An estimated TV audience of 30 million watched the group draw against Portugal, with Jurgen Klinsmann’s side front-page news, while more US-based fans travelled to Brazil for the tournament than from any other country. The United States is no longer the footballing backwater it once was.
Those who still mock the American game do so in ignorance of the country’s consistent World Cup record, with the US qualifying for the last seven straight tournaments, making the last 16 four times over that stretch. But how well did the USA really do at this World Cup? Off the pitch, there is much for the American game to be positive about, but what about the actual performances Klinsmann’s side turned in?
