2026 WC USA (et al): Worldwide Opponents Watch [all R's]

Ah yes...........this is what confused the algorithm. [Or rather, I must have asked the wrong question. ] Brizuela and Ponce were named to World Cup rosters. Neither actually played at the World Cup, though.

I'm an old guy. I have a tough time understanding a guy that was fringe for the US at the U20, U23, and USMNT levels making a World Cup squad for Mexico. That wouldn't have happened 20 years ago. The Brian Gutierrez thing is weird to me.

 

Very possibly a system thing and he is just a much better fit in theirs.

 

I’ve got two tickets to USMNT v Türkiye. And my second ticket is only provisionally claimed, so I might be offering for one of you fine strangers to join me if so!

 

I would fly to LA for this if you end up having it to offer. Though I guess I should first ask: what's the cost of that ticket?

 

Absolutely. They’re Category 2 tickets, so $340. Row 1 in block 338. With all the (justified) criticism of FIFA’s ticketing practices, I’m pretty pleased with these seats. We’ll follow-up on direct message so as not to distract from this thread. Figure if I don’t go with a friend, I’d rather go with a fellow superfan!

 

Cat 2's for this match were only $340 at some point?? FIFA just dumped a ton of Cat 2's on the ticketing site for this match, and they're listed at $840.

 

Sorry, yes that was a mistake—thank you! The tickets are Supporters Value Tier, which I believe you are correct are priced with Category 3. Monday morning is clearly not my strong suit

 

No final roster but a lot of big calls from Tuchel from what’s been reported. No Palmer, Foden, Gibbs-White, Wharton, Maguire, Lewis Hall, Colwill, or Luke Shaw. But Ivan Toney making a return. Plus Jordan Henderson.

 

Cole Palmer and Phil Foden have a lot of talent, but have had uneven seasons.
I'm surprised that they're not included, but also not completely shocked.
We knew talented players weren't going to make the cut in those areas for England.

 

Just to make you feel pleased, my CAT 2 tickets for the same match are in 537

 

What MLSers are going to make it on other rosters?
Any chance Silvetti makes it?

 

He didn't make the preliminary list. De Paul will probably make the roster though

 

Ooof, that’s up there. Not the worst view but I’m sure not what you anticipated…

 

Just shows the insane range of seats available in CATEGORY 2.

 

Andrew Giuliani: Congo team must isolate or risk World Cup - ESPN

Congo's team must isolate for 21 days or risk the ability to enter the U.S. for the World Cup as the country deals with an outbreak of Ebola, said Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, to ESPN on Friday.

Giuliani said the U.S. has told FIFA, the Congolese national team and the Congolese government that the team must maintain a bubble in Belgium, where it is currently training and is scheduled to play two warmup games.

 

Everything keeps getting worse and worse .

 

Lots of talent on an England squad

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 OFFICIAL: England squad for the 2026 World Cup! pic.twitter.com/iHHGPay6PM

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2026

But lots of people not happy with the omission

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Main names left out of the England World Cup squad list by Thomas Tuchel.

❌ Cole Palmer
❌ Harry Maguire
❌ Lewis Hall
❌ Morgan Gibbs-White
❌ Adam Wharton
❌ Phil Foden
❌ Jarrod Bowen
❌ Alex Scott
❌ Trent Alexander-Arnold
❌ Luke Shaw
❌ Fikayo Tomori pic.twitter.com/nETun0pfgI

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2026

 

No Palmer?!?! Foden hasn't scored a goal since my birthday (mid December), so not quite as crazy.....that roster has to be crazy as hell to break into (much like France, Spain and Brazil).

 

From my understanding, Ebola requires exchanges of bodily fluids to transmit. They've had outbreaks in Africa because many of the local burial practices involve extensive contact with dead bodies. The outbreak is in a very specific section of the Congo, near the border with Uganda.

If the team is in Belgium, the chances that anyone has been infected is pretty low; they really shouldn't need to isolate from the general population to be admitted to the US in weeks; it's not airborne like COVID, etc.

 

How many on that team make our 26 if they were American? Sheesh.

 

Tuchel's responses to media questions about the roster should inform folks on how these managers think about their pools. He didn't shy away from saying he's leaving talented players (even more talented players than those selected) at home. He's built a TEAM he thinks can win. He said he's even more sure of his roster after the calls to the tell the players. A few years ago you would have bet everything you had that Trent Alexander-Arnold would have been on the roster.

Top 6 most goal contributions in the Premier League this season by English players
NONE going to the World Cup.

Morgan Gibbs-White 18
Jarrod Bowen 18
Dominic Calvert-Lewin 15
Danny Welbeck 14
Phil Foden 12
Cole Palmer 10

 

It needs to be contact with bodily fluids, according to pretty much every source out there. That can include sweat or saliva but a simple touch is unlikely. The big issue is that those that are ill often give off a lot of bodily fluids on their bedding or themselves.

https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/causes/index.html

I wonder how many of the Congo team have even been in the Congo in the last six months given that they all play outside of it.