Hello friends how are you all? Today we are going to talk about Can The USMNT Actually Win The World Cup? Could the United States be drawing some interest in 2022 FIFA World Cup betting trends? Most football experts feel the USMNT’s inclusion in Qatar is just an afterthought, especially at 80/1 odds to win the whole tournament, but others feel that Team USA is moving in the right direction.
Fourteen other countries have odds lower than the USMNT to be crowned the 2022 World Cup champion. Team USA has to be hungry after not qualifying for the 2018 tournament and will be celebrating the remarkable 2002 run to the quarter-finals. Could this be the year for the Americans?
20th Anniversary
Even two decades later, the likes of Tony Meola, Landon Donovan, and Damarcus Beasley are still regarded as legends in United States soccer. The 2002 World Cup run is legendary – even if that is an indictment of the recent state of the sport in the U.S. – as the Americans made it all the way to the quarter-finals before falling 1-0 to eventual runner-up Germany.
There will be a lot of nostalgia surrounding the 2022 World Cup for the USMNT, not just because of the 20-year anniversary of the country’s best WC finish but also because the team hasn’t played on this stage in eight years after failing to qualify in 2018.
While reminiscing is nice, the current USMNT wants to make their own names in the sport.
2022 Team Has Momentum
You never want to limp into a tournament like the World Cup, and Team USA needs to build momentum heading into November. That’s what they’ve accomplished lately, beating Morocco 3-0 and playing to a 0-0 draw against Uruguay – two World Cup-bound nations.
Overall, USMNT had two wins and two draws in their June window of games, which led to them rising a spot to #14 in the FIFA World Rankings. The busy month has allowed the team to build camaraderie as many of the players headed for Qatar took the pitch in each game.
The USMNT will have a chance to climb even higher in the rankings with a couple of nice tune-ups in the September International Window. The U.S. will square off with Japan and Saudi Arabia for two friendlies in Europe – also two countries headed to Qatar.
Finding Their Roles
The games leading up to November will help these players find their roles within the team – something especially important with no World Cup experience on the roster.
Jesus Ferreira could emerge as the face of the USMNT this fall. He had nine goals in 14 league games for FC Dallas and had an amazing four-goal performance in a 5-0 friendly win over Granada. Ferreira can be inconsistent and almost maddening at times, but he’s also got great potential.
Luca de la Torre is also finding his niche as a consistent passer and creator and maybe one of the USMNT’s biggest assets coming off the bench. Chris Richards has gained valuable experience playing with Bayern Munich, and Walker Zimmerman brings valuable consistency.
A Decent Draw
The USMNT was drawn into Group B, where they’ll have a chance to repeat the 1-0 win over England in 1950 that is largely considered one of the biggest upsets in WC history. England is #5 in the FIFA rankings, so they’ll be a challenge, but Wales (#19) and Iran (#23) have to be considered winnable games for the Americans.
While a 2022 World Cup championship is a long shot at 80/1, at the very least, the USMNT is back on the big stage. The success in 2002 hasn’t grown the game in the States as much.
Many in the organization thought it would, but perhaps that changes in the era of social media. If the USMNT. Can get trending (for the right reasons)…who knows?