The US men’s national team has climbed two spots to No. 20 in the latest FIFA World Rankings, cracking the top 20 for the first time since September 2014.
Head coach Gregg Berhalter’s team has enjoyed an 8W-0L-1D run since November 2019 and is coming off a 2-1 win against Northern Ireland that served as their first road win over a European opponent since a June 2015 match against Germany.
The USMNT could climb even higher in the coming months, starting with a May 30 friendly at Switzerland ahead of their Group A games at this summer’s European Championship.
The Switzerland game will prepare the USMNT for a Concacaf Nations League semifinal June 3 against Honduras, with the winner advancing to a June 6 final as the inaugural regional competition is concluded. Later this summer, they’ll also have the Concacaf Gold Cup as followed by World Cup Qualifiers as the field for Qatar 2022 gets narrowed down.
The USMNT are chasing Mexico, who occupy the No. 11 spot in the latest FIFA World Rankings. The next order will be released May 27, with the top spot currently belonging to Belgium. Elsewhere in Concacaf, Jamaica are No. 45 and Costa Rica are No. 50.
Amid this scorching run of form, the USMNT have trounced fellow Concacaf sides Panama, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica in succession by a combined 23-3 scoreline. Their opponents haven’t always fielded the strongest lineups, but it’s nonetheless encouraging to see Berhalter’s group taking care of business after a lengthy delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heading into this summer’s busy slate, Berhalter will lean upon a mix of MLS- and overseas-based players. From the MLS group, some headliners are LA Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget, New York Red Bulls center back Aaron Long, D.C. United winger Paul Arriola and New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner.
All told, the USMNT has a young core that’s fueled this success, including several talents developed by MLS clubs. The list of American players at Champions League-level sides includes Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, FC Barcelona fullback Sergino Dest, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen, Borussia Dortmund's Gio Reyna and more.
