U.S. Men's National Soccer Team Secures Spot in 2022 World Cup After 8-Year Drought: 'Proud Moment'

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They're back!

The United States' men's national soccer team (USMNT) has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in eight years, despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday. The last time they earned a spot in the international tournament was in 2014.

The USMNT finished third among CONCACAF teams looking to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after 14 matches of the Octogonal, according to USA Soccer. Canada placed first and Mexico placed second, while Costa Rica finished fourth.

The USMNT is playing with its youngest average starting players in team history, with 13 of its 14 lineups averaging 24 years old or younger, per USA Soccer. (The previous record was set in 1990 at 24 years and 66 days across 10 matches.)

"It's a proud moment for the team, proud moment for U.S. soccer," said U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter, NPR reported. "The team's ecstatic."

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For many players, like LAFC midfielder Kellyn Acosta, qualifying for the 2022 World Cup was an emotional experience.

"I cried last time we couldn't qualify. I'm crying now," he said after the game, per MLSSoccer.com. "I'm just so happy and proud of the group that we're finally back where we belong."

"We talked about it before the game — you don't really get many second chances in life … especially in professional sports," said FC Dallas wing Paul Arriola, according to the outlet. "So for us, it's a blessing. It was an opportunity for us."

Arriola added, "I'm just so happy to be able to write a different script and continue to push this nation, this country, this national team to hopefully the next level and represent in the World Cup."

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Christian Pulisic, who played for the USMNT during its 2017 World Cup qualifying finale in Trinidad and Tobago with Acosta, now 26, and Inter Miami CF defender DeAndre Yedlin, said he is "extremely proud of this group" for their accomplishment, according to CNN.

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"It's a bit of a weird feeling right now because I hate to lose so much, but I'm really proud, and I can't wait to go to the World Cup," Pulisic said.

After Wednesday's game, former New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams shared a photo on Twitter of himself with Pulisic and Acosta while celebrating their World Cup qualification, which he captioned "WORLD CUP QATAR 2022!!!! LETS GOOOO!!! 🇺🇸."

Speaking with the media, Adams said he has truly enjoyed playing alongside athletes he admired as a child, according to MLSSoccer.com.

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"Most of these guys I've grown up with," Adams explained, per the outlet. "And the guys I didn't grow up with playing with the youth national team system are guys that I grew up watching on TV. Like DeAndre [Yedlin]. Kellyn was a role model for me when I was coming into the MLS."

"And to step foot out there every game with them and just battle with them," he added, "it's a dream come true."

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is scheduled to run from November 21 to December 18, according to FIFA.