With the USMNT preparing for upcoming friendlies, while most of CONCACAF returns to Nations League play - here’s a brief look at the CNL format, FIFA Rankings, and my projection for the USMNT’s CNL quarterfinal opponent in November.

With the announcement out of CONCACAF today regarding the Gold Cup, Nations League, and Copa America dates and structures – the USMNT schedule for the next three years leading up to World Cup 2026 just got much clearer.

oday is my birthday. Along with my thoughts of growing older, recently returning from the World Cup in Qatar, and my ongoing interest in U.S. Soccer history - I am repeatedly reminded of the recent death of Sigi Strizl. Most of you won’t know who Sigi Strizl was. But you also won’t know that for almost two years, I’ve been retracing the stories of many forgotten USMNT players. For myself, Sigi, and those of you with an interest in the subject…here’s a little story about Sigi.

The decision to wear an eagle costume in Brazil eight years ago has led to some of my closest friendships and many positive fan interactions. It has also provided many opportunities to represent and advocate for fans. As the final whistle blew in Orlando, there were chants of “We are Going to Qatar.” It was true, for either the Intercontinental World Cup qualifier or as part of the 32-team World Cup field, the U.S. National Team was Going to Qatar…would we?

Today, FIFA representatives provided a briefing and answered questions regarding FIFA’s security plans for the World Cup stadiums. The virtual briefing was attended by the Qatar Fan Leader Network members, as well as the general public, and a big thanks go to USA Super Fan, Chris Wixson, for the screenshot grabs.

To date, there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the Hayya Card - how to apply, what is needed for approval, how to use it, etc. In this post, I will assume you have an approved Hayya Card and will take you step-by-step through how to use your Hayya Card to enter Qatar, access transportation, and enter the stadium based on my experience at the Lusail Super Cup.

Before traveling to Doha to join the Lusail Super Cup Fan Delegation, I obtained a list of questions from the fan in the US Supporters Going to Qatar Facebook Group. The information below represents my best effort to obtain accurate answers to the questions posed by our Facebook group – based on our Fan Delegation briefings and information made available by FIFA (think International Olympic Committee) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (think Los Angeles Organizing Committee).

On August 16, the Qatar Fan Leader Network held a workshop covering various fan activities being planned for Qatar 2022. Below are notes from the conference and answers to questions posed by the US Supporter’s Going to Qatar Facebook Group

Now that the lottery for phase 2 is complete and notifications have been sent, undoubtedly many of you are looking to change the names of your guests, or even the main applicant on your ticket applications.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to changing the names of ticket holders for your World Cup tickets

Today I participated in the Qatar 2022 Fan Booking Journey Workshop as a member of the Qatar Fan Leaders Network. This workshop included presentations and a Q&A session with experts from the ticketing team, accommodation team, and the Hayya card (fan ID) team. In this blog post I’ve covered the major discussion points for fans planning to travel FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in a Q&A format.

Last week when I wrote about World Cup accommodations in Qatar, I received some questions and comments about flights into the country, so I wanted to share my thoughts and plans.

Here are some early thoughts on booking World Cup accommodations on the eve of the Official Accommodation Agency opening their website for reservations.

In honor of Black History Month here’s a brief excerpt of my writings on Yari Allnutt.

The launch of a website today marks another milestone in my effort to move forward the three objectives that I have set forth for Eagleman Soccer…