Finally, more than four years after a loss to Trinidad and Tobago kept the U.S. men’s national team out of the 2018 World Cup, the stinging memories of that stunning defeat will make way for new ones of the United States competing on the world’s biggest stage.
The USMNT secured a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite a 2–0 loss in Costa Rica on Wednesday night, finishing in third place in the Concacaf qualification table.
The road from humiliation in Trinidad began as soon as coach Bruce Arena ended his tumultuous tenure as manager three days later. U.S. Soccer promoted assistant Dave Sarachan to be the caretaker manager, a move that only just began the overhaul of young players that would soon make up the squad over the next several years. Sarachan went 3-4-5 before Gregg Berhalter was hired permanently—a full year after Arena stepped down. Berhalter continued the youth movement as longtime staples of the starting XI continued to phase out. It wasn’t just a program makeover. It was a total reset.
