The USMNT only has six more games before the 2022 World Cup, beginning Wednesday with a friendly against Morocco at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. How to watch USA vs Morocco has never been more important — every single chapter is now leading directly to the final act. It's time to nail down our cast of characters.
USA vs Morocco kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 1, with TV coverage provided by ESPN2, UniMás and TUDN. Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman will be commentating with Jillian Sakovitz reporting from the sidelines. The United States has never defeated Morocco in three previous meetings, including a 1-0 defeat in Nashville before the 2006 World Cup. Hugo Pérez and Eric Wynalda have scored the country's only goals against the Atlas Lions.
Both nations will be at the World Cup, but teams in Group B (USA) and Group F (Morocco) couldn't possibly meet until the semifinals.
How To Watch USA Vs Morocco
Date: Wednesday, June 1 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN | Streaming: ESPN App, TUDN.com
USMNT Roster News
The U.S. has a 26-man roster for June friendlies against Morocco and Uruguay followed by Nations League matches against Grenada and El Salvador. 23-year-old attacking midfielder Djordje Mihailovic was included on the back of an excellent start to the MLS season (14 appearances, seven goals, three assists), but the CF Montréal playmaker has been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury.
Goalkeeper Zack Steffen also withdrew from camp due to family reasons and was replaced by NYCFC's Sean Johnson. Gio Reyna is still out with his latest hamstring setback.
The squad includes a trio of uncapped, European-based players in Haji Wright (Antalyaspor), Joe Scally (Gladbach) and Malik Tillman (Bayern Munich), while Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson return to the fold after missing the final games of the qualifying cycle through injury.
Some good news for your Tuesday…
FIFA has approved the one-time change of association application for @FCBayernEN attacker Malik Tillman, who is now eligible to play for the #USMNT pic.twitter.com/Q78FhK1bNE— USMNT (@USMNT) May 31, 2022
At center back, three players are hoping to use this window to stake a claim at the heart of America's defense alongside Walker Zimmerman after Miles Robinson ruptured his Achilles: RBNY's Aaron Long, Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers and Troyes' Erik Palmer-Brown.
It looks like manager Gregg Berhalter intends to take a good, hard look at Jesús Ferreira as the No. 9 — the 21-year-old is leading MLS with nine goals — but Wright will also get an audition up top after scoring 14 goals in 32 appearances in this season's Turkish Süper Lig.
Morocco Roster News
Squad List : The Team is complete !#DimaMaghrib #AtlasLions #TeamMorocco pic.twitter.com/p0BOe6WONa
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) May 25, 2022
Morocco, the 24th ranked nation in the world, has this one single friendly against the USMNT before undergoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in June and September before the start of the World Cup. The Atlas Lions have been placed in an incredibly difficult group in Qatar with Croatia, Belgium and Canada, so this match against the U.S. is effectively being used to help prepare Morocco for that game against the Canucks.
The team remains without Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, who announced his international retirement back in February after falling out with manager Vahid Halilhodžić. Clearly those bridges remain burned.
Bayern Munich right back Noussair Mazraoui has returned to the squad, but he'll miss this match with an injury.
There are still many players to keep a close eye on, including the Sevilla trio of goalkeeper Bono and attackers Youssef En-Nesyri and Munir, Wolves defender Romain Saïss, Benfica playmaker Adel Taarabt, Marseille attacker Amine Harit and world-class PSG fullback Achraf Hakimi.
Having spent what seems like an eternity having only played Concacaf opposition, this friendly against Morocco is just what Dr. Joe Machnik ordered. It gets even better on June 5 with a friendly against Uruguay at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.
