By: Suzanna Sleeth

Every four years, one of the most fascinating sports events occurs. The World Cup is the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world. Thirty three countries come together and compete for the title of World Cup Champions. This year’s tournament was extremely special for Team USA, as they did not qualify for the World Cup in 2018. Faced with a match against Trinidad and Tobago in the 2018 qualifiers, the world thought that the USA would have no problem assuming their position yet again in the World Cup bracket. Trinidad and Tobago had already lost their spot in the qualifying round and were simply playing for pride, but they managed to pull out a 2-1 win against Team USA. This came as a complete surprise to everyone and was a big let down to USA fans.

However, in 2022, Team USA flipped a switch and qualified for the World Cup after a 1-0 win against Iran. Team USA shocked the world with their undefeated record within the group stage, after a tie with Wales and a surprising tie with England, one of the best teams in the world. After a 1-0 win against Iran, advancing them into the round of 16, USA moved on to play the Netherlands where they unfortunately lost 2-0. After an arguably successful tournament for such a young team, USA showed that they were dedicated to changing their narrative and were motivated to show the world just how far they could go.