The 2022 FIFA World Cup is being held in Qatar. The tournament started on November 18th, and will see its conclusion on December 18th, 2022. The United States Men’s National team was eliminated, but there’s a promising future ahead for US Soccer.
In the first of their four world cup (group stage) matches this year, the United States faced Wales in a hardfought matchup. The United States started the game defensively sound, and were able to maintain possession of the ball. In the 36th minute Timothy Weah scored on a crisp assist from Christian Pulisic. Unfortunately for the US, it would be their last goal of the game.
Late into the second half, the United States continued to dominate in time of possession. But gave up a cheap penalty in the goalies’ box, resulting in a penalty kick. Wales scored the kick, and managed to tie the game at one a piece. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which seemed to set a tone for the rest of the tournament.
The next game was by far the most important, playing against England. We as Americans all understand how important these matchups are, it’s a pride thing. England and the United States have engaged in war with each other before, this time it took place on a soccer field. The English team are seen as one of the contenders for the cup this year and many people doubted the United States in this matchup. The United States’ team played hard, and it seemed to be evenly matched. After a long 90 minutes the game ended with a surprising 0-0 draw. Although the US did not get the win this hard fought match earned them a some respect world wide.
The final match of the group stage for the United States was against Iran, over whom the United States were favorited. It was a must-win, as they needed a positive point differential to advance to the round of 16. The team did just that. Scoring the only goal of the match was Christian Pulisic, who suffered a ‘pelvic contusion’ in his collision with the goalie during the play.
To the relief of fans, Pulisic took to social media to assure fans he would play the following match against the Netherlands a known powerhouse in international soccer. A marquee match up in a single elimination tournament. The match was win-or-go-home for both teams, which only made it more entertaining.
The United States got beat up pretty bad. It was clear who the better team was in this matchup. The final score was 3-1, Netherlands. It just wasn’t their game. Despite the loss, fans actually have plenty of positive takeaways. For starters, not many people projected the United States to even qualify for the tournament, let alone reach the round of 16.
On top of this, the United States has the second youngest team of any nation in the tournament. There is only room for improvement, as the guys got a little bit of an early jump to training from being eliminated. They have 4 years to work together and bring a stronger performance the next time around.
If you’re interested in soccer, it’s important to know that the next FIFA World Cup will be coming to the United States in 2026! By then, the Men’s team should be ready to make a run for a win of the World Cup.