AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Throw out the disastrous 2018 cycle—it was a historic outlier blighted by mismanagement—and it’s easy to simply look at the stats and fear the U.S. men have come up against their soccer ceiling.
In three straight World Cups, the Americans escaped the group stage with a single win over an African or Asian opponent only to fall in the round of 16. All three knockout-round matches were close, either in the run of play, on the scoreboard or both. The U.S. lost to Ghana (2010) and Belgium (2014) in extra time, and then were ousted by the Netherlands on Saturday here in Qatar, 3–1, despite an advantage in shots and possession.
Climbing through the hierarchy is difficult, and it’s a generational project. The U.S. already has done it once—progressing from the global hinterlands to become a program that’s regularly ranked in FIFA’s top 20, expects to qualify for the World Cup and then get out of its group. And it has company. Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Japan and Switzerland are examples of nations that seem, more or less, on a similar level. El Tri, of course, was the face of that cohort for decades, losing in the second round for seven consecutive World Cups before leaving early this time around.
