World Baseball Classic Bracket: Team USA's path to the 2017 title broken down

Team USA will look to defend their 2017 World Baseball Classic gold medal, as the tournament is set to take place for the first time in six years. From March 8 to 21, 20 different nations are set to face off to determine which team will win the fifth iteration of the WBC.

"We are getting so close to the #WorldBaseballClassic!"- World Baseball Classic

Heading into the tournament, Team USA has one of the strongest rosters in the history of the World Baseball Classic. After Mike Trout committed to the roster, players continued to join him in representing their country on the world stage.

The Los Angeles Angels superstar will look to help Team USA defend its crown, winning the 2017 iteration of the World Baseball Classic. While the three-time MVP was not a member of the 2017 squad, he will be the captain of this year's squad.

While the 2017 roster was nowhere near as loaded with talent as the 2023 squad, they were able to capture the gold for the United States. The championship roster was headlined by the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Paul Goldschmidt and Adam Jones.

"Who could forget Adam Jones' home run robbery of Manny Machado to propel Team USA to the semifinals of the 2017 WBC. Which @USABaseball player will have the biggest moment in the 2023 tourney? #MLBTonight | @CY24_7 | @JakePeavy_22 | @WBCBaseball | @SimplyAJ10" - MLB Network

The United States entered the tournament as part of Pool C, which also featured Team Canada, Team Colombia and Team Dominican Republic. They finished second in the pool after the group stage, finishing with a 2-1 record, falling to the Dominican Republic 7-5, their only loss in the group stage.

The United States then advanced to the second round to form pool F with Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, going 2-1 again. This time, they lost to Puerto Rico 6-5, but were able to advance to the championship round.

Team USA matched up against Team Japan in the semi-finals. Japan was loaded with talented players such as Kodai Senga and Seiya Suzuki. The United States was able to defeat Japan 2-1 thanks to an eighth-inning go-ahead run from Adam Jones. The victory set up a rematch with Puerto Rico for the championship.

"Here’s newest Met, Kodai Senga, striking out the side against Team USA at the 2017 WBC. Hosmer, McCutchen, and Posey all rung up. That’ll play. #LGM" - daniel

Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Finals

After falling 6-5 to Puerto Rico in the second round, the USA dominated their opponents in the rematch, cruising to a 8-0 victory. The United States jumped all over Puerto Rican starter Seth Lugo, who gave up four runs in four innings.

Even after changing their pitcher, the story did not change as the USA scored three runs off Jose Berrios. The offensive explosion helped the United States secure its first World Baseball Classic title since the tournament's establishment in 2006.