any team to go out of your group and go from there. See who you play next. Prepare to beat that squad. And that's where it becomes fun and I recall the group will be ready for it."

Although the Earth Cup kicks off in but under 8 months, the amount of fourth dimension that Berhalter and the U.South. will have to set is minimal. There are two international windows on the FIFA calendar between at present and the tournament opener, and, unless U.South. Soccer is able to jam an ad-hoc friendly into the brief buildup to the tournament, in that location will be time for only vi more games. Iv will be staged in early June. Two will come confronting regional foes as function of the 2d edition of the Concacaf Nations League (the draw is Monday) and two will exist friendlies. The 2d window is in belatedly September and will comprise 2 more friendlies.

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"It's less-than-ideal preparation in terms of the time nosotros're going to take, but every team is going to do the aforementioned thing. And so we'll be able to deal with it just like everybody else," Berhalter said, calculation that he's hoping to play against teams from around the world in order to "only continue to get feel with different styles of play, different means to approach the game and just see unlike opponents equally we prepare for the World Cup."

Considering of the pandemic, the compressed qualifying schedule and the reduction of friendlies that's coincided with the introduction of the Concacaf and UEFA Nations Leagues, the U.S. doesn't have much feel playing teams from across its backyard. In the 32 games they've played since the starting time of 2020, just five take been against countries from outside Concacaf. Past the time June rolls around, the U.Southward. will have played only twice against nations from the rest of the world in the previous year—the Gold Loving cup semifinal against Qatar terminal July and then the December friendly against a very inexperienced squad from Bosnia-Herzegovina. The U.S. drew Wales, 0-0, in a November '20 friendly.

The 2022–23 UEFA Nations League is scheduled beyond both upcoming international windows, which might make scheduling a European opponent difficult.

"The June window, where we'll play four games, is going to be an important part of our preparation—as is September, where we'll play two games. Hopefully, we're trying to become games in Europe in September, merely that'south not finalized nevertheless," Berhalter said Thursday.

Clubs are required to release players for the World Cup by Nov. 14. The MLS flavour concludes Nov. 5, and Berhalter said a short camp for domestic players is existence considered before the group gathers in Qatar.

Here's a look at the Americans' confirmed and potential World Cup opponents.

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ENGLAND

Match Date: November. 25, 2022

FIFA Rank: 5

Qualification: Won UEFA Group I at 8-0-2.

Globe Cup Highlights: Champions in 1966, quaternary identify in 'ninety, 2018.

History vs. U.S.: England holds an 8-2-one all-time advantage over the U.Southward., simply it's failed to win either of the ii World Cup meetings between the sides. The Americans stunned favored England, 1–0, in the 1950 tournament behind Joe Gaetjens' legendary header, then earned a i–ane draw in 2010 when Clint Dempsey erased an early England goal with his bouncing long-range attempt.

Senior honors: 1966 World Cup champions.

IRAN

Match Appointment: Nov. 29, 2002

FIFA Rank: 21

Qualification: Won AFC Group Due east at 6-2-0 and so Group A at 8-1-i.

World Cup Highlights: Six grouping-stage appearances.

History vs. U.S.: Iran is 1-0-1 all-time confronting the U.Due south., with the win coming famously at the 1998 Earth Cup. Iran sealed the Americans' emptying in the second game of the group stage with a 2–1 win in Lyon.

Senior honors: 1968, '72, '76 Asian champions.

WALES/SCOTLAND/UKRAINE

Match Date: Nov. 21, 2022

FIFA Rank: Wales eighteen, Ukraine 27, Scotland 39

Qualification: UEFA playoff winner.

World Cup Highlights: Wales 1958 quarterfinals, Scotland viii group-stage appearances, Ukraine 2006 quarterfinals.

History vs. U.S.: U.S. is one-0-1 all-time vs. Wales, two-3-three vs. Scotland and 0-3-1 vs. Ukraine. All games take been friendlies.

Senior honors: None.

More Soccer Coverage:

• Creditor: A Commencement Projection of the USMNT's World Cup Squad
• Straus: Defeat Doesn't Detract From USMNT's Deserved Qualification
• Krum: A Timeline of USMNT's World Cup Qualifying Redemption

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Source: https://www.si.com/soccer/2022/04/01/usmnt-group-world-cup-draw-england-iran-matches

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