With World Cup Qualifying around the corner, it is time to look at one of the most successful summers that the U.S. Men’s National Team has ever had. Led by young stars and underrated veterans, what did the USMNT accomplish this summer?
Nations league
The inaugural season of the Confederation of North Central America and Caribbean Association Football Nations League saw the US bring their youth together for the first time. Headlined by Christian Pulisic, coach Gregg Berhalter brought a roster that included 19 of 23 players from European clubs. Additionally, of these players, their average age was just over 23 years old.
The US took on Honduras in the semi-final match. USA’s substitution in the 78th minute to bring on striker Jordan Siebatcheu was crucial, with the newly entered man scoring an 89th minute winner. The final against Mexico was the US’ most important game in recent history. The stakes were high. The US vs. Mexico rivalry is always intense, tough and gritty. There is a lot of bad blood between the two, being that they are the top two teams from CONCACAF and usually play each other in finals. It was a back-and-forth game that went to extra time, with two crucial moments occurring at the back end.
A 114th minute penalty converted by Pulisic, gave the USA the lead with just six minutes plus extra time to go. The game wasn’t over just yet, as defender Mark McKenzie conceded a penalty due to a handball. American Ethan Horvath saved the Mexican penalty kick with just seven minutes remaining and solidified the win for the USA
Consequently, the USA took home the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League trophy and their first international trophy since 2017. The Golden Generation got their first trophy together while under the age of 23.
Gold cup
Coach Gregg Berhalter opted to bring a different squad to the Gold Cup. Of the 23-man squad selected by Berhalter, 17 players were currently in the MLS. Only defenders Shaq Moore (Tenerife) and Reggie Cannon (Boavista) and forwards Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen) and Matthew Hoppe (Schalke) played football in Europe. Defender Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp) and midfielder Gianluca Busio (Venezia) were on MLS rosters as the tournament began, though they transferred to European clubs shortly after the conclusion.
The group stage saw the MNT take on Haiti, Martinique and Canada. The Americans won all three games by a cumulative score of 8-1. After the group stage, the US sat atop the Group B standings. The quarter-final against Jamaica was a hard-fought battle, but the US came out on top by way of an 83rd minute goal by Hoppe. The semi-final saw the US take on Qatar, the winner of Group D, with a late goal off the boot of Gyasi Zardes sending America through to the final.
The final against Mexico was their second in just over a month. The only difference was that nearly every player on the American side was different than the previous matchup. The game was level at the end of full-time. In extra time, it seemed like the game would be heading to penalty kicks. USA defender Miles Robinson had other plans. In the 117th minute, Robinson connected on a header that he put in the back of the net. The goal was the deciding factor in the US’ second straight tournament win.
Ranking reflects success
Before the Nations League and Gold Cup, the USMNT was ranked 20th in the world in the FIFA rankings. After their two Cup wins over 11th ranked Mexico, the USA sits at 10th in the rankings. This is their highest ranking since 2006. Overall, in all 2021 competitions, the USMNT have played 13 matches. In these matches, the USMNT are 12-1, with their lone loss coming against Switzerland by a score of 2-1 in their last game before the Euro 2020. In fact, Switzerland would knock out France, the defending World Cup champions, in the Euro Round of 16.
Not only was the summer successful from a winning standpoint, but also from a team and depth point of view. Before the last two tournaments, there were a lot of question marks about depth and how the USA’s best 11 would line-up when it is time for World Cup Qualifying. Many questions were answered, and it seems that for the time being, the US has a solidified starting 11 and backup unit.
Coming off as strong a summer as possible, the USMNT look to take their momentum into WCQ. They take on El Salvador on September 2, Canada on September 5 and Honduras on September 8. With a lot of new faces and some familiar ones on the squad, the 12-1 USMNT look to build on their dominant 2021 and secure a spot in the 2022 World Cup.
