Rebuilding the national team was just part of the puzzle for the U.S. Logistical planning for the 2022 World Cup had to begin years ago as well, and it shows.
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Close to 2:30 in the afternoon, a prayer call coming from a speaker somewhere in this neighborhood on the outskirts of Doha wafted into the Thani bin Jassim Stadium.
There’s nothing especially noteworthy about this modest 20-year-old, 21,000-seat facility, whose seats are colored in the blue and yellow of seven-time national champ Al Gharafa SC. It’s a low, ovular bowl with gradually sloping stands that resembles many arenas of its size and type around the world.