sport news The countdown to kickoff: US soccer fans eagerly await World Cup opener ... trends now

sport news The countdown to kickoff: US soccer fans eagerly await World Cup opener ... trends now
sport news The countdown to kickoff: US soccer fans eagerly await  World Cup opener ... trends now

sport news The countdown to kickoff: US soccer fans eagerly await World Cup opener ... trends now

As if the week leading up to Thanksgiving wasn't already stressful enough, American soccer fans will struggle to incorporate the country's biggest soccer game in nearly a decade into their Mondays.

With Team USA's World Cup opener against Wales scheduled for 2pm EST, bars across the US will be packed at off-peak hours by those lucky enough to get out of work. Others who aren't as fortunate will be searching for ways to watch Fox Sports and Telemundo's coverage from Qatar on their phones and computers.

For many, it will mark a new experience for the growing number of soccer fans in the US. The team didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia – considered one of the greatest disappointments in USMNT history – and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was played at convenient times for American audiences, given the shared time zones.

Since then, soccer has moved ahead of hockey to become the fourth most-watched sport among Americans, who have grown accustomed to watching European matches on weekend mornings.

And increasingly, those matches are played by Americans: Juventus' Weston McKennie, Chelsea's Christian Pulisic, or Leeds United's Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson, not to mention Arsenal keeper Matt Turner and Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna.

The sudden glut of American soccer talent has yet to translate to World Cup success, but it has given to some murmurings that the country finally has its 'Golden Generation' in the world's sport.

'I think it can be, and I say that because – I'm sure other people will say this as well – but because of the talent and the youthfulness of the National Team,' former USMNT star DaMarcus Beasley told The Athletic. 'And then obviously, leading up to 2026, (the World Cup) is in America, everything is just in line to be that Golden Generation.'

Forward Christian Pulisic of the United States, left, participates in an official training on the eve of the group B World Cup soccer match between United States and Wales

Forward Christian Pulisic of the United States, left, participates in an official training on the eve of the group B World Cup soccer match between United States and Wales

Weston McKennie of United States reacts during the United States Training and Press Conference at Al Gharafa SC Stadium

Weston McKennie of United States reacts during the United States Training and Press Conference at Al Gharafa SC Stadium 

USA's goalkeeper Matt Turner takes part in a training session at Al Gharafa SC Stadium in Doha on November on Sunday

USA's goalkeeper Matt Turner takes part in a training session at Al Gharafa SC Stadium in Doha on November on Sunday 

US coach Gregg Berhalter and 23-year-old Tyler Adams, the youngest American World Cup captain since 1950

US coach Gregg Berhalter and 23-year-old Tyler Adams, the youngest American World Cup captain since 1950

At the center of American's youth movement is Adams, who was appointed captain at the unusual age of 23 to become the youngest at this year's tournament and the youngest for the Americans at the soccer showcase since Walter Bahr in 1950.

'I want to be a winner. So first off, I'm very competitive,' Adams said after US coach Gregg Berhalter's announcement Sunday. 'I want to hold the guys around me to the same standard. I don't want to lose and then have to point the finger and say, `You let me down today.′ I just want to make sure that everyone's on the same page intensity-wise, mentality-wise, no frustration — we all buy into the same thing. And, yeah, I think I've been doing that since a young age.'

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