In FIFA, 2022 is not the year for the United States Men’s National Team. The journey in Qatar ended with a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands. The coach of USMNT Gregg Brehallter’s youth side appeared in the first knockout round.
Tears appear from Christain Pulisic and company on hearing the final whistle. With the big loss to the Dutch at Khalifa International Stadium, the team flew back home with heavy hearts.
Unlike other teams, not many people expected anything from the USA team in the Middle East. Few sites even opposed the favors of the States to get out of Group B. Team Wales is tipped to finish second to team England in the World Cup betting markets.
Most people would have been shocked by the prediction as the Red Dragons’ make their first appearance at the FIFA tournament after 62 years. The team was largely forgotten to finish bottom of the group with a point from a 1-1 draw with the US team.
On the other side, The US team sealed the second spot with an unbeaten record from their 3 games in Group B. In the first match, the team had a draw with the Welsh. After the goalless match with England, the team finally got the victory of 1-0 over Iran.
The match with the Netherlands in the last 16 was very exciting and became an uphill task for the US. In the pool of youngest teams in FIFA, the experience of the Dutch proved too much for USMNT. Daley Blind and Memphis Depay scored two goals before half-time. In the second-half, Denzel Derfries added a third goal in the final 10 minutes of the match after Haji Wright fired one goal for the US.
There seem to be lots of positives from the States to take away from the football tournament as they made it out of the group into the knockout rounds.
It seems plenty for Gregg Berhalter to build up the team for the next four years. With an average age of about 25.2, most of his players seem to be playing in the World Cup in 2026.
Now the big factor that we haven’t talked about yet is the fact the next World Cup is to be held in their homeland. Yes the US is to share the hosting duties with the neighboring countries Mexico and Canada. The final match is sure to be held in one of their assured 11 stadiums, likely the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with 82,500 seats.
With the positive news that the USMNT has secured the spot in finals automatically. But at the same time, the pressure on the shoulders is increased as they are playing in front of their people. The weight of expectation can become a burden even for the best players who always perform well.
The team has already made it to round 16 this year. You can expect USMNT to progress for at least one round further in the next world cup. The team may require some luck in the draw.
