2022 World Cup Daily Watch Guide: Nov. 21, England vs. Iran, Senegal vs. Netherlands, USA vs. Wales

So, soccer was played on Sunday to kick off the 2022 World Cup. It was largely one-sided soccer that was played, hence our slightly tempered enthusiasm. Ecuador overcome an offside call (canceling what would have been the fastest goal in the opening match of a World Cup) to roll out to a 2-0 halftime lead, win by that scoreline and make some history in the process. Qatar, by losing, becomes the first host nation to lose its opening match — in a match that was supposed to highlight Qatari soccer globally. 

On Monday, we get World Cup soccer proper with a slate of three matches, rounding out Group A and starting up Group B play. 

The three matches

• England vs. Iran, 5 a.m. PT/7 a.m. CT/8 a.m. ET (Khalifa International Stadium, Doha)

• Senegal vs. Netherlands,  8 a.m. PT/10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. CT (Al-Thumama Stadium, Doha)

• USA vs. Wales, 11 a.m. PT/1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan) 

How to watch 

• England vs. Iran, FS1 and Telemundo; Senegal vs Netherlands and USA vs. Wales, Fox and Telemundo (with same-day 4k replays on Tubi)

What the oddsmakers say

• England -300, Iran +950, Draw +400

• Senegal +525, Netherlands -185, Draw +300

• USA + 135, Wales +225, Draw +210

(odds courtesy of BetMGM) 

Narratives we’ll be watching for

At The Striker, we’ve been following the fortunes of the USMNT through last summer’s Gold Cup and the qualifying cycle. We’ve seen Ricardo Pepi wax and Ricardo Pepi wane, with former FC Dallas teammate Jesus Ferreira supplanting him as Gregg Berhalter's first-choice No. 9. We’ve seen the team be confident and then we’ve seen the most recent September friendlies where the team most certainly did not exude confidence. What will this promising young team — yet, one that is still very much a work in progress — be when it takes the field against Wales? 

Of course, on the other side of the late game, what does Gareth Bale have left in the tank following a half-season with LAFC with spotty showings throughout the regular season and then one absolutely transcendent moment in the final that made it all worthwhile to bring him in.  

For England, kicking off the tournament about an Iran team that is relatively shrouded in mystery (at least, compared to the other three teams largely under Premier League and MLS-sized spotlights), expectations are for the squad to win the group and then falter somewhere along the way. Given that the Three Lions got all the way to the semis before crashing out in 2018, there will be tension for England fans every step of the way. The team’s incredibly talented, but what level of belief will they have once the ball’s rolled out? 

And as for the Netherlands, playing a Sadio Mane-less Senegal tomorrow, coach Louis van Gaal gave his squad a great compliment (while trashing the 2014 squad) heading into the tournament. 

Oranj has the best chance to elevate out of Group A, though La Tri’s performance Sunday certainly changes the calculus. 

• READ MORE: Group A Preview
• READ MORE: Group B Preview

What happened in the previous day's action

In Group A action on Sunday, Enner Valencia scored a brace — after an apparent opening goal inside of four minutes was called back for an eyebrow-raising offside call — to lead Ecuador past Qatar 2-0. That win puts additional pressure on Netherlands and Senegal to get at least a result on Monday. Ecuador fans also contributed to the ongoing lore of World Cup fan involvement by shouting, "Queremos cerveza" ("We want beer") in the second half.

Unless Qatari officials about-face their recent about-face, they won't be getting beer anywhere near a stadium this World Cup, but they could indeed want cerveza into the knockout rounds. We’re not saying Ecuador’s winning the group following Sunday’s win, but we’re also not not saying it.