The U.S. Men's National Team overcame Iran in 2022 to clinch a spot in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
It was an impressive achievement for Gregg Berhalter's squad, which was among the least experienced in the field. It also continued a pattern of the United States making it into the knockout stage of the tournament.
Despite having mixed success historically in the World Cup, the Yanks have qualified for the Round of 16 more often than you might think. Here's a list of all the times the USA has advanced out of the group stage.
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When has the United States reached the World Cup Round of 16?
The USMNT has made it into the knockout stage of the World Cup on seven occasions: 1930, 1934, 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2022.
Notice the gap of 60 years between 1934 and 1994. That's in large part because the USA didn't qualify for the tournament at all from 1954 through 1986.
It's important to note that the knockout stage hasn't always been the Round of 16. In early versions of the tournament, the entire field was 16 teams or fewer. For the purposes of this list, however, each time the team has made it into the single-elimination bracket portion is being counted.
Here is how far the Americans have gone the six times they've reached the knockout stage.
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1930
The United States joined 12 other teams from around the world in Uruguay for the inaugural FIFA World Cup. The Yanks surprised many experts by easily winning their group thanks to 3-0 wins over Belgium and Paraguay. Winning the group sent them straight to the semifinals (the format worked a bit differently back then), where they were trounced 6-1 by Argentina. It remains the farthest the USA has advanced in the tournament.
1934
This one is a bit of a technicality. Only 16 teams played in the tournament, so there was no group stage. Instead, the competition began with the field matched up in single-elimination bracket format. The Americans drew tournament host Italy first and were routed 7-1 in Rome to be eliminated after one game.
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1994
After six decades, the USA finally made it back to the knockout stage. The Americans, who were hosing the tournament, beat Colombia 2-1 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan for their first World Cup win in 44 years. They finished third in their group but managed to qualify for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-place teams. They were eliminated by Brazil 1-0 on July 4.
2002
A stunning 3-2 win against Portugal was enough to send the Americans to second in their group, which also included South Korea and Poland. Things got even better after Landon Donovan scored to help the USMNT earn a 2-0 win over Mexico in the Round of 16. That sent the team to the quarterfinals, where it lost 1-0 to a heavily favored German side.
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2010
The United States finished first in a group that included England, famously earning a draw against the Three Lions after a goalkeeping error by Rob Green. They were matched up with Ghana in the Round of 16 and lost 2-1 after an extra-time winner by Asamoah Gyan.
2014
The USA's last World Cup appearance is best remembered for Tim Howard's legendary goalkeeping performance against Belgium in the Round of 16. Sadly, it ended in yet another extra-time defeat. The Yanks finished second in their group, behind Germany and ahead of Portugal and Ghana.
2022
The United States advanced to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup with a victory over Iran after previously notching draws against Wales and England. However, it was ultimately eliminated by the Netherlands in the Round of 16 with a 3-1 loss.
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