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JEWISH PLAYERS AND STORYLINES
TO WATCH IN 2022 WORLD CUP
Jacob Gurvis | JTA
Grass, Thomas-Soellner / iStock / Getty Images Plus; Ball,romakoshel / iStock / Getty Images Plus
IT’S A WORLD CUP like no other in recent memory.

Th at’s because it’s taking place in Qatar, where
temperatures don’t usually fall under 80 degrees
Fahrenheit. Th e headlines going in have been focused on the
country’s widely criticized human-rights record. Th e
preparations for the fi rst World Cup hosted in the
Arab world have taken years to complete, have cost
more than $200 billion and, according to human-
rights organizations around the world, have led to the
deaths of thousands of migrant workers.

Qatar also has no diplomatic relations with Israel,
leaving its fans in a somewhat tense situation.

But beneath these headlines, there are other Jewish
angles to the world’s biggest sports spectacle.

AMERICA HAS TWO JEWISH PLAYERS
Jewish professional men’s soccer players from the United
States who compete on the world stage are a rare phe-
nomenon. But this year, the U.S. men’s national team has
two on its roster, including the likely starting goalie.

Matt Turner, a 28-year-old New Jersey native who
didn’t seriously begin playing soccer until he was 14,
struggled to prove himself through high school, college
and the start of his professional career.

Aft er going undraft ed in Major League Soccer, he
joined the New England Revolution in 2016. In 2020,
Turner ascended to the upper echelon of the sport’s goal-
keepers. He’s now the backup keeper for Arsenal F.C., one
of the top clubs in England’s Premier League.

Turner’s father is Jewish and his mother is Catholic, but
he identifi es more with the Jewish tradition, according to
a profi le in Th e Athletic. Turner’s great-grandparents fl ed
Europe during World War II because they were Jewish;
once they arrived at Ellis Island, they changed their name
to Turner, he explained on soccer journalist Grant Wahl’s
podcast. Turner obtained Lithuanian citizenship in 2020.

His teammates playing defense include DeAndre
Yedlin, a Seattle native who was raised Jewish but
has said he practices Buddhism. Yedlin has a large
Hebrew tattoo on his right shoulder in honor of his
great-grandparents. Yedlin, who is of African-American, Native American
and Latvian heritage, is in his fi rst year of a four-year
contract with the MLS team Inter Miami aft er spending
fi ve seasons with the Premier League’s Newcastle United.

He is the only player on the U.S. roster with World Cup
experience; he served a bench role in 2014.

While Yedlin’s playing time this year may not be
much diff erent, his off -fi eld presence is seen as an
asset. “He’s a glue guy,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said.

“He’s there for the team; he creates atmosphere for the
team. Sometimes, he’s a shoulder to cry on or to talk to.

Other times, he’s a motivator.”
(A third member of the U.S. team, forward Brendan
Aaronson, is not Jewish but occasionally gets questions
about his background due to his Ashkenazi-sounding
surname.) Clockwise, from top:
Jose Pekerman
Andres Cantor
Matt Turner
DeAndre Yedlin
Robbie Jay Barratt, AMA/Getty Images
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images
John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images
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