The United States came into the 2022 World Cup full of promise. They started the group stage with a good performance against Wales, especially in the first half and that set the tone for the rest of the group stage.
Despite conceding a late penalty against the Welsh, there was plenty to enjoy about the way United States played for much of the game.
What a ride. Thank you for your unwavering support, from a grueling Qualifying journey to the Knockout Round here in Qatar. It’s a privilege to represent the United States of America, and we can’t wait to play in front of you all on home soil in 2026.#OnlyForward 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/A1Fr1ERKXk— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) December 3, 2022
What a ride. Thank you for your unwavering support, from a grueling Qualifying journey to the Knockout Round here in Qatar. It’s a privilege to represent the United States of America, and we can’t wait to play in front of you all on home soil in 2026.#OnlyForward 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/A1Fr1ERKXk
The same applies for the England match, which finished 0-0. United States hit the crossbar and could easily have come away with maximum points from that game.
It was not to be but again, the signs were promising. Into the final group game against Iran and United States knew they had to win the match to qualify for the round of 16.
A single goal scored by Christian Pulisic was enough for United States to win the game and see them finish second in the group to set a date with the Netherlands in the round of 16.
Unfortunately for the USMNT, they did not produce the level of performance required to beat the Netherlands. The Dutch controlled the pace of the game and slowed it down to the tempo at which they wanted to play.
The United States had no answer and it was a tactical masterclass from Netherlands manager, Louis van Gaal. The United States did have an early chance to take the lead but Pulisic saw his effort saved by Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert and that miss proved crucial.
Memphis Depay finished a fantastic 21-pass move by the Dutch to open the scoring after only 10 minutes and they doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time, which came as a massive blow to the US.
The United States pulled a goal back in fortuitous circumstances in the 76th minute to set up a tense finish but Netherlands quickly put an end to US hopes by scoring their third goal just 5 minutes later.
There was plenty to like about the United States at the 2022 World. They were energetic and there were individuals who enjoyed a good tournament.
Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, and Timothy Weah all had tournaments to remember.
Adams and Musah did not perform to the level they can in the loss to the Dutch but that should not take away from their other strong performances at the tournament.
Adams is 23, Pulisic 24, Weah 22, Robinson 25, Musah 19, and McKennie 24. These players will be more experienced come the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States.
What they are crying out for is a quality striker. Will a quality striker burst onto the scene in the next 3 years for the USMNT? It could make all the difference to their chances of progressing to the latter stages of the tournament.
Knowing when to sit back and take a breather is also important. The US played at such a high level of intensity in all three group matches, you would forgive the players for having nothing left in the tank come the round of 16.
Both physical and mental fatigue played a part in their performance against the Netherlands and that is something that must be addressed before 2026.