United States Men’s National Team manager Gregg Berhalter announced on November 10 the 26-man roster for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FC Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira is among the newest members of the national team that assembles every four years to compete in the World Cup. The U.S. is one of 32 nations to qualify for the competition this cycle and is appearing for the first time in eight years.
Ferreira was recently named Major League Soccer Young Player of the Year and will be 21 years old when competition begins later in November. Ferreira scored 18 goals with Dallas this season to tie the franchise record for most in a year. During MLS breaks, Ferreira was one of several FC Dallas players to participate in USMNT fitness workouts but is the only member of that unit to make the final roster.
The USMNT will open the World Cup competition on November 21 against Wales, then will play England on November 26. The final match of the group competition will be held against Iran on November 29. The two highest-ranking teams from the group of four will advance to the second round featuring 16 teams.
Ferreira got his first World Cup action on the National Team this year during qualifying. He scored his first World Cup goal in a 5-1 victory over Panama.
Fellow FC Dallas forward Paul Arriola — who competed for a roster spot on the USMNT but came up short — also scored in the game. Christian Pulisic scored three times and is expected to be the starting forward after making the USMNT roster.
A notable omission from the roster is former FC Dallas player Ricardo Pepi. Pepi scored three goals for the USMNT during qualifying, but Berhalter said that the team needed to move in a different direction to achieve his goals.
“In the case of Ricardo, that was a really difficult conversation that I had to have with him,” Berhalter said. “It’s always difficult when a guy helps you get to the World Cup; he scores three goals in World Cup qualifying and isn’t going to be a part of the program. And again, it’s more about who we did add that we felt good about.”
Nearly half of the players selected for the USMNT roster play for teams in Europe. Among the MLS players to make the team, Ferreira is joined by Seattle Sounders’ Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan, New York Red Bulls’ Aaron Long, Nashville SC’s Shaq Moore, and New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
Arsenal’s Matt Turner is anticipated to be the starting goalkeeper for the USMNT after the team decided to drop Zach Steffen from the roster. Steffen frequently took starting hits at keeper during qualifying and was widely viewed as the top choice for Berhalter’s team.
The American team is the second-youngest that the U.S. has fielded, with an average age of 25 years and 175 days. The USMNT from 1990 had an average age of 24 years and 24 days, largely as a result of a lack of a professional league in the U.S. at the time.