2022 World Cup: Country profile – United States

Factfile on the United States who are in World Cup Group B:

Best World Cup performance: Third place in 1930

Other honours:  CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup winners in 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017, 2021; CONCACAF Nations League winners in 2019-20

FIFA ranking: 16th

How they qualified: The United States finished third in the CONCACAF zone final qualifying standings, behind Canada and Mexico

ALSO READ: 2022 World Cup: Country profile: Wales

Coach: Gregg Berhalter, 49, was appointed head coach in 2018 in the wake of the US’s failure to qualify for the Russia World Cup. A former US international defender, Berhalter was a key member of the squad who reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and was also an unused squad member at the 2006 World Cup. Berhalter went into coaching in 2011 after retiring as a player, joining the backroom staff at the Los Angeles Galaxy. He spent two years at Swedish club Hammarby IF before taking over as Columbus Crew coach in 2013.

Key player: Christian Pulisic

If the US upset the odds and progress beyond the group stage in Qatar, the chances are that Pulisic will have had a lot to do with it. The 24-year-old Chelsea star has consistently been the Americans’ most important player in recent years, one of the few individuals capable of producing game-changing moments on the biggest stage. The man known as “Captain America” was a crucial contributor during the US qualification campaign, which included a hat-trick against Panama in March.

Group fixtures

November 21: USA v Wales

November 25: England v USA

November 29: Iran v USA

Squad

Goalkeeper: Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough/ENG), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG), Sean Johnson (New York City FC)

Defenders: Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR), Sergino Dest (AC Milan/ITA), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville)

Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC), Tyler Adams (Leeds United/ENG), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER)

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG), Timothy Weah (Lille/FRA), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Jesus Ferreira (Dallas), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen/NED), Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin/GER)