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26 USMNT Moments, Past to Present: Road to Qatar
USMNT escape Group of Death to reach Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
By: De Turner
This is 26 USMNT Moments: Past to Present, a U.S. Soccer content series that covers 26 defining moments in U.S. Men's National Team history. From inspired victories to stunning goals, and the stars and hidden heroes who made them possible, each chapter reminds us that our dreams on the pitch are worth chasing. Together, they’ve built toward the biggest moment yet: the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
A lot can change in four years.
While different players rotated through lineups and new coaches took over, one mission remained the same for the U.S. Men’s National Team heading into 2022: return to the World Cup and make a statement.
The heartbreak and disappointment of missing FIFA World Cup 2018 still lingered in the minds of many as the USMNT prepared for Concacaf qualifiers and a chance to secure a spot in the 2022 edition of the tournament. There was no Trinidad and Tobago in the Octagonal, but the USA had to get through other tough opponents to qualify for FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
To open the qualifiers, El Salvador held the Americans to a scoreless draw. The U.S. split points in the following match against Canada with a 1-1 draw.
Then, the USMNT began picking up steam.
A Ricardo Pepi brace earned the U.S. a 2-0 win over Jamaica. Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie scored in a classic “Dos a Cero” win against Mexico. Antonee Robinson led the squad to a 1-0 victory in the rematch with El Salvador. It was clear that the younger guys were ready to step up and lead the squad in the right direction.
With a 7W-3L-4D record in qualifiers and a lead in goal differential to bypass Costa Rica, the USMNT finished third in the standings, officially punching its ticket to the World Cup, returning to the world stage for the first time in eight years.
For FIFA World Cup 2022, USA was drawn into Group B alongside IR Iran, Wales and England. The four nations held an average FIFA World Ranking of 15; it was the highest average of all groups and the only one where all teams were ranked in the top 20.
In other words, it was the Group of Death.
And the Americans would be taking on the challenge with the one of the youngest rosters in the tournament. Head coach Gregg Berhalter’s 26-player squad boasted an average age of 25 years, 175 days by its first match, only slightly older than Ghana. The inclusion of 19-year-olds Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally marked the first USMNT World Cup roster with more than one teenager.
So, it was no surprise that it was the young guys who got things going in the first match against Wales. The U.S. opened the scoring in the 32nd minute after Pulisic won possession of the ball at center field. He carried the ball forward before splitting two Welsh defenders with a perfectly weighted through ball to Tim Weah. The 22-year-old poked a right-footed shot past the goalkeeper for the 1-0 lead.
The U.S. weathered the storm in the second half until a foul inside the box resulted in a penalty kick for Wales superstar Gareth Bale, who converted from the spot. After 11 minutes of stoppage time, the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw.
The United States against England in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The Americans earned another draw in the second group stage match, this one a scoreless battle against tournament favorites, England. The result marked the first 0-0 draw for the USMNT in World Cup play and the first shutout of a European opponent in the tournament since 1950, the 1-0 win against England famously dubbed “The Miracle on Grass.” The USA out-shot the Three Lions 10-8 and had seven corner kicks to their three.
The result also created a fairly simple scenario for the USA to advance to the knockout round: win against Iran.
Berhalter trusted the youngest starting lineup the tournament had seen, averaging 24 years and 321 days, to get it done. After putting pressure on Iran’s defense for the majority of the first half, the U.S. broke through in the 38th minute.
McKennie lofted a ball to defender Sergiño Dest making a run down the right side. Dest redirected the pass with a header towards the middle of the six-yard box. Pulisic, putting his body on the line, smashed the half-volley before colliding with the Iranian goalkeeper. The forward had to be replaced at halftime, but he provided the go-ahead goal the team needed.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner and the rest of the defense held on for their second clean sheet of the tournament. The final whistle signified that for the fifth time in the last seven World Cups the USMNT was headed to the Round of 16.
The USA matched up against the Netherlands, which had just won Group A with two wins and a draw. The Dutch had won four of their last five meetings against the U.S. and were ranked No. 8 in the world before the start of the tournament.
Weston McKennie greets Dutch player Memphis Depay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Pulisic returned for the Round of 16 matchup and nearly put the Americans ahead less than three minutes in, but his shot was saved by the outstretched leg of Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert. Momentum swung the other way and for the first time in the tournament, the USA conceded first after forward Memphis Depay scored for the Netherlands in the 10th minute. Netherlands doubled the lead right before halftime behind a strike from Daley Blind.
Hope was momentarily restored for the Americans when Haji Wright’s back-heeled flick floated above the Dutch backline and into the side netting off another Pulisic assist. However, the Netherlands regained its two-goal advantage five minutes later. The 3-1 scoreline held, eliminating the U.S. from the tournament.
The USA’s 2022 World Cup run was over, but the team – and the entire nation behind it – had much to be proud of. Within a few years, the squad had gone from missing out on the previous competition to one of the youngest rosters competing with the world’s best.
The USMNT had returned, and the journey toward the next tournament, 2026 on home soil, was just beginning.
De Turner is a Digital Content Coordinator for U.S. Soccer and previously covered women’s soccer at the United Soccer League (USL) and Atlanta United in Major League Soccer. De is an alum of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia.
