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The USA men’s national soccer team will play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar beginning next November, earning the team its first appearance in the tournament since 2014.
Head Coach Gregg Berhalter already passed his first test as the team’s head coach by bringing it back to soccer’s biggest stage; however, a new test looms in the near future: winning at the World Cup.
Historically, the men’s national team (USMNT) has not fared well in the tournament.
The squad’s best finish came back in 1930 when the USMNT finished in third place behind Argentina and champions Uruguay at the inaugural World Cup.
Now – 92 years later – the USMNT has a chance to change its reputation from laughing stock to legitimate contender in the eyes of the international soccer powers.
After reflecting on how things panned out on drawing day last Friday, this could very well be the USMNT’s best chance to make a run in years.
Drawing day – where FIFA selects teams at random to fill tournament groups – was kind to the USMNT by pairing it with Iran and England – as well as the eventual winner of a play-in game between Wales and either Scotland or Ukraine.
The USMNT earned its way into Pot Two at the drawing, meaning that FIFA believes they should be ranked anywhere from eighth to 16th in the tournament and are in the second tier of teams based on power rankings.
As a result, the team was able to fade from being stuck in lower pots; a position that usually spells a quick exit from the tournament in the group stages.
Taking a look at the USMNT’s group, there is a lot to like for fans.
To advance, the team will just need to earn a second-place or better finish in the group; a task that should be manageable.
England will no doubt be the USMNT’s biggest competition having taken fourth place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, the English squad has not fared too well since winning the World Cup in 1966.
Outside of holding soccer’s most prestigious trophy 62 years ago, England’s two best finishes since have been fourth place on two occasions.
Previous to taking fourth place in Russia, England has had two forgettable tournaments where the team came in 13th in South Africa in 2010 and 26th place in Brazil in 2014.
Iran does not figure to add too much more competition to the group, having only ever made it out of the group stage one time after qualifying for the World Cup on five occasions since 1978.
However, Iran should not be underestimated by USMNT fans.
The Iran National Football Team has never lost to the USMNT and carries one win and one draw over two games played between the two sides.
Finally, the USMNT will have to battle with either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine.
Aside from a quarterfinals appearance and a sixth-place finish in 1958, Wales has failed to qualify for the World Cup since.
Ukraine follows in Wales’ footsteps with a similar feat in 2006 when the squad took eighth place in the quarterfinals, but has also failed to qualify since.
Meanwhile, Scotland has the most decorated FIFA World Cup history in terms of appearances, having qualified eight times.
Yet, Scotland’s national squad has never made it out of the group stage and has not appeared in the World Cup since 1998.
It will be interesting to see who earns the final play-in spot in Group B, but regardless of who it is, there will be a lot at stake with appearances coming few and far between for all three teams.
While I may not fully believe USMNT fans’ chants of, “I believe that we will win” when it comes to the whole tournament, I do think there is a possibility that the USMNT gains momentum going forward by making it out of the first round.