Walker Zimmerman insists USMNT proved they can 'compete with anyone' at World Cup
By Chris Smith
The United States Men's National Team proved during the World Cup that they can hang with the best, even if they didn't achieve their ultimate goals, according to Walker Zimmerman.
Throughout the tournament, American players insisted they were in Qatar to win the tournament; not just to make up the numbers or merely remember the feeling of playing in a World Cup after missing out in 2018.
Those dreams came crashing down with a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the round-of-16 on Saturday. It was a humbling defeat, but one that only came after an unbeaten group stage that included a 0-0 draw with England.
“One hundred percent, we came into this World Cup with the goal of winning,” Zimmerman reflected. “And I think that we showed that we can compete with anyone, and then the way that we played, the way that we attacked games and created chances. And, again, I mentioned all the talent we have and the group of individuals that we have, how we believe in each other. And that's what makes it hurt the most, is we felt like this was a special group.”
The USMNT will now reload and begin preparations for 2026 having already qualified as co-hosts alongside Mexico and Canada.
DeAndre Yedlin was the only member of Gregg Berhalter's roster to have experienced a World Cup before heading to Qatar having been part of the 2014 group in Brazil.
He believes that even the pain of defeat to the Netherlands will serve as a valuable lesson moving forward.
“The biggest thing is, the group learned what it feels like to lose in a World Cup. And that goes a long way,” Yedlin said. “Now you’re going into the next one and pretty much everybody in that group probably will have played in a World Cup. So now it's a whole different story. Now they know that feeling of what it's like to lose after putting so much into it. The feeling of defeat from the past can only fuel success in the future.”
Watch the story of Charlotte FC's journey to MLS in 90min's The Making of Charlotte FC, presented by DoorDash, on 90min channels now. Subscribe to our new US YouTube channel.