It's World Cup time! On Thursday the most awaited soccer tournament in the world will finally kick off with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, while all 48 teams that will participate in the summer tournament are now in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Want to know something about the World Cup? I'm Francesco Porzio with the latest.
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All times U.S./Eastern
Thursday, June 11 🏆 World Cup: Mexico vs. South Africa, 3 p.m. ➡️ FOX 🏆 World Cup: South Korea vs. Czechia, 10 p.m. ➡️ FS1
Friday, June 12 🏆 World Cup: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 p.m. ➡️ FOX 🏆 World Cup: United States vs. Paraguay, 9 p.m. ➡️ FOX
⚽ The Forward Line
🇺🇸 USMNT inch closer to World Cup opener
By Pardeep Cattry
Tucked inside the quiet Orange County city of Irvine and with the San Joaquin Hills in the horizon, the U.S. men's national team enter the final stages of a World Cup on home soil, the attention of the world waiting to fix their gaze upon them in a matter of two short days. The stakes are high, but to the USMNT's credit, so are the vibes -- their tournament training camp, now in its 15th day, has been defined by positive moments after years of tumult, everything trending in the right direction so far. Strong performances in a win over Senegal and a loss to Germany in their pre-World Cup friendlies -- and a wedding jameed in the middle of all this -- have only made their final training sessions before the tournament begins all that much easier but the players have slipped into a more a business-like tone, a huge question looming over each of them: Who will start in Friday's game against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium?
For several months now, head coach Mauricio Pochettino has had an idea of who might be in the lineup for their much-anticipated World Cup opener, but in the final days of their preparation, no one is completely sure where they stand. Pochettino has successfully fostered a healthy sense of competition in a variety of positions, and it helps that on Tuesday, fitness issues finally subsided and the full 26-player roster trained jointly for the first time since camp opened on May 27. Several players are still attempting to make a case for themselves with just two training sessions left before the game against Paraguay, the list including Matt Turner. The 2022 World Cup starter hopes he can make a late case for himself off the back of his strong performances with the New England Revolution, no matter how unlikely it might be after Matt Freese usurped the role a year ago.
- Turner: "Given the fact that I haven't played a ton in the last year for the national team, of course for me, that makes me feel like the door is always cracked. Everyone has a chance ... I think my messaging for me is just to always be ready. Obviously, I didn't play in the last game. I started the first game [of this window] so for me, it's about training really well. Keep fighting and then the decision will be made on Friday."
Outside of the goalkeeper battle, though, Pochettino may have already tipped his hand at who might be in the lineup against Paraguay on Friday. Seven players started against Senegal and Germany -- Alex Freeman, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun -- and it feels likely they will get the nod again against Paraguay. Some of the remaining gaps are easy to fill in: either Freese or Turner will start in goal, while Chris Richards seems likely to enter the lineup with a few days of training now under his belt. The open question is in the U.S. team's midfield -- Sebastian Berhalter and Gio Reyna were selected against Senegal, but Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman started against Germany, Pochettino boasting a variety of stylistic options but burdened with a crucial choice as the first of a few pivotal games await.
Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long
Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament. Each day begins with Morning Footy, setting the stage with the latest news, storylines, and previews ahead of kickoff. From there, Golazo Matchday and Golazo Matchnight deliver real-time reaction and analysis as the action unfolds. Fans can also tune in for live watchalongs of USMNT matches with the Call It What You Want team, as well as watchalongs for other marquee matchups. The day wraps with Scoreline, a comprehensive nightly recap of every result, moment, and storyline from across the tournament. Altogether, the Golazo Network will deliver up to 12 hours of live programming each matchday, available across the Golazo Network and its YouTube channel.
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