For the first time in more than thirty years, the U.S. men’s national team will not compete in the World Cup. In the final qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup last October, the U.S. men’s national team lost 2-1 against Trinidad and Tobago in a stunning defeat.
That loss was just one of a series of events that led to the U.S.’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. The match came at the end of a two-years-long qualifying tournament for national teams in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football leagues. A bad start for the U.S. meant the country’s fate relied heavily on how other teams did in the qualifying rounds. Yes, the loss against Trinidad and Tobago was just part of the reason that led to the U.S.’s absence at the 2018 World Cup. Honduras and Panama stunned Mexico and Costa Rica, respectively, in the final round last October. Those wins and losses placed Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama in the World Cup, and the United States in fifth place.
