U.S. eNational Team Prepares For FIFAe Nations Cup 2023, Featuring USA, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, Panama
Team Begins Quest to Win First FIFAe Nations Cup title on Dec. 15
CHICAGO (Dec. 15, 2022) – The United States eNational team has begun preparations for a new season as the third annual FIFAe Nations Cup kicks off on Dec. 15-16, streaming live on U.S. Soccer’s Twitch channel. The U.S. will begin its campaign in Division 1 of the North & Central America region alongside Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. The first step is the FIFAe Nations Play-Ins, with each nation playing each other twice through three matchweeks from December to March of 2023.
U.S. eNATIONAL TEAM ROSTER (CLUB; HOMETOWN) –
Mohamed Diop / KingCJ0 (DC United; New Jersey, NJ)
Gordon Thornsberry / FCC Fiddle (Vancouver Whitecaps FC; Cincinnati, OH)
Ehsan Zakaria / LampsFIFA (Minnesota United FC; New York, NY)
Christopher Holly / Didychrislito (New York City FC; New York, NY)
Schedule
|
Date |
Matches |
Kickoff (Local) |
|
Dec. 15 |
USA vs. Mexico |
6 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 15 |
USA vs. Canada |
6:30 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 15 |
USA vs. Costa Rica |
7:40 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 15 |
USA vs. Puerto Rico |
8:10 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 16 |
USA vs. Mexico |
6 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 16 |
USA vs. Canada |
6:30 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 16 |
USA vs. Costa Rica |
7:40 p.m. ET |
|
Dec. 16 |
USA vs. Puerto Rico |
8:10 p.m. ET |
Roster
Diop and Thornsberry earned their spots on the eNational Team after winning the inaugural U.S. Soccer eNT Open in 2021. Despite qualifying for the FIFAe Nations Cup in 2021, the team was unable to compete as the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team narrowly missed out on qualification for the FIFA eNations Cup 2022 and are looking to bounce back with a strong display in 2023. Zakaria and Holly have been called up for national duty following stellar performances in domestic play as well as at the FIFAe World Cup, with both players placing within the top 16 players in the world.
Format
The U.S. will compete in Division 1 of the North & Central America region alongside Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. Following the conclusion of Matchweek 3, the top two teams will move on to the FIFAe Nations Playoffs. Nations that do not make the playoffs will enter a qualifier stage for the remaining playoff spots. During the playoffs, two teams from the North & Central America region will qualify to join the world’s best at the FIFAe Nations Cup 2023.
A total of 23 teams and the host nation (TBD) will qualify for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2023, with exact dates and venues to be announced.