It was tumultuous and often disturbing, but the United States have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a third-best nation in the CONCACAF qualifying zone. Although they are not favourites to win the tournament, USMNT’s qualification will ensure that American audiences will be watching live football on TV during Qatar 2022.
The USMNT defied inconsistency and insecurity throughout this qualifying cycle to return to the global showpiece for the first time since 2014.
After seven successive qualifications for the final tournaments, a failed attempt to advance to ‘Russia 2018’ came as a massive upset for the entire country.
However, Gregg Berhalter’s blossoming young squad brought things back to normal, even though their performances in the recently completed qualifiers flattered the deceive.
Christian Pulisic and his comrades finished third behind bitter rivals Mexico and Canada in the CONCACAF standings, avoiding inter-confederation play-offs by virtue of goal difference.
It looked virtually impossible before the Octagonal stage began last September, yet Canada left the US in their wake, having even gone unbeaten in both qualifying match-ups (W1, D1).
Moreover, despite beating Mexico in back-to-back grand finals last summer, Berhalter’s men were forced to watch El Tri walking away with a runner-up finish.
So the USMNT will have a point to prove in Qatar towards the end of the year after getting their foot in the door following a stuttering 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign under Jurgen Klinsmann.
Who will lead the United States’ glory hunt in Qatar?
Berhalter boasts arguably the most talented generation of the USMNT players, led by Chelsea quick-silver winger Pulisic.
In addition to the ex-Borussia Dortmund star, Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Timothy Weah and Brenden Aaronson are all ready to excel at the upcoming final tournament.
All of the abovementioned players are major figures in their respective clubs, with none yet to turn 24, meaning they have yet to reach their peak powers.
Since some of them were in and out of the USMNT squad throughout the qualifying cycle, a lack of on-field understanding could pose a problem on the biggest stage later this year.
Hence, pre-tournament friendlies could serve to polish the chemistry within the squad even further and allow Berhalter to understand the capability of his standout performers.
How far can they go?
After making his nation proud, US head coach Berhalter outlined his goals for the upcoming showpiece event.
In an interview with ESPN, the 48-year-old admitted that reaching the World Cup knock-outs is a bare minimum he would expect out of his men.
“You see the time and time again, top teams not getting out of their group. So it has to be a priority for any team to get out of your group and go from there, see where you play next, prepare to beat that team.“And that’s where it becomes fun.”
Interestingly, the US have made it out of the World Cup group phase in their last two appearances at the final tournaments. However, they failed to get past the round of 16 on both occasions. The pressure on them to join the list of World Cup champions won’t be high this time around, although expectations for 2026 (with the US as joint-hosts) are surely going to be much higher.
The USMNT’s wait for their first quarter-finals appearance now stretches back to 2002, and this seems to be their best opportunity to put an end to it, and to build momentum for 2026.
