U.S. men’s soccer team fails to qualify for World Cup
Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo (1) stops a goal by USA’s Bobby Wood (9) during the World Cup qualifier game on Oct. 6, 2017.
Oct 12, 2017
For the first time since 1986, the United States men’s national team (USMNT) has failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
The 2018 World Cup, hosted by Russia, will not feature the USMNT after a devastating 1-2 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago in the qualifying rounds. Trinidad and Tobago is a small island nation north of Venezuela.
Trinidad and Tobago had already been eliminated from 2018 World Cup contention and had lost eight of their previous nine games.
The lack of an American presence on soccer’s largest stage will likely inhibit the growth of a sport that already lags behind football, basketball, baseball and hockey in the United States.
Teams that have qualified for the 2018 World Cup are: Belgium, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Egypt, Nigeria, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Qualification rounds are still underway.
The qualifying rounds for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup begin in 2018. The United States women’s national team are the reigning world champions, having defeated Japan 5-2 in the final of the 2014 Women’s World Cup.
