USMNT qualifies for 2022 World Cup: Soccer fans celebrate 2-0 loss

The USMNT needed simply to not lose by six goals to Costa Rica to qualify for the World Cup. So fans were oddly celebrating the 2-0 loss on Wednesday.

It was a simple formula for the United States Men’s National Team in terms of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying as they entered Wednesday night’s away fixture against Costa Rica and the last of qualifying. If the Americans could avoid a 6-0 defeat on the heels of their thumping of Panama the previous weekend, the USMNT would move on to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The match against Costa Rica was anything but the US’s best effort. They were sloppy defensively, the attacks couldn’t find their marks and things just looked a bit disjointed. As the final whistle blew, however, the United States took just a 2-0 loss.

And with that, the USMNT officially punched their ticket to the World Cup after missing out in 2018.

USMNT qualifies for World Cup: Fans celebrate

Even if it looks like a 2-0 loss on Wednesday, the overall result is a massive win for the Americans with the ticket punched to Qatar. So in that light, it was an odd celebration for fans as they felt triumphant despite losing the night’s match by two goals.

https://twitter.com/cameronsalerno1/status/1509365417684340741

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https://twitter.com/IntChampionsCup/status/1509368775274991620

Losing two goals to nil has never felt so good. But as Patrick Muldowney of The Ringer put it perfectly, the goal of qualifiers isn’t to win every match — it’s to qualify. And the United States did their job in that regard, which is the most important part.

When does the 2022 World Cup start?

Kicking off in winter (stateside) in Qatar, the 2022 World Cup will begin on Nov. 21 this year with the knockout rounds lasting until mid-December. Most notably, the final will be held on Dec. 18.

After missing out in 2018, this is a huge moment for the United States. You could make the argument that this is one of the most talented sides that the country has ever put on the pitch, so for them to punch their tickets and now have a chance to shock the world in Qatar is truly special.