GOAL breaks down the USMNT squad ahead of the knockout rounds
The USMNT is at the World Cup for the 11th time in their history, back after they failed to qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia altogether.
Gregg Berhalter and his men will be desperate to make amends for that performance by going far in Qatar and they sure have the talent to spring a surprise.
They've already cleared the first hurdle, escaping from a group that included England, Wales and Iran. And they escaped without a loss, making them one of only five teams at this World Cup to avoid tasting defeat so far.
Their reward? A match against one of the other five: the Netherlands. It will be a tough test for a young U.S. group that will still have reason to believe after, at times, dominating in the group stage.
ALSO READ:World Cup 2022 Group B: Fixtures, results, standings, squads & full details
GettyGOALKEEPERS
Zack Steffen was surprisingly left out, giving Matt Turner a clear path to start. Berhalter had preferred the Manchester City keeper, who is currently on loan at Middlesbrough, before injury issues gave Arsenal's summer signing an opportunity.
And Turner has justified the decision since arriving in Qatar, having not given up a goal from open play in the tournament's first three games. The only goal scored against him came from the penalty spot as Gareth Bale finished after being fouled in the box.
Other than that, Turner has been faultless, even with his often-criticized distribution.
Sean Johnson and Ethan Horvath have had the back-up responsibilities.
Name
Club
Matt Turner
Arsenal
Sean Johnson
New York City
Ethan Horvath
Luton Town
AdvertisementGettyDEFENDERS
A few months ago, few would have imagined the U.S. looking like this.
One reason is the resurgence of Tim Ream, a player that wasn't even involved in qualifying. Now, the Fulham man is undroppable, having started all three games in the group stage.
He's been paired with both Walker Zimmerman and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with the former starting the first two group stage games and the latter getting the nod against Iran.
As for the fullbacks, it's been as expected, although the performances have been better than most could have imagined as both Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson have taken their games to new heights.
Name
Club
DeAndre Yedlin
Inter Miami
Walker Zimmerman
Nashville
Aaron Long
New York Red Bulls
Sergino Dest
AC Milan
Joe Scally
Borussia Monchengladbach
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Celtic
Antonee Robinson
Fulham
Tim Ream
Fulham
Shaq Moore
Nashville
Getty ImagesMIDFIELDERS
Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams have started all three games, with Adams, in particular, establishing himself as the team's most important player.
Brenden Aaronson has been the first sub off the bench while Kellyn Acosta has also been involved as a substitute.
But the MMA midfielder remains untouched and could very well be together for years to come.
Name
Club
Yunus Musah
Valencia
Cristian Roldan
Seattle Sounders
Kellyn Acosta
Los Angeles
Weston McKennie
Juventus
Tyler Adams
Leeds United
Luca de la Torre
Celta Vigo
Brendan Aaronson
Leeds United
Getty ImagesATTACKERS
Chelsea star Pulisic has lead the USMNT attack at the World Cup in Qatar, even if the versatile attacker has been struggling somewhat at club level.
Pulisic has a goal and an assist, with the goal being the one that fired the U.S. to a 1-0 win over Iran. He did pick up an injury in the scoring of that goal, though, as Pulisic suffered a pelvis injury that could impact his game against the Netherlands.
His assist, meanwhile, came on the USMNT's only other goal of the group stage, a finish from Tim Weah, who has started all three games.
Up top, the U.S. has started both Josh Sargent and Haji Wright, although the former is dealing with an ankle injury.
One surprise, though, has been Gio Reyna, or rather the lack of Gio Reyna. He's featured just once off the bench after being seen as a likely starter pre-tournament.
Name
Club
Christian Pulisic
Chelsea
Jordan Morris
Seattle Sounders
Josh Sargent
Norwich City
Jesus Ferreira
FC Dallas
Giovanni Reyna
Dortmund
Timothy Weah
Lille
Haji Wright
Antalyaspor