Ever since the grueling elimination of the U.S. men’s national soccer team from a contention in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the team has revered the 2022 edition of the quadrennial cup as a chance to fulfill eight years of determination. On Mar. 30, that dream became a reality. Although the U.S. suffered a 2-0 loss to the Costa Rican national team, they clinched a World Cup berth. “It’s great news that [the U.S.] will be back in the World Cup this year after missing out on the last World Cup in Russia,” senior Ted Otengo said. 

The U.S. was drawn into group B of the World Cup, along with England and Iran. The winner of the June 1 fixture between Scotland and Ukraine will match up with Wales on June 4 to determine the final spot in this group. Notable players from the current roster include forward Christian Pulisic, goalkeeper Zach Steffen and defender DeAndre Yedlin. “My favorite player is Pulisic. [Weston] McKennie is good as well,” junior Larry Ejikeme said. 

Thus far, in 2022, the team has three wins, two losses and one draw, posting nine goals within these matches. In the meantime, there are matches against Morocco, Grenada and El Salvador slated for June 1, June 10 and June 14 respectively. “I think this USA team is dangerous and could go far because of Pulisic, but could face challenges from older teams,” junior Souvik Kar said. 

The U.S., having never won a World Cup, has historically been unsuccessful in the World Cup. Perhaps the most formidable threat to their success in the group is England. The English side is led by team captain and striker Harry Kane, defender Harry Maguire and midfielder Mason Mount (a teammate of Pulisic for the Premier League side Chelsea). “England is going to destroy [the U.S. in the World Cup],” junior Larry Ejikeme said. 

With significant adversity awaiting the team in Qatar, the team will need to be at the height of their performance. They are focused and determined to reach new heights, echoed by manager Gregg Berhalter’s cautious optimism. “Their major strengths are ball control and crossing,” junior Souvik Kar said. 

Mere months from now will mark the return of the U.S. to soccer’s biggest stage. It is evident that there is still work to be done as an organization to stay afloat in their quest to right their past wrongs. However, this makes the end result all the more meaningful, bringing an added excitement for not only the players, but the fans as well. “Berhalter [has] done a great job to rebuild the team with young talent like McKennie, [Sergiño] Dest and Gio Reyna, so I expect them to have a good run in the tournament,” Otengo said.