Youth is served, or youth is wasted on the young. Pick your cliche, as the USMNT is by far the youngest team to qualify for the World Cup. Through qualifiers, the USA starting lineup came in at an average of 23.82, almost two years younger than the next youngest team, Ghana at 25.67.
Overall, the other 31 participating teams in Qatar have a first 11 average age of 27.5 almost four full years older than the Stars and Stripes.
World Cup Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: 1pm CST, Mon Nov 21 Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
USMNT Team News: go here
Current FIFA world ranking: Wales 19 USMNT 16
World Cup titles: Wales 0 USMNT 0
World Cup Highest Finish: Wales quarter-final, 1958 USMNT 3rd, 1930
Previous World Cup appearances: Wales 1 USMNT 9
So “Youth Gone Wild” like Skid Row, or “Young American” like David Bowie? We’ll go with James Brown, “Living in America.”
As you might expect, especially so given how they didn’t qualify for Russia 2018, almost everyone on the Yanks roster is a World Cup debutante.
DeAndre Yedlin is the lone World Cup veteran on this team, as he earned a World Cup cap at Brazil 2014.
So what’s the best first XI that head coach Gregg Berhalter can pick? Well, this is our story and we’re sticking with it.
For more on the USA roster selection go here. For our Group B Preview go here.
USMNT Starting XI Prediction vs Wales (World Cup Group Stage):
Turner; A. Robinson, Ream, Zimmerman, Dest; Adams, McKennie, Musah; Pulisic, Ferreira, Weah
Prediction: USMNT 1, Wales 0
If you ask me my favorite color, I’ll tell you it’s a three-way tie between red, white and blue.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.