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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Mathew Davies

The Wales XI fans want to see start against the USA in World Cup opener amid surprise picks

The 64-year wait is almost over.

Wales' World Cup campaign begins on Monday, November 21 when they face the US in their opening fixture.

Rob Page picked a 26-man squad to take out to Qatar and after all the excitement of the announcement in Tylorstown last week, the real work starts now.

Wales have been in the Middle East since Wednesday acclimatising to the extreme heat in the country, even pushing back training later in the day to avoid the sweltering temperatures.

Get our brilliant 48-page Wales at the World Cup souvenir guide to the tournament

Attention will turn to who Page selects for the all-important match against the Americans; one suspects the winner of the tie will have one foot in the next round. Wales also face Iran and England in the group stages later this month.

Earlier this week we asked you, the fans, to pick your starting XI, and this is what you came up with.

In goal, Danny Ward gets the nod over Wayne Hennessey in an extremely tight vote. Both keepers have done well for their country, with Hennessey heroic in the play-off final against Ukraine. Ward's good form for Leicester City could have been a factor in supporters' decisions. It still amounts to a bit of a surprise, though.

In a 4-3-3 formation, the backline you want to see comprises Connor Roberts (right-back), Joe Rodon and Ben Davies at centre-back and Neco Williams on the left.

In midfield, you've gone attacking; Aaron Ramsey is flanked by Joe Allen and Brennan Johnson . All eyes will be on Allen's fitness for the competition, having not played a game since the end of September due to a hamstring injury. It means there is no room for Ethan Ampadu in either defence or midfield, but he is likely to play a key role off the bench for Wales.

Up top, you've plumped for Kieffer Moore as the focal point of the attack, with skipper Gareth Bale on the right and Daniel James on the left; it was a close call between James and Harry Wilson - club mates at Fulham, of course - but the former gets the nod from the Red Wall.

Your team to face US: Ward; Roberts, Rodon, B Davies, N Williams; Johnson, Ramsey, Allen; Bale, Moore, James.

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