Young U.S. team aiming to capture world’s attention in Qatar

MIAMI, Florida – The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is now just days away from kicking off, with the four teams from Concacaf all hoping to deliver strong performances.

No doubt one of the most intriguing sides going into the tournament will be the United States, who have made history in different ways in previous World Cups.

In the inaugural World Cup at Uruguay 1930, the U.S. finished in Third Place, the best finish ever for a Concacaf nation in a Men’s World Cup to this day.

They were also the winner of the last meeting between two Concacaf nations in a World Cup when they defeated rivals Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16 at South Korea/Japan 2002.

For the U.S., Qatar 2022 marks their 11^th World Cup participation and first since Brazil 2014 after missing out on Russia 2018, which snapped a streak of seven World Cup appearances.

The 11^th World Cup appearance for the U.S. is the second most among all Concacaf nations, behind Mexico’s 17 participations. Overall, the U.S. own an 8W-6D-19L record in World Cup play, with 37 goals scored and 62 conceded.

In the U.S.’s last appearance at a World Cup in 2014, GK Tim Howard etched his name into the history books by making a single-game record 16 saves in the 2-1 Round of 16 defeat versus Belgium, breaking the previous record of 13. Howard is also the Concacaf player with the most World Cup saves with 27, just two ahead of current Mexico shot-stopper Guillermo Ochoa.

At the team level, former attacking MF  is the top World Cup scorer in U.S. history with five goals, followed by Clint Dempsey (4) and Bert Patenaude (4). Donovan also has played in the most World Cup games of any U.S. player with 12, while DaMarcus Beasley is the only U.S. player to have played in four different World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).

The U.S. team set to take the field in Qatar boasts many new faces to World Cup action, however Head Coach Gregg Berhalter will become the first man to have played and coached in a World Cup for the U.S.

The Stars and Stripes finished in Third Place in the Final Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 with a 7W-4D-3L record, with 21 goals scored and just 10 conceded. Christian Pulisic led all players in scoring in the Final Round of CWCQ with five goals. And Giovanni Reyna, who just turned 20, has become a stalwart for his club side, Borussia Dortmund of Germany, where he became the youngest U.S. player to debut with the club’s first team at 17 years and 66 days.

Situated in Group B, the U.S. open the tournament on November 21 against Wales and will attempt to win their first World Cup match since a 2-1 victory over Ghana to open their campaign at Brazil 2014.

The U.S. will also be searching for their first win against a European opponent in nine matches after a spell of four draws and five defeats. It will be the first World Cup meeting between the two nations.

Five days later on November 26, the U.S. will face a familiar World Cup foe in England. It will be the third time the two nations have played in a World Cup, the first a 1-0 U.S. win at Brazil 1950, followed by a 1-1 draw at South Africa 2010.

The U.S. will then close against Iran on November 29 in what will be another World Cup rematch. These two sides squared off in the group stage at France 1998 where Iran captured a 2-1 victory.

For the U.S., these three games are the latest chapter in what has been a rebirth since missing out on Russia 2018. In the time since, the U.S. emerged as champions of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League in 2021, defeating Mexico 3-2 in an extra time thriller, before posting another win over Mexico, this time in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Final in another extra time thriller, 1-0.

A U.S. team that has tasted success within the Concacaf region in the last few years is now taking aim at the rest of the world in Qatar.