By Tyler Sonderholzer
The United States Men’s National Soccer team (USMNT) played in the 2022 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)World Cup held in Qatar. The USMNT finished second in the group with one win and two draws to advance to the knockout stage. However, they were eliminated in the Round of 16 following a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands.
The US was the second youngest team in the tournament with 25 players making their World Cup debut.
USMNT vs Wales
On Nov. 21, the USMNT played their first game of the FIFA World Cup against Wales, finishing in a 1-1 draw. It was the third matchup between the two nations with the United States (US) winning one and the other finishing in a draw. The US, Wales, England and Iran are all in Group B and they will each face each other one time.
The USMNT had the first scoring chance of the game in the ninth minute when US forward Timothy Weah’s cross from the right side of the field almost went in on an own goal after the ball deflected off Wales defender Joe Rodon. However, it went right into the hands of Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. On the ensuing clear, the ball went to US defender Antonee Robinson who dribbled past the Welsh defense and attempted to cross it to forward Josh Sargent, whose header just narrowly missed the net.
In the 36th minute, US midfielder Christian Pulisic made an excellent pass to Weah to create an excellent scoring chance and Weah shot the ball just out of Hennessey’s reach and into the net to score the opening goal of the game. This gave a late first half 1-0 lead to the US; the first half ended shortly after with the same score.
In the second half, both teams traded possession and offensive chances but no team could score a goal.
Wales had their best chance of the game in the 64th minute on a free kick when Welsh midfielder Harry Wilson crossed the ball into the 16-yard box and Welsh defender Ben Davies made a great shot via header, however, US goalkeeper Matt Turner made an excellent save to keep the score the same, a slim 1-0 lead for the USMNT.
On the ensuing corner kick, Welsh forward Keiffer Moore’s header just narrowly went over the net, meaning the US would have a goal kick and ending the Welsh best chance of the game.
The US had their best chance of the second half in the 73rd minute when Pulisic carried the ball to the left side of the field and crossed it to fellow midfielder Brenden Aaronson, who could not connect with the header.
In the 80th minute, Welsh forward and team captain Gareth Bale managed to draw a penalty on a foul from US defender Walker Zimmerman. Bale was then able to score on the penalty shot to tie the game at 1-1. Turner dove the right way and even got a hand on the ball, but the shot was too powerful for him to save.
In the 89th minute, Moore made a great pass to Welsh forward Brennan Johnson, who dribbled upfield, getting a good scoring chance. However, Johnson was not able to score as he shot the ball right into Turner’s chest.
After nine minutes of stoppage time, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, giving both teams one point. Wales had three shots on goal with seven shots in total, 41% possession, ten fouls, two yellow cards and three corners while the US had one shot on net, six shots in total, 59% possession, 15 fouls, four yellow cards and five corners.
In the other Group B game, England, who the US would play next, beat Iran, who Wales will play next, by a score of 6-2.
US vs England
On Nov. 25, the USMNT played their second game of the group stage against England, finishing in a 0-0 draw. It was the 12th matchup between the two teams with the US winning two, losing eight and drawing one out of the previous 11 games.
England had the first major scoring chance of the game in the tenth minute with English forward Harry Kane’s shot getting blocked by Zimmerman and going out of play for a corner kick where they would not score.
The United States had their first chance of the game in the 17th minute when US forward Haji Wright almost scored a header on midfielder Weston McKennie’s cross, however, the ball missed the net and went out of bounds.
McKennie had the next major scoring chance of the game in the 26th minute when his shot just went over the net.
The United States had the third straight major scoring chance of the game in the 33rd minute when Pulisic’s shot was inches away from going into the net as it hit the crossbar.
Pulisic had another scoring chance in the 43rd minute when his shot narrowly went wide on the left side of the net.
The final chance of the first half occurred in the 45th minute when English midfielder Mason Mount’s shot was saved by Turner. The first half ended after a minute of stoppage time with a 0-0 score.
The second half was largely a defensive-oriented half for the US with key plays from team captain Tyler Adams.
There was only one major offensive scoring chance in the second half in the 93rd minute with Kane’s header narrowly missing the net.
The final whistle blew shortly after signaling the end of the scoreless 0-0 game.
England had three shots on goal with eight shots in total, 56% possession, nine fouls and three corners while the US had one shot on net, ten shots in total, 44% possession, 15 fouls and seven corners.
For the US to advance to the Round of 16, they would need to beat Iran on Nov. 29. Meanwhile, England would just only need a draw against Wales to advance.
Iran played against Wales in the other Group B game with Iran winning by a score of 2-0.
US vs Iran
On Nov. 29, the USMNT played their third and final game of the group stage against Iran, winning their first game of the tournament by a score of 1-0. The two teams have previously played two games with the US drawing one and losing one. With this win, the US will advance out of the group stage and play the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
The first major scoring chance of the game occurred in the eighth minute for the US with midfielder Unus Musah’s shot from just outside the 16-yard box just narrowly going over the net.
Shortly after, in the tenth minute, Pulisic had a great chance via a header from Musah’s cross however Iranian goalie Alireza Beiranvand made the save to keep the score tied.
Weah had back-to-back chances in the 27th, a header that went right into the hands of Beiranvand and in the 32nd minute when his shot went over the crossbar.
In the 37th minute, Pulisic scored on defender Serginio Dest’s cross to open the scoring and give the US a 1-0 lead. Pulisic sustained a pelvic contusion on the play but he played for the rest of the half before being substituted at the start of the second.
Just before the first half ended, McKennie’s through pass found Weah wide open and while he was able to score, he was deemed offsides on the play so the goal did not count. The first half ended with the USMNT leading 1-0.
Sargent had the first major scoring chance of the second half but his shot was saved by Beiranvand.
The Iranians would keep up the pressure throughout the second half but the US defense prevented any major scoring chances. Turner would make his best save of the game in the 81st minute as he had to jump to make a great catching save.
The US held firm for the final nine minutes and was able to maintain their 1-0 lead for the rest of the game. After nine minutes of additional time, the USMNT won the game 1-0 and were officially moving on to the knockout stage.
Iran had one shot on goal with three shots in total, 49% possession, 14 fouls, three yellow cards and one corner kick while the USMNT had five shots on net, 12 shots in total, 51% possession, ten fouls, one yellow card and five corners.
The US will advance to the Round of 16 and play the Netherlands. England won their game against Wales by a score of 3-0 so they are also advancing to the Round of 16 and will face Senegal.
England finished first in the group so they will play the team who finished second in Group A while the US finished second in the group so they face the winner of Group A.
Wales and Iran were knocked out of the group as they failed to make it into the top two of the group stage standings.
US vs Netherlands
On Dec. 3, the USMNT were eliminated from the FIFA World Cup as they lost in the Round of 16 to Netherlands by a score of 3-1. The teams previously played each other five times with the US winning one and losing four.
After getting injured in the previous game and being evaluated at the hospital, Pulisic was cleared to play and he got the first scoring chance of the game in the third minute. However, his shot was saved by Dutch goalie Andries Noppert.
The Dutch would open the scoring in the tenth minute with forward Memphis Depay receiving the ball from defender Denzel Dumfries’s cross and shooting it in the bottom left corner to give a 1-0 for the Netherlands.
Weah almost tied the game in the 43rd minute with a powerful shot outside the 16-yard box but it was saved by Noppert.
Dutch defender Daley Blind would score in the 45th minute, on Dumfries’s second assist of the game, to double the Dutch lead.
The first half ended shortly after with the USMNT facing an uphill 2-0 deficit.
McKennie had the first major scoring chance of the second half when he just missed a header. He got another scoring chance in the 54th minute, however, the ball went over the crossbar.
In the 71st minute, Turner made a great save from a shot outside the 16-yard box and made another great save on the rebound.
Wright had a great scoring chance in the 75th minute as he dribbled past Noppert and had a wide-open net but his shot was blocked. In the 76th minute, Wright scored a brilliant goal that went over Noppert’s head to cut the Dutch lead in half and make it a 2-1 game.
The one-goal game would be short-lived as Dumfries continued his excellent performance as he scored a goal in the 81st minute to give the Dutch a 3-1 lead.
The US failed to get any major scoring chances as the strong Dutch defense held firm and the game ended with the Dutch winning 3-1.
USMNT’s loss in the Round of 16 eliminated them from the competition while the Netherlands are going to play Argentina, who defeated Australia, on Dec. 9 in the quarterfinals.
The US automatically qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the United States will host the tournament along with Canada and Mexico.
