Team USA did what they were supposed to, but the pressure will mount for a 2026 World Cup on their home turf.
And that’s a good thing for the state of the U.S. men’s national team, because it’s a sign of how the sport has evolved in America.
Tim Weah scored Team USA’s first goal in the 2022 World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament since 2014.At an average age of 25 years and two months, The United States Men’s National Team were the second-youngest squad at the 2022 World Cup.One piece of pressure U.S. soccer doesn’t have to deal with in the next four years is qualifying for the 2026 tournament, because the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are hosting it, and host countries gain automatic entry into the tournament.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner talked after the Netherlands match about how the “potential is clear’’ with this U.S. team that wants more than it got out of this World Cup, adding, “That’s part of changing the expectations of our fans, changing the expectations of the players in the locker room, not just feeling like we won a trophy because we made the Round of 16.”
That trend, of course, must be curbed. And the only way it’s going to stop is if the U.S. can find and develop goal scorers. Some of his lineup and tactical decisions have been questioned — such as his odd handling of Gio Reyna, who’s considered by most one of the best American players, yet he hardly played in the World Cup.
Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert saw it. He told reporters after the match, “They go like crazy, like hell. They’re working together. They don’t give up.”
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