Will the US be a contender in the 2022 World Cup?


    


    Thanks to goals from McKennie, Zimmerman, and Pulisic, the USMNT cruise to a 3-0 victory over Honduras. With this win, the Americans sit four points above Panama heading into the final stretch of matches. As Qatar nears, hope begins to rise for fans all across the country. If the US makes the World Cup, can they become a dark horse and go as far as the quarterfinals? Will their youth bring passion, grit, and speed, or a disappointing journey ending in the group stage? 

    One thing we do know: more and more Americans are not just moving to Europe but playing for the best of the best. Three key players stand above the rest who could drive the Americans to victory: 

  1. Christian Pulisic: Can the Chelsea winger become a leader on an experienced team? Pulisic is currently in and out of the Chelsea lineup, playing every position from center-forward to outside mid to right wingback. Will his form increase throughout the year to allow his confidence to rise? We shall see as Chelsea face Lille in their first Champions League tie. 
  2. Weston McKennie: Can the USMNT's midfield win games? McKennie aerial dominance and ball control in the middle of the pitch can create nightmares for opposing defenders. He has been in the great form providing four goals for Juventus in the last two months. 
  3. Gio Reyna: Suffering a hamstring injury in the first World Cup qualification match, the Dortmund winger has yet to resurface to the pitch. With Reyna and Pulisic healthy, the US could be looking at their next one-two punch since Landon Donavon and Clint Dempsey. 
    Honorable mentions include Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, and Ricardo Pepi. To beat the likes of Brazil, Argentina, and the European giants, the USMNT must continue to perform individually in Europe as well as synergize into one complete squad ahead of Qatar.  

Remaining Schedule for World Cup Qualifiers:


Comments

  1. Sammy BitchatchiMarch 21, 2022 at 5:24 PM

    It would be very cool to see the USMT qualify for the world cup this year. We have not had much success lately in the recent past, but it looks like our roster is ready and able to compete against the rest of the world. This was a very interesting article for myself because I am not familiar and don't stay up to date with soccer normally.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 21, 2022 at 6:03 PM

    The United States can definitely qualify for the World Cup. The top four teams in that region go through to qualification and they are currently in second to Canada. The mens national team is stacked with young players and hopefully they can defeat Mexico to place their name through.

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  3. AnonymousMarch 21, 2022 at 6:32 PM

    I think the USNT has a great shot this year at qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar. They carry a large scale of talent lead by Chelsea star Christian Pulisic and Barcelona winger Sergio Dest. This US team has a bright future ahead of them and I definitely see a shot at them qualifying for the cup. and when they do, I. believe they will make it out of the group stages. With their young and raw natural talent I believe they can compete with any country.

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  4. Matt D'AntoniMarch 23, 2022 at 11:48 AM

    Based upon the performance that I have seen amongst these three key players, I think that they give the US men's team critical leverage which gives them the potential for qualification into the World Cup. However, after losing some other talent, this prospect has been challenged quite immensely. This is not to mention that the USMT itself will have a difficult time once actually entering the games when faced with opponents who have hundreds of players, rather than just a few superstars. Either way, I do like the way that you pose questions to the audience; this is thought-provoking and makes me consider the logistics of America's success in football in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Joaquin Lopez IsabelloMarch 27, 2022 at 3:12 AM

    After a disastrous 2018 world cup qualifying campaign, I believe we will see USA in Qatar. Even to make it to the group stage is a great honor and they should be proud, but with the players they have they should definably be considered "dark horses". It is important to consider previous international teams that have been labeled as dark horses in the world cup and euros, have ended up not even leaving their group. So it might not be a good name to associate USA success and strength as a team.

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