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USMNT’s Tim Weah dreams of firing the USA towards World Cup 2022, ‘We have the whole country on our back’

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2021

It is the moment Timothy Weah and some of United States men’s international team teammates have been dreaming about for a decade: being at the heart of an American side that gets back to the promised land of international football. Whatever the results over the coming international break when the USMNT takes on Mexico and then heads to Jamaica (a match you can find on Paramount+), nobody’s fate will be decided but this promises to be a crucial moment for Gregg Berhalter’s bright young things.

With the third round of CONCACAF qualifying not even at the halfway stage yet, it is surely too soon for Berhalter and his staff to start making plans for next year’s winter World Cup in Qatar, there are only three points separating the USA in second with Panama in fourth, a spot that brings with it a birth in what would be an extremely competitive intercontinental qualifier.

But Weah and the many other youngsters that make up a burgeoning core of the US squad have been waiting for this moment for a long time. After all, the Lille forward has been friends with Barcelona’s Sergino Dest since he was 11 — “I know him like my own brother” — and in all that time these are the moments they have been dreaming of.

“We always dreamed of making it this far,” Weah told CBS Sports, speaking after signing terms with New Balance. “Before the dream was playing for the first team. We’re doing that now.

“The next is the World Cup. And hopefully, God willing, we can qualify for the World Cup and do well.

“It’s so surreal because even when when when we’re playing the games I think some of us forget that we’re qualifying for a World Cup. It kind of slips my mind sometimes but it’s a great feeling. It’s an honor. It’s a dream come true. It hasn’t really hit me yet.

“But hopefully we just get the job done, you know, do what we have to do. We have the whole country on our back. We want to do it for ourselves and the younger generation and the older generation who didn’t get the chance to play in the last World Cup.”

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Berhalter’s near-three year tenure at the head of the national side has seen a determined effort to blood the best youngsters from the outset; the side that beat Costa Rica 2-1 in Columbus last month had the youngest average age of any XI to represent the USA in a World Cup qualifier at 22 years, 61 days. None of the outfield players were older than 24 and the likes of Weah, Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi were trusted from the outset to secure three critical points after defeat in Panama.

The team heads into this month’s qualifiers without two of their brightest young stars. Dest, who scored the equalizer against Costa Rica, misses out with pain in his lower back while Giovanni Reyna has not yet shaken off the hamstring issue that also sidelined him last month. Though their absences will doubtless be felt, Berhalter is not short of alternatives with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Joe Scally in line for a first cap at fullback while the likes of Weah, Brenden Aaronson and the returning Christian Pulisic will be vying for spots in the frontline.

“I feel that it’s great for team chemistry that there’s rotation in the squad and guys are doing well when they come in,” said Weah. “We have squad depth and a lot of the guys can step up to the plate when the big hitters aren’t here. It’s a great team, no egos at all. The chemistry is great.

“We just have to continue building on that. The guys are happy being in camp, I’m happy when I go. It’s definitely different to club football, much more comfortable there.”

Friday’s clash with Mexico could yet be among the most significant matches the US plays in the Octagonal. A third win over El Tri in 2021 would catapult Berhalter’s side to top spot and offer welcome wiggle room ahead of 2022’s fixtures. Weah figures to play a prominent role at TQL Stadium with Pulisic yet to fully recover from the ankle injury he picked up in September’s win over Honduras.

“When you’re growing up in the national team system, your dream is to play against Mexico,” Weah said. “We know the hype around it. We just have to be ready. Now most of the boys have have loads of experience in CONCACAF, you know, going away to Panama losing there, coming back home and beating Costa Rica, which wasn’t easy, was great.

“So I think we just have to pick up from that momentum last game, and just continue. Hopefully we can get Christian [Pulisic] back and healthy and get the business [done].”

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Mina Kimes Says The Chargers Have 1 Glaring Need In The Draft

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3 mins ago

March 31, 2023

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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Chargers are one of the most talented teams in the NFL, with a quarterback considered to be elite in only his first few years in the league, as Justin Herbert has proven his worth and then some.

Unfortunately, the Chargers have infamously been unable to get it done when they need to get it done the most: in the NFL playoffs.

That’s a pretty big problem, and ESPN’s Mina Kimes thinks she knows how that can start to get fixed, with the team in desperate need of speed and a deep threat for Herbert downfield.

The Chargers have one glaring need they can address in the draft: Speed. pic.twitter.com/sXEIWt0ygJ
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 30, 2023

With the 2023 NFL Draft less than a month away, the Chargers are almost certainly doing their due diligence on the offensive talent available, with wide receiver potentially being a point of emphasis.

Herbert is the team’s best asset, and he could be around for the next decade or more, which means the team needs to build around him while giving him the weapons he needs to succeed, especially in a stacked AFC West division.

As Kimes points out, the draft is filled with talented prospects at the wide receiver position.

Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison, Zay Flowers and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are a few of those talented wide receivers available in the draft that the Chargers should look at, as one of these players could be the missing piece to opening up the offense in Los Angeles.

The Chargers are currently sitting at No. 21 in the first round of the upcoming draft and should be able to grab one of the four wideouts mentioned if they decide to go that route.

The post Mina Kimes Says The Chargers Have 1 Glaring Need In The Draft appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Nick Wright Says 2 Teams Should Be Calling About Damian Lillard

Published

7 mins ago

March 31, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The Damian Lillard era of the Portland Trail Blazers may end after this season, with the team potentially looking at a future without their superstar guard.

Although Lillard wants to retire with the Blazers and has no intention to play anywhere else, the writing seems to be on the wall that he can’t win in Portland, and a change may be needed.

According to Nick Wright of Fox Sports, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers should be the two NBA teams on the phones this summer trying to acquire Lillard in a blockbuster trade.

Dame x Embiid? Dame x Tatum?
— @getnickwright proposes 2 trades for Damian Lillard to leave Portland: pic.twitter.com/YJNpIiywi4
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) March 30, 2023

Wright could be on to something with this take about the Celtics and 76ers, as both teams are incredibly talented but have yet to put it together in the postseason with their superstars in their primes.

The Celtics seem to be on the cusp of a championship, with the team coming into this season off an NBA Finals run and Jayson Tatum looking like he’ll be an MVP candidate in the coming years.

Philadelphia is intriguing because Wright pointed out that Lillard can stretch the defense and give Joel Embiid room to work in the paint.

The James Harden element makes the 76ers much more compelling.

With Lillard, Harden and Embiid, Philadelphia would likely be favorites to win it all, if not at the very least to win the Eastern Conference next season.

At this point, something has to give, or it will be more of the same for Portland, with Lillard left with a legacy of being a dynamic scorer, and that’s about it.

The post Nick Wright Says 2 Teams Should Be Calling About Damian Lillard appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Nick cannot put Mavs struggles all on Kyrie Irving, time for Luka Dončić blame? | What's Wright?

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11 mins ago

March 31, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

The Dallas Mavericks have lost eight of their last 11 games and fell to 9-14 with Kyrie Irving on the team after a 116-108 to the Philadelphia 76ers. While Kyrie has been the talk and attributed reason for the Mavs struggles, Nick Wright says he cannot put all the blame on the point guard. Watch as he discusses how much blame Luka Dončić deserves, including the organization. Nick and Damonza then dive into the recent rise of players asking fans to be ejected of arenas.

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