Three Concacaf World Cup qualifying games are in the books, and the U.S. men’s national team have five points in the first three games.
On the surface, it isn’t a bad return, even if the U.S. arguably weren’t at their best – to put it kindly – after two and a half games. A massive turnaround in the final half at Honduras salvaged the window, putting the U.S. in good position after one qualifying window.
It was always going to be a trickier path to the punch a ticket to the World Cup in 2022. Part of that is the fact that so many of the young and promising U.S. players are going through the process for the first time. The young talent, which has made its way to so many big clubs in Europe, has to get the job done still. Win big games at home, or on the road. And the grit showed in the second half is going to be a good lesson for those on the field.
The benefit of hindsight, several of those youngsters were able to shine across the three games. Break down some of the top performances below from players U23 players in qualifying (born in 1998 or earlier).
