While still a year away, the United States has work to do before the World Cup in Qatar
One of the biggest sports spectacles in the world is just over a year away. The 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup is set to begin next Dec. in Qatar, but many countries are currently playing prequalifying games to make the tournament.
The World Cup is the largest camaraderie event for soccer, or fútbol, in the world. For many soccer fans in the United States, the event shows how the U.S. stands compared to our foreign counterparts.
The U.S. Men’s National Team is currently in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football division. The CONCACAF is one of the six continental divisions set by FIFA. There are currently 41 member associations in the division.
The U.S. faced off in its first World Cup qualifying game on Sept. 2 against El Salvador. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, but the game was largely controlled by a dynamic U.S. offense. The U.S. put up 13 shots with two on goal, as opposed to El Salvador’s mere seven shots with only one on net.
The U.S. played in their second qualifying game last Sunday against Canada. Brendan Aaronson got the Untied States’ first goal of the qualifying round in the 55th minute, as he received an across-field pass in the box from Antonee Robinson.
Canada quickly responded in the 62nd minute, after Cyle Larin netted one off the pass from Alphonso Davies. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, the second draw for the U.S. in the qualifying rounds. The U.S. controlled the game for the most part bolstering a 72% possession time to Canada’s 28%. The game was relatively even on offense as the Canucks put up six shots with two on net and the U.S. put up eleven shots with two on net. Canada had two saves in the game and the Americans had one save.
The U.S. is set to face off against Honduras on Wednesday. The U.S. defeated Honduras 0-1 in June during a CONCACAF Nations League game. Honduras faced off against Canada on Sept. 2 and they drew 1-1.
While the U.S. team will look to earn its bid to the tournament, it will continue to face-off against tough opponents such as Mexico. Mexico defeated Jamaica 2-1 and Costa Rica 1-0 in the qualifying games. However, the U.S. defeated the Mexicans 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup game. The U.S. will need to continue to play well if it hopes to make it to the tournament in Qatar.