Wales Salvages Tie Against US in World Cup Return

Wales, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1958, held the US team to a 1-1 tie in Qatar on Monday. Tim Weah scored for the US in the 34th minute, and Wales appeared headed for a loss before their captain, Gareth Bale, scored on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, the BBC reports. The US missed the World Cup in 2018, and only one US player on Monday, DeAndre Yedlin, had previous World Cup experience, reports the AP. The crowd of 43,318 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium included US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

The next game for the Americans will be against England on Friday. Earlier Monday, England defeated Iran 6-2. President Biden had called the US players Friday night to wish them luck and quipped, "Coach, put me in, I'm ready to play," the AP reports. "You guys, I know you're the underdog, but I'll tell you what, man, you got some of the best players in the world on your team, and you're representing this country, and I know you're going to play your hearts out, so let's go shock 'em all," Biden said. "You keep trusting in one another, play as hard as you can, and for you and your families, your teammates—and the whole country's rooting for you." (More 2022 World Cup stories.)