WESTON MCKENNIE

The United States will play either Ukraine, Wales or Scotland in its World Cup opener, then meet England and Iran in its return to the tournament.

Christian Pulisic struggled in January, was played out of position by Chelsea and even was benched for a World Cup qualifier against Honduras.

Nearly five years after the United States men’s national soccer team famously blew a spot in the 2018 World Cup by losing to a vastly inferior Trinidad and Tobago squad in October of 2017 in the final game of qualifying, the moment of redemption has finally arrived for the Americans.

The U.S. could clinch a return to soccer’s World Cup with two games to spare if it wins in Mexico City, Panama loses at home to last-place Honduras and Costa Rica fails to win at home against first-place Canada.

Gio Reyna, Jordan Pefok and Ethan Horvath are back for the United States’ final World Cup qualifiers but Sergiño Dest appears likely to miss the three games.

American midfielder Weston McKennie has two broken bones in his left foot and will miss the United States’ final three World Cup qualifiers next month.

The U.S. beat winless Honduras 3-0 in a World Cup qualifying match.

Christian Pulisic was benched as U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter changed seven starters for a World Cup qualifier against Honduras in chilly St. Paul, where the temperature at kickoff was 3 degrees (minus-16 Celsius) with a minus-14 windchill.

The U.S. team has embraced the cold during this special winter session of World Cup qualifying play.

Midfielders and defenders are the players providing the goals the United States needs to reach the World Cup.

Defender Chris Richards and midfielder Gianluca Busio entered the U.S. lineup for a match at Jamaica as the Americans started their second-youngest lineup ever in a World Cup qualifier.

Zack Steffen is in quite an unusual position: The No. 2 goalkeeper with Manchester City is No. 1 with the United States. New England's Matt Turner started the first five U.S. qualifiers, and Steffen took over for the 2-1 win over Costa Rica last month.

As much as American soccer players want wins, they crave respect.

Christian Pulisic scored on a glancing header with his first touch of the game in the 74th minute and Weston McKennie added a goal in the 85th to lift the United States over Mexico 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna are missing from the U.S. lineup because of injuries but Weston McKennie will start in a World Cup qualifier against Jamaica after missing two games for violating team COVID protocols.

Panicking American soccer fans were soothed when the U.S. rallied from a halftime deficit to win 4-1 at Honduras in World Cup qualifying.

Weston McKennie could be welcomed back to the U.S. national team in the future, coach Gregg Berhalter said after banishing him from a pair of World Cup qualifiers for violating team COVID-19 protocols.

Players walked off the field dejected and nervous American fans are in an uproar.

The remade U.S. soccer team quickly got itself into trouble in World Cup qualifying, wasting Brenden Aaronson’s second-half goal when Cyle Larin scored to lift Canada into a 1-1 draw.

Midfielder Weston McKennie did not dress for Sunday night's World Cup qualifier against Canada after violating team COVID-19 rules. McKennie, who plays for Juventus, had started Thursday night's opening 0-0 draw at El Salvador and is among the top American players. “Unfortunately, I am suspended for tonight's match due to a violation of team COVID-19 protocols,” McKennie said in a statement he posted on Instagram.

Bumpy field, outdated stadiums.

The United States showed promise but no ability to finish in its pandemic-delayed World Cup qualifying opener, drawing 0-0 at El Salvador in the type of Central American stadium that repeatedly has stymied the Americans.

Nine U.S. starters were set to make their World Cup qualifying debuts against El Salvador, matching the most since 1996.

A new-look U.S. soccer team opens World Cup qualifying in El Salvador on Thursday night, four years after a loss at Trinidad and Tobago ended a streak of seven straight appearances for the Americans in soccer's showcase.

Forward Jozy Altidore and goalkeeper Brad Guzan are on a preliminary 59-man United States roster with a mostly junior varsity appearance for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Christian Pulisic converted a penalty kick in the 114th minute, backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath stopped Andrés Guardado’s penalty kick in the 124th minute and the United States overcame an early defensive blunder to beat Mexico 3-2 in a final of the first CONCACAF Nations League that turned on three video reviews.

Jordan Siebatcheu scored his first international goal in the 89th minute, and the United States beat Honduras 1-0 to reach the final of the first CONCACAF Nations League.

American soccer players are piling up air miles -- all in preparation for unprecedented travel.

(Laurence Griffiths/Pool via AP)CHICAGO – Defender Bryan Reynolds received his first call-up to the U.S. national team after the 19-year-old made his debut for Roma last weekend. Chituru Odunze, an 18-year-old goalkeeper with Leicester, also could debut in exhibitions against Jamaica on March 25 at Wiener Neustadt, Austria, or three days later at Northern Ireland. Forward Matthew Hoppe, who has scored five goals for Schalke this season, was not called in for a possible debut. Germany), Luca de la Torre (Heracles, Netherlands), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Yunus Musah (Valencia, Spain), Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton, England). Forwards: Daryl Dike (Barnsley, England), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen, France), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, England), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, Germany), Tim Weah (Lille, France).

United States' Giovanni Reyna instructs his teammates during the international friendly soccer match between Wales and USA at Liberty stadium in Swansea, Wales, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)Gio Reyna walked onto the field for his U.S. national team debut, just like mom Danielle in 1993, just like dad Claudio in 1994. Reyna played 78 minutes Thursday night and was among six debuts for the Americans in a 0-0 tie against Wales in an exhibition at Swansea. And overall, a 17-year-old debuting and he didn’t look like that.”Claudio Reyna made 112 international appearances from 1994 to 2006, playing in three World Cups. Reyna was in a mobile and dynamic midfield, combining with 21-year-old Tyler Adams of Leipzig and 22-year-old Weston McKennie of Juventus.

Gio Reyna made his U.S. national soccer team debut against Wales at Swansea on Thursday night on the day before his 18th birthday, joining his father and mother as the first three-member family in American history to make international soccer appearances. Reyna and Musah became just the 12th and 13th players to make an appearance before turning 18. Claudio Reyna was a U.S. captain and played in three World Cups. He was 20 years, 5 months, 26 days when he made the first of 112 national team appearances as a 61st-minute substitute in an exhibition against Norway at Tempe, Arizona, on Jan. 15, 1994. Adams makes his first appearance since March 21, 2019, against Ecuador, and Robinson makes his first since June 5, 2019, against Jamaica.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___A women’s world middleweight title fight in England has been called off after a trainer tested positive for the coronavirus. The 29-year-old Marshall was scheduled to fight Hannah Rankin on Saturday in Peterborough for the vacant WBO world middleweight title. ___Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has tested positive for the coronavirus. ___The Canadian round of figure skating’s Grand Prix has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The five-round Grand Prix season is due to begin with Skate America in Las Vegas from Oct. 23-25 without spectators.

TURIN Weston McKennie opened his first news conference as a Juventus player on Monday with a bit of cultural flair, speaking in Italian. McKennie, who is black, has been outspoken about racism and led the protests in Germany after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Italian league has struggled with racism in the past and McKennie hopes he can continue to do his part. The idea of coming to play here, in a club with a great history, immediately thrilled me, McKennie said. In the United States, shops sell the jerseys.

All rights reserved)TURIN Its official: Midfielder Weston McKennie has become the first American player at Juventus. The deal requires Juventus to purchase McKennies full rights at the end of the season for 18.5 million euros ($22 million), although the fee could reach 25.5 million euros ($30 million) with bonuses. McKennie can play any of the midfield positions, which makes him a flexible option for new Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo. McKennie started playing soccer while spending part of his childhood in Germany. At Juventus, McKennie will team with international stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini.

NEW YORK The United States will open qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on the road next June, possibly back in Trinidad and Tobago where it was eliminated from reaching the 2018 tournament. The Americans will close their 14-match round in March 2022 at Costa Rica, where they have lost seven straight qualifiers. The Americans are among five nations with direct berths in the final round of qualifying known as the octagonal joined by Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Jamaica. CONCACAF had used the hexagonal for the final round of qualifying for the World Cups of 1998 through 2018. Canada headed six teams seeded into first-round groups that play a single round robin, with two games each in October and November.

BERLIN Union Berlin striker Anthony Ujah has encouraged his fellow soccer players to be more proactive in the fight against racism. Everybody in the world of soccer knows who Thomas Mller is. I dont know how to explain, but sports has the power to bring people together, Mller said in a video that also showed other Bundesliga players gestures last weekend. Others, including American players Weston McKennie, Zack Steffen and Tyler Adams also expressed solidarity with social media posts and/or on-field statements. If I manage to get just five or 10 people to change their way of thinking about me, then Ive fulfilled my role, Ujah wrote.

(AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool)BERLIN Four young soccer players in Germanys Bundesliga addressed the death of George Floyd in the United States with protests against police brutality and calls for justice over the weekend. Sancho scored his first hat trick in Borussia Dortmunds 6-1 win at Paderborn with no fans present, but removed his jersey after his first goal to reveal a T-shirt with the handwritten message Justice for George Floyd on the front. On Saturday, McKennie wore an armband with the handwritten message Justice for George around his left arm. We as Schalke 04 are supporting our players position 100%, the clubs sporting director Jochen Schneider told the Bild tabloid. The violent death of American citizen George Floyd has shocked people all over the world.

NEW YORK NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says there remains an urgent need for action following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the protests around the country that have followed. As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league, Goodell said in his statement Saturday. There remains an urgent need for action. I understand the outrage because it seems the list continues to grow: Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. Will he be treated like George Floyd or Ahmaud Abrey?

Bremen's Leonardo Bittencourt celebrates after scoring during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Saturday, May 30, 2020. Because of the coronavirus outbreak all soccer matches of the German Bundesliga take place without spectators. With five games remaining, Bayern moved into a 10-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, which plays at Paderborn on Sunday. Only Bayern's players and staff were there to cheer the kind of dominant win which would normally put Bayern fans in a party mood. Hertha beat Augsburg 2-0 to make it 10 points from four games since the Bundesliga resumed in empty stadiums this month.