World Cup roundtable: Our writers weigh in on the good, bad and what’s next for USMNT

Some may believe that if the United States men’s national team couldn’t beat the Dutch, it wasn’t much of a World Cup run. However, many fans were newly appreciative of even being in the tournament at all and liked a lot of what they saw of the team’s play in the group stages. Our Inquirer soccer writers look back at the 2022 U.S. World Cup campaign, as well as ahead to 2026.

Jonathan Tannenwald: Had the U.S. men qualified for the 2018 World Cup, I suspect that very few people would have minded if this year’s squad was overtly designed to look toward 2026. But because of that failure, this group and the people who built it wanted to make a positive statement right now.

They did so. There cannot be any doubt about that. Advancing from the group stage was applauded at home and abroad, both of which matter a lot.

As I wrote in my analysis of the Netherlands game, the U.S. landed right on the nose of expectations. It feels like that doesn’t happen often in any sport, especially in Philadelphia: either a team is blasted for falling short of expectations or exulted for exceeding them.

The bar for this U.S. team at the start of the World Cup was advancing from the group stage. It did so. Then it got beaten by a team that was more talented and played at its best. That happens.

The hope was that the Dutch would be at the subpar level they showed in much of the group stage, and the U.S. would raise its game against and pull off an upset. Neither happened. The big boys in Oranje showed up, from Memphis Depay to Denzel Dumfries to manager Louis van Gaal, and the Americans were exhausted.

The short-term pain of the loss will fade, and this term will be even shorter than usual. Indeed, I think much of the world will move on fast, except for the winning nation and perhaps a few others. The sour taste of Qatar beyond the field will fade, and some big European leagues resume before December ends. The second divisions in England, Italy and Spain have already resumed.

» READ MORE: Philly fans in Qatar for the World Cup are at home with passionate fandom

What will last is the knowledge that these young U.S. players are immensely talented. They will only improve over the next four years, and they’ll be joined by a raft of rising stars who are only just starting as pros. Some of them we know, like Paxten Aaronson; some we don’t know yet. That will be one of the most fun aspects of what’s to come.

My chief dislike was Gregg Berhalter not shaking free of his innate conservatism, a trait he shares with his boss, Earnie Stewart. Longtime Union fans know that Jim Curtin’s tactics were pretty rigid when Stewart was the club’s sporting director. Curtin didn’t reach the elite heights where he now stands until Ernst Tanner came in and let him be more pragmatic.

How will Stewart handle Berhalter’s successor? Admittedly, that question assumes there will be a successor, and that’s not guaranteed. But I think there will be, and I think Berhalter will cause it. As Andrea and I both wrote Saturday, plenty of people in the know believe Berhalter might stand down of his own accord when his contract expires at the end of the year.

I’d like to see Jesse Marsch get the job next, but the practicalities of that will be a challenge. Someone has to coach this team starting in January, and Marsch won’t leave Leeds on his own that fast. Maybe he will in 2024, but I can’t see him going before then unless results cause him to be fired.

Marsch is a smart enough politician to not want the job too much in public. There’s no doubt, though, that he wants it. If the pieces all come together, I think he’ll do a great job, and he’ll steer the 2026 team to the unprecedented heights so many people hope for.

Andrea Canales: There were moments in this World Cup when the USMNT was undeniably good. The first half against Wales, most of the game against England, and the first half, again, against Iran. It didn’t all fall apart against the Netherlands, either, but it’s harder to string together good moments against teams who will consistently punish the letdowns, which the Dutch did so competently.

In many ways, it’s easier to criticize than it is to celebrate, so I want to specifically praise the connecting play and energetic pacing of the American team. In World Cup games, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much team possession and linking passes to set up chances from any edition of the USMNT as I did in this tournament. And looking back on Berhalter’s tenure, it’s also been fun watching this edition of the USMNT build up to this moment. Their Gold Cup wins, the Nations League trophy — those things mattered to bring the team to this point, not only through a grueling qualifying campaign, but also to the grit they displayed in group play, as the only CONCACAF team to advance.

That practical, resilient nature was on display in a couple of timely fouls by Tyler Adams and Kellyn Acosta to prevent breakaways, in cleared header after cleared header by Walker Zimmerman toward the end of the Iran match. The team itself having fun, celebrating each other and enjoying the experience of the tournament was great to see. So was Yunus Musah’s contagious smile and Tim Ream’s venerable manner and example to the players of taking in every moment of the tournament. Cristian Roldan and Antonee Robinson consoling Ramin Rezeaian at the end of their match is likely the most impactful moment of the whole World Cup for me, such a reminder of the humanity of the athletic endeavor and a metaphor that life is mostly people just trying to do their best.

Speaking of trying his best, I come not to bury Gregg Berhalter, but to praise him. He recruited well, he built and maintained the positive atmosphere the team clearly has, he led the team to those Gold Cup and Nations League titles I mentioned, in an egalitarian and democratic move, he had the players themselves decide who would captain the squad and his initial tactics in World Cup matches indicated he scouted and prepared well against their opponents.

Still, I believe, and I suspect he knows this as well, that the USMNT has gotten the best of what he has to give, and the lessons, tactics and motivation he’s given have reached their peak point of effectiveness. Berhalter isn’t suddenly going to become an aggressive tactical attacking genius or implement a new style or inspire any differently than he’s done thus far. He’s done well with the team, he really has, and that’s exactly why he should move on now. The U.S. has advanced to the point where there are numerous viable options for the men’s team coaching position. As Jonathan mentioned, I believe Berhalter will move on of his own accord and on his own terms.

I hope he tries for a coaching opportunity abroad, because there’s no reason why Jesse Marsch should be carrying the American coaching banner more or less on his own. Normalize more U.S. coaches working abroad, just as there are more players playing there now.

Marsch would make a fine USMNT coach, as would Jim Curtin or Steve Cherundolo, but I don’t necessarily think any of them have incredible stylistic, tactical nous or would be a significant upgrade over Berhalter, either. Fine isn’t cutting it if the U.S. wants to push for true contender status.

I’m not stuck on the idea that the coach of the team in 2026 has to be American at all. The last time the U.S. hosted, Bora Milutinovic was coach, and the team had a perfectly respectable showing, especially given the amateur talent level available at that time. Why not be open to a different perspective that could take a fresh look at the talent available, push the players out of their comfort zones, and have a more creative vision for integrating the team’s best players? I’ve banged the drum for Marcelo Bielsa in the past, but also, Louis van Gaal, Joachim Löw, Roberto Martinez or Thierry Henry would bring a vitally different point of view to the table. Or if the American connection but with a different stylistic and attacking approach is wanted, Hugo Perez would be a good choice, especially since he had the vision see the potential in some of the key players today, like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.

Gustav Elvin: Given the USMNT’s failure to qualify in 2018, the team’s recent run in Qatar was unequivocally a success. The U.S. not only advanced out of a group it was in no way guaranteed to, but the team also showed it belonged against established soccer heavyweights like England, and the Netherlands (minus a few defensive lapses). These performances showed the progress the U.S. has made in recent years and offers hope that the best is still yet to come from a team that was the second-youngest at the 2022 World Cup.

What is clear is that the U.S. now has a foundation to build on as the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Sergino Dest, Tim Weah, Antonee Robinson, and Brenden Aaronson are all 25 years old or under. Those players will all be back four years from now, with at least six of them likely entrenched as starters. There should be a cohesiveness about the roster which is exciting, not to mention the genuine bond and love for one another that this team seems to possess.

The U.S. also will be better off for the experience of 2022, where all but one player was making his World Cup debut. The U.S. players experienced the full gamut of emotions at this year’s tournament and they should learn from that, particularly from how the team was punished against the Netherlands. Remember, 2022 was always going to be a test run of sorts for 2026 when the tournament hits U.S. soil and many of the team’s top players will be entering their primes.

The next task will be continuing to build the level of competition within the squad, something the U.S. program has done better in recent years – see the number of players now playing in Europe’s top leagues and Reyna not being a starter in Qatar. The player pool is deeper than ever and that should only continue with European scouts now bringing American players across the Atlantic earlier and more often.

» READ MORE: Medford’s Brenden Aaronson happy to take on whatever role the USMNT needs at the World Cup

The other task will be filling in the players and positions around the ones listed above, namely center back and striker. The U.S. will need to identify and develop players in both of those areas to round out the roster and truly take the next step as a national team. Striker remains a huge question mark as the U.S. has a checkered record of developing players at that position and many times a team is only good as its No. 9. Is this Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi, or someone we don’t even know about yet? Regardless, this will be something to watch closely this cycle.

Finally, Gregg Berhalter did a good job even if he wasn’t always perfect during his tenure. That said, I don’t think he will stay on/make it all the way to 2026, which means the USMNT’s biggest question may be who leads this team forward?

The candidates have been talked about ad nauseam – Jesse Marsch, Steve Cherundolo, Roberto Martinez, Thierry Henry, Jim Curtin, Josh Wolff. I think Marsch makes the most sense due to his experience in Europe, pedigree, and high-tempo style. He also already has a relationship with several of the team’s key players and I believe both as a motivator and tactician, he can get the most out of this group. His teams have played great attacking football and that would excite me as a U.S. fan. I wouldn’t get bogged down in the fact that he’s currently employed by Leeds United, either.

Martinez and Henry are clearly intelligent football minds but I’d push back that both have underperformed in big jobs, while no offense to Cherundolo or Curtin, hiring either would seem a bit underwhelming. Could the U.S. go after a big fish? Carlo Ancelotti…