DOHA, Qatar — Yusuf Musah, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally were 11 years old the last time the United States men’s national team took the field in a World Cup match. On the 3,066th day after that loss in Brazil, the Americans will return to soccer’s quadrennial showcase with a new-look team dreaming lofty goals and hoping for actual ones.
Filled with novelty, nerves and naivety, these young Americans take the field against Wales at 2 p.m. Eastern on Monday in a Fox-televised match a growing fanbase back home has been pining for since 2014.
“Three years, four years of just working up to this moment, I think all the guys are ready to go,” midfielder Weston McKennie said.
President Joe Biden called players to offer encouragement ahead of the opener.
A Friday match against England follows before the Americans wrap up their group play Nov. 29 against Iran, which famously eliminated the U.S. from the 1998 World Cup in France.