The United States Men’s National soccer team has never been extraordinary. From the first World Cup, they made it to the semi-finals, but from there all the way to 1950 they did not have much more success. Little did they know that the 1950 World Cup would be their last for the next forty years. And even when they managed to qualify in 1990 they lost their group. Complete devastation for the United States.

Considering that they did not qualify from 1950-1990 to some extent, they succeed in qualifying consecutively for the next six World Cups. Even though the entire country rooted for them to bring home the trophy, the USMNT never seemed to make it out of the round of sixteen. 

Qualifying for the 2018 World Cup however was a different story. During the CONCACAF Qualifiers, the United States needed to stay in at least third place to qualify for the World Cup. After a 4-0 win against Panama, they pulled ahead of Honduras, who they were formally tied with for third place. The USMNT desperately needed a win to guarantee their place at the 2018 World Cup. 

Hope was in the air, as their next match would be against Trinidad and Tobago. Who they have already won against by a 2-0 game during the qualifiers. The whole country thought the game was in the bag. But in a shocking turn of events the United States loss 2-1. They put in barely any effort. It seemed as if they assumed they would win the game. Their failure caused them a place in the 2018 World Cup.

But in 2020 a new emergence of talent seems to have arrived for USMNT. Gio Renya a young eighteen year old star who currently plays for Dortmund, a team that is fourth in the Bundesliga league. Has now joined the United States’ team. He comes from two former United States soccer players, Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan Reyna. At just the age of fourteen, his team won the Generation Adidas Cup. Not only did his team win, but he was picked as the player of the Tournament. Recently he was voted U.S Soccer’s Young Male Player of the Year 2020. 

Another talented star, Yunus Musah would be a great addition to the team. The Valencia player has not yet committed to joining the USMNT, as he qualifies to play for England, Italy, and Ghana as well as the United States. But during his youth, he played on the Three Lion’s youth teams in England and was the team captain of the u-18 side. As he was experiencing playing for the United States in a game against Whales, Gregg Berhalter mentioned that “He showed real moments of quality on the ball, real composure for a 17-year-old”.

Christian Pulisic joined the United States national team back in 2016. He is known for his amazing goals and assists. He played for Dortmund at just the age of sixteen. He even was the captain of the U-17 team at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The United States knows he has a lot of natural talent because, on March 27, 2016, he became the youngest American to play in a World Cup qualifier. This current Chelsea player is the key to USMNT’s success. 

The new players on the team have created a higher expectation for USMNT in upcoming games. It is still up in the air if the United States will qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but it is certain that they will be competing in 2026 due to The United States, Canada, and Mexico all co-hosting the World Cup. It will be exciting to see how the team will grow and hopefully become the one to beat on the field. And maybe one year the men’s team will bring home the World Cup trophy.