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USA World Cup Schedule
Carlos España, staff writer
The USA national team is waiting to start its 11th World Cup. After not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the USA dreams of reaching its competition record, which is the quarterfinals. The United States team managed to put together a young team, but without much experience, which we hope will not affect the team.
The USA group stage schedule is the following:
USA vs Wales: on Nov. 21, 2022, at 11 a.m PST, in Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar. If the USA team does not want to complicate the group stage, this would be the match they must win to guarantee almost 100% their pass to the next round.
England vs USA: on Nov. 25, 2022, at 11 a.m. PST, in Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar. If the USA manages to beat Wales, they could allow a loss or a draw against England, which is the best team in the group.
USA vs Iran: on Nov. 29, 2022, at 11 a.m. PST, in Al Thumama, Doha, Qatar. This will be the easiest match of group stage, so USA should win without problem to guarantee their passage to the next round.
All group stage matches will be tuned by FOX Sports and Telemundo.
Team USA World Cup Preview
Nathan Paddock, staff writer
With the World Cup kicking off in late November, we can back our US men’s team in their first group match, facing off with Gareth Bale and the Wales national team on the 21st. Coming off a 2-0 loss to Japan and a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, we are entering the group stage with very little pressure and a big chip on our shoulders.
Some notable faces on the team you can look for are Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Sergino Dest (AC Milan), Tyler Adams (Leeds United) and Matt Turner (Arsenal). All four players have been competing in major leagues of soccer from around the world, such as the England Premier League (England’s 1st division), La Liga (Spain’s 1st division) and Serie A (Italy’s 1st Division) and have been seeing quality minuets for the clubs. As a US men’s team fan, you will have the excitement of watching young athletes grow as players and become more competitive on a national level by the time the 2026 World Cup comes around in North America.
Team USA will enter this year’s World Cup with the youngest roster out of all countries (Starting XI average age of 23.1 Y/O) with the second youngest being Ghana (with an avg. age of 25.1 Y/O) and the rest of the starting XI’s averaging an age of 27.1 years or older. Gregg Berhalter (Team USA Coach) will look to add experience to his youthful squad and stated on Collin Cowered talk show “The Herd” early in July that “once [our squad] is on the field, anything can happen” and that we’ll have the country behind us that night, so why not us?
The byproduct behind having a young squad can be a difficult process, especially when facing billion-dollar squads like England, but with nothing to lose, why not us? No matter the results, as team USA fans we have to keep our motto in the back of our head’s: “We are strong together, and together, we are one nation.”
NFL Trade Deadline
Rebecca Gonzalez, staff writer
The NFL trade deadline was Nov. 1. Teams have searched to make big moves that can bring them beneficial changes. With this open trade window, some players are traded into great conditions like Von Miller, who went to the Rams last season and later won the Super Bowl. DeAndre Hopkins was traded in 2020 from the underwhelming Houston Texans to play with Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. Twenty players were traded during the stretch, making quite interesting headlines.
The Carolina Panthers traded two stars leaving them with more struggles. Receiver Robbie Anderson was first to go when Carolina traded him to the Arizona Cardinals in return for 2024 sixth-round and 2025 seventh-round picks. Arizona decided to acquire Anderson after wide receiver Marquise Brown suffered a foot injury with an indefinite timetable to return.
Running back Christan McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for 2023 second, third, fourth, and 2024 fifth-round draft picks. McCaffrey had 393 rushing yards and two touchdowns in six games for the Panthers. McCaffrey has suffered from several injuries but is remarkable when healthy. The 49ers hope to improve their offense with a stellar running back.
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded running back James Robinson to the New York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round pick. This was followed by the Jets losing their standout running back, Breece Hall, with a torn ACL. Hall was in his rookie year and contributed greatly to the Jets with 468 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns. The Jets were short of a running back and made an outstanding choice with Robinson. The undrafted free agent signed to Jacksonville in 2020 and holds the NFL record for most scrimmage yards from an undrafted rookie. This season he leads the Jaguars with 81 carries and 340 rushing yards.
In regards to Jacksonville trading Robinson, they picked up WR Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons. It was a bold decision considering that Ridley has been suspended for the year after betting on NFL games. Should the receiver be reinstated next season, Jaguars will have a top-notch duo along with Christian Kirk. Ridley had just about 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. Falcons traded safety Dean Marlowe and linebacker Deion Jones for draft picks. Marlowe is sent to the Buffalo Bills that he previously played for for a few years. Marlowe would comfortably fit in with the defense due to the familiarity. He certainly can see more snaps as they are dealing with injuries. Jones heads to the Cleveland Browns to strengthen their defense. Jones has had over 100 tackles in five of his six previous seasons.
Bills traded RB Zack Moss to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for RB Nyheim Hines. Moss is given a chance to showcase his talent on a fresh start with the Colts. Hines is a rusher and pass-catcher who can complement Bills Devin Singletary. This trade adds more to the Bills stellar offense.
Butte College Football vs Sierra
Chandler Monahan, staff writer
The Butte College Roadrunners (5-3) faced off against the Sierra College Wolverines (6-2) on Oct. 30. The men’s football team came off a stunning two-point loss the week before against American River College and played with vengeance against the Wolverines. The Roadrunners worked hard all week at practice and hoped to strike early and out-physical their opponent.
The Roadrunners got off to a quick 12-point lead early against the Wolverines. However, the Sierra College quarterback wanted to show off his wheels, and scored on the ground twice to regain the lead and make it 14-12. The Roadrunners fired back, with a touchdown strike delivered from sophomore QB Tanner Hughes. The Roadrunners would regain the lead and make the score 19-12. Sierra College would strike again to retake the lead and make the score 20-19. On the last play of the first half, Sierra College QB would look to rush for the first down only to go down for the rest of the game with an apparent shoulder injury.
In the second half, the Roadrunners extended their lead and held the Wolverines to 0 second half points. Quarterback Tanner Hughes would go on to throw two more accurate touchdown passes to make for a final score of 46-20. The Roadrunners are looking to close out the season with two more conference games. They will travel to the College of Siskiyous.
The Dallas Cowboys added to their defensive line by securing Johnathan Hankins from the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders received 2023 sixth-round and 2024 seventh round picks in return. The solid defender has 10 tackles and one QB hit in five games with Las Vegas this season. In his 10 year career, Hankins has 366 tackles and 14.5 sacks.
Kansas City Chiefs secured another receiver to their superteam after trading for Kadarius Toney from the New York Giants. The sophomore receiver had been sidelined since Week 2 due to injury. This gives Patrick Mahomes another potential target along with Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mecole Hardman. New York has lost WR Sterling Shepard for the season with ACL and TE Daniel Bellinger with an eye injury. The wide out positions for the Giants are very limited.
The Chiefs have traded cornerback Rashad Fenton to the Falcons. Fenton, 2019 draft pick, played a underrated role for the Kansas City secondary. He was recently replaced as a starter but goes to Atlanta to fill in for their injured corners.
Chicago Bears gave DE Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia in exchange of a 2023 fourth-round pick. The veteran set the Bears’ single-season sack record last season with 18.5. Quinn joins Philadelphia’s intimidating rotation including Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat. Bears also traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for A.J. Klein. Smith is a two-time All-Pro linebacker leading the league with 83 tackles. The Ravens acquiring the defensive playmaker is a big move as the Bears seem to be in the rebuilding phase.
To add to their rebuild team, the Bears traded for Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Claypool has a total of 12 receiving touchdowns in his short career. Steelers don’t seem to be fazed as they still have Diontae Johnson along with recently drafted George Pickens and Calvin Austin. Claypool will provide receiver help for Chicago’s quarterback Justin Fields.
Pittsburgh picked up CB William Jackson III from the Washington Commanders. Jackson has dealt with a back injury and last played in Week 5. Commanders picked up the corner before the 2021 season but saw that his contribution has unsettled.
The Miami Dolphins traded RB Chase Edmonds to the Denver Broncos for pass-rusher Bradley Chubb. Dolphins were looking for someone to upgrade their defense and Chubb has done great so far this season. Edmonds was not being used a ton with Miami as Raheem Mostert was playing the starting role. The running back would be in the aid of Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray in Denver. The Broncos went ahead and picked up veteran defensive lineman Jacob Martin to replace the loss of Chubb.
Because the Dolphins got rid of Edmonds, they were able to acquire RB Jeff Wilson from the 49ers to set the offense. In eight games, Wilson has around 500 yards and two touchdowns. His role became smaller following San Francisco’s trade for Christian McCaffrey.
Detriot Lions traded TE T.J. Hockenson to their division rival Minnesota Vikings. The move comes in need of tight end position as Irv Smith Jr. from the Vikings suffered a high ankle sprain. Hockenson is a significant talent who spent four seasons with the Lions. His week flipped going from last place to first place in the NFC North.