The United States men’s national team came in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with hopes of redeeming itself after missing out on the 2018 tournament entirely. Though Gregg Berhalter’s squad may have done that, the USMNT continued an unfortunate streak with Saturday’s round-of-16 loss to the Netherlands.
Following a 3–1 defeat to a poised Dutch side, the drought for the USMNT not making it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup extended to two decades. The last time a U.S. men’s team made it out of the round of 16 was at the 2002 tournament in South Korea.
The 2002 squad, led by U.S. greats Landon Donovan, Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna, advanced out of the group before taking down Mexico in the round of 16. The Americans eventually ran into a talented Germany squad, which would go onto make the final, and lost 1–0 in their quarterfinal match.
Though that 2002 team is remembered fondly by soccer fans in the U.S., the last two decades for the men’s squad have been marred by underwhelming performances on the international stage, culminating in the obvious disappointment of 2018. The USMNT failed to advance out of the group in ’06, but made it to the round of 16 in both ’10 and ’14, only to fall to Ghana and Belgium, respectively.
Saturday’s match against the Netherlands marked more of the same, as Berhalter’s team failed to capitalized on the attack opportunities that became available and made a handful of costly mistakes in defense that led to the three Dutch goals. The Netherlands will now advance to take on the winner of Argentina vs. Australia in the quarterfinals.
Though the USMNT arrived in Qatar to do more than just secure a moral victory, the group’s performance does seem to be a primer for the next four-year cycle. As the second-youngest team at the 2022 tournament, the USMNT will look to mature in the next few years before welcoming the world to North America for the 2026 World Cup.
