By Jason Benedek, Sports Editor, and Ellie Goldberg, Staff Writer
After disappointingly not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the United States Men’s national team has qualified this year, and looked to make a huge comeback in the tournament to show the world what American soccer is all about. In the group stages, The United States was in Group B with Wales, England, and Iran. The top two teams with the best record are the ones who make it out of the group stages and advance to the knockout stages, where it’s win or go home.
On November 21st, The United States debuted their 2022 World Cup appearance with a match against Wales. Timothy Weah opened up the scoring with a beautiful goal in the 36th minute, but with a late game tying goal, Gareth Bale spoiled the United States lead in the 82nd minute, resulting in a 1-1 tie at the end of the game. Senior Nathan Osheroff claims, “The United States was able to uphold a strong defensive line and I’d say the final score reflects that.” Although it was a very winnable game for the United States, the result could have been a lot worse against the very experienced Welsh team led by Gareth Bale.
On the 25th of November, the United States played England in a tight battle. England was predicted to win, considering their previous game against Iran where they won 6-2. With England’s stellar midfielder Bukayo Saka, United States fans were worried about his possible offensive skills. The game, however, resulted in a 0-0 tie, despite many Americans believing the United States outplayed England. River Hill Soccer alum Noah Hanson reflects, “I’m not mad with the result, but we definitely controlled the game. Our ball handling definitely gave hope for the Iran game.”
United States midfielder Christian Pulisic earned the Player of the Match award after the England game. His fiery shot to the crossbar and three other shots on the goal brought him to this accomplishment, and proved that the United States has great offensive potential for future games. “I thought his shot was going to go in, and I was extremely disappointed when I saw it hit the crossbar. Pulisic might help the U.S. exceed the group stage,” Senior Mary Urban declared.
The 0-2-0 United States faced a 1-0-1 Iran on the 29th of November. Prior to the game, Senior Bob Lovell noted, “I’m going to give it 100% to the United States, there have been many times where the United States had great competition and prevailed.” In the 38th minute, Christian Pulisic scored off of Sergio Dest’s header. Pulisic, however, had a rough collision with the goalie and fans were both disappointed and worried to see his absence on the field coming into the second half, later explained to be due to an abdominal injury.
As the second half progressed, the United States upheld a solid defense, preventing any Iran ball from reaching the back of the net. With Iran having the majority of possession towards the end, “I literally couldn’t watch. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” junior Greta Sue Hanson exclaims. Although it was a glorious victory for the United States, not everyone at River Hill is happy. Senior Anita Mosbriantanha, who is of Iranian descent claims, “I feel like Iran missed a lot of golden opportunities. It was a really good run. I’m still proud of that team.”
With that glorious victory, the United States Men’s Soccer team advanced to the knockout rounds. They had an impressive run, but unfortunately, their first knockout game against the Netherlands didn’t go their way. The United States ended their 2022 campaign with a crushing 3-1 loss. Haji Wright’s solo goal in the 76th minute wasn’t enough to come back from all 3 Dutch goals from Memphis Depay, Daley Blind, and Denzel Dumfries. The United States still held their heads high, coming off of an incredible run, even though they didn’t get the result they wanted.
Although the United States Men’s National Team didn’t bring home a World Cup Championship, the nation is still extremely proud of the team. They still proved to the world that United States Soccer is on the uprise. Regarding the next World Cup, Dillon DeMasi stated, “I can’t wait for the 2026 World Cup. I know the US is going to come back hungrier than ever, especially because we’re going to be hosting it.”