USMNT World Cup Analysis

 

After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the US Men’s National Team seemed to be in a bad spot. The age of the group was pretty old, and the state of the federation as a whole was extremely poor. Major changes needed to be made before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. One immediate change made was the hiring of former player and coach of the Columbus Crew Gregg Berhalter. Although he has faced lots of criticism during his time as manager, Berhalter put forth a formidable squad for the Qatar World Cup. This team was very young and inexperienced, but contained what was arguably the most talented roster in USMNT history. Here’s my thoughts and analysis of all four games they played, plus input from other fans of the team:

USA vs. Wales (11/21):

There were two main questions in terms of the lineup coming into this game. The first one being who would start at center back alongside Walker Zimmerman. Berhalter went with Tim Ream, and I think most American fans agreed with this decision. Ream ended up playing extremely well over the course of the tournament, proving that he was the right choice to anchor the backline alongside Zimmerman. The other question was who was going to occupy that striker position, and lead the lines at the front. Norwich striker Josh Sargent was the man called upon on this occasion. Sargent too looked good this game, even though he didn’t end up getting on the score sheet.

The US controlled this game from the beginning, being on the front foot from the beginning. In the 36th minute, Christian Pulisic made a run and slipped Timothy Weah through to put the US ahead 1-0. Wales had shown no real signs of danger thus far, so many fans seemed to think the game was won at this point. However, after a much better second half from the Welsh side, Gareth Bale put home a penalty with less than 10 minutes left to level the game back up. This came off of a reckless challenge by center back Walker Zimmerman, that frustrated many fans. One such fan was Elle Morris, who stated that it was a “foul in the box that didn’t need to happen”. The game finished 1-1, meaning both teams earned one point. Even though it was not a loss on the scoresheet, a lot of US fans came away from the game feeling defeated, as the States had dominated and held the lead for the majority of the game. I talked to US Soccer fan Sam Defoor about his thoughts on the second half in particular. He said, “The second half we were struggling to hold on because most of our guys had not played in a World Cup before, and they were just getting their bearings.” This was definitely evident, as the clear lack of experience led to the team dropping points.

England vs USA (11/25):

There was a lot of hype around this game, and even though England was the heavy favorite to win, Americans seemed to have a lot of hope. To start the game, the US came out with a new formation and tactics, and this seemed to throw off the English. The Americans had the best chance of the game in the first half, when Christian Pulisic hit a ball off the crossbar. Both teams had no shortage of chances throughout the course of the game, but neither team ended up being able to find the back of the net. The game finished 0-0. However in this game, American fans were happy with a draw, especially after they saw their team put on a very good performance against a traditional world powerhouse in the sport. I spoke with David Tah, who was born in England, but has lived in the States for a few years and is an avid fan of both teams. In talking about the game, he said, “In my opinion, the USA had an extremely good game. Their midfield was great in disrupting England's build up. The only problem was that the US didn’t have clinical finishers in the attacking third which ultimately cost them the game. They should’ve won the game. England didn’t do enough to win but were sound defensively. A tie was deserved for both teams.” This result meant the US had to get a win in their final game against Iran to move on to the knockout stages. The pressure was on, and it was time to see what this team was made of.

Iran vs USA (11/29):

Although the team had played well in its first two games, it still did not have a win. Prior to the start of the game, Coach Berhalter surprised fans by switching center back Walker Zimmerman with Cameron Carter-Vickers. Zimmerman had started each of the last two games, so it seemed like a very odd time to make a switch in the lineup. 

Again the US looked like the better team from the start, but they could not seem to find a goal. However in the 38th minute, fan-favorite Christian Pulisic put his body on the line to score the opening goal for the US. He got injured in the process of scoring, and had to be removed from the game, and later transferred to the hospital to receive treatment. But again, the US couldn’t seem to score. It remained very tense until the final whistle, with Iran having many chances at the end of the game. The US came away with a 1-0 win, meaning that they would advance to the next round to face the Netherlands. Andrew Little, another fan of the team, said “It was a close, hard fought game won by Pulisic putting his ‘body’ on the line. It seemed like the US dominated the game, but just couldn’t put goals away.“

Netherlands vs USA (12/3):

The Netherlands had a very strong team this World Cup, especially with forward Cody Gakpo being very in-form. It was always going to be tough for this US team, but there was a lot of hope around the nation that they could pull off an upset. Walker Zimmerman was back in the starting lineup replacing Carter Vickers, and Jesús Ferreira came in to start at striker. 

After just three minutes, a defensive error led to Christian Pulisic being one-on-one with the Dutch keeper. However, Pulisic couldn’t find the back of the net, and the game stayed tied. Just 7 minutes later, Memphis Depay slotted home a cross to put the Netherlands ahead 1-0. Even though this goal came against the run of play, it was clear to see the quality gap between the two teams. The US was able to keep the game relatively close at 3-1, after Haji Wright finished a cross from Pulisic in the 76th minute. And with that, the USMNT’s World Cup journey came to a close. After watching the game, USMNT fan Jacob Wren said, “I feel like the American men’s team played very well in that game but they just didn’t have what it takes to be the best in the world. I will say that the Netherlands played very well in that game and made better scoring opportunities than the USA.” 

Looking Forward:

The 2026 World Cup will be huge for the US as a whole, and there will be a lot of pressure on the team, as the United States is one of the host nations. Even though it is a very young team overall, the team played well in Qatar, and I think with four more years to grow as players and gain experience, the 2026 World Cup could be a very good one for American fans. Many players that are young now will be in their prime in 2026, meaning that the US will not be a team that countries will want to have to face. They will also have the home crowd behind them in their games, so that could play a key role in boosting the team to success.

With this being said, I think a coaching change is definitely needed. Coach Berhalter is great at recruiting players to play, but his tactics and style of play do not fit the current player pool. I believe that in order for the US to be successful moving forward, it needs to be with a different manager leading the team. With that being said, I would still like to see Berhalter have a role in the USMNT scene because of how good his recruiting skills are, just not as the manager.

All in all this World Cup was definitely a success in many regards, and American fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming years.

*Quotes have been edited for clarity