AL RAYYAN, Qatar — The American men have won a single World Cup knockout game in 92 years, and make no mistake, the opponent on that famous day mattered.
There was next to no anxiety when the U.S. kicked off the 2002 World Cup’s round of 16 against Mexico. There wasn’t a team in that tournament that was more familiar, or less intimidating and venerated. The U.S. arrived in Jeonju, South Korea, having beaten El Tri in four of their previous five meetings. And then the Americans won again, 2–0, to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first and only time in the modern era.
There, in that rarified air, a team featuring current U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter, GM Brian McBride and sporting director Earnie Stewart lost to Germany, a three-time (and now four) world champion. That defeat, albeit by a one-goal margin, became another data point in a long-term trend even more reliable than “dos a cero.”
