U.S. Soccer: We Suck Again
There was a time, somewhere after the 2002 World Cup and through 2006, when the U.S. was considered a rising national soccer power. Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley, having led the U.S. to a quarterfinals appearance in 2002, were rising stars. (And Freddy Adu, the next whoever, was waiting in the wings.) Finally, the United States’ incredibly popular youth soccer culture — all those weekend trips and soccer moms and minivans and stereotypical soccer kids that did too many drugs in high school — was paying off.
As of right now, those days are over. The U.S. Men’s National team is better than it once was, but it’s far from a power. At this point, it’s anything but.
The latest piece of evidence: today’s blowout loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. Perhaps it’s a sign of the U.S.’ gradual improvement that the loss feels like a disappointment, rather than the status quo, but if you needed to be convinced that the United States is still miles behind the world’s best, today was your day. The U.S. was dominated in every facet of the game: possession, chances, pace, structure, winning balls in the midfield, all of it. Brazil controlled buildup, designed beautiful sequences and finished their chances; the U.S. struggled to string together more than a pass or two.
Three semi-important caveats. One: It’s just the Confederations Cup. It’s designed to be a tune-up. Two: U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan got an unearned red card in the second half that essentially crippled the U.S. Three: Today could have easily been 3-1, as Benny Feilhaber hit the crossbar in the 82nd minute and by all rights should have scored.
Still, it’s a second straight loss in the Cup — the first coming vs. Italy, 3-1 — and at least the fourth straight game the U.S. has looked mediocre at best. And maybe that’s what they are. Not a rising power, or a young squad with loads of potential. Just medicore. Those of us who rode in those minivans as a kid, who as adults get the majority of our soccer fix on TV, are still waiting.
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I have no idea what we are waiting for, for Freddy to be 25?...every country tries to bring the younger players as soon as possible...
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The Italian game was so humiliating too. I have never seen such crybabies. Who are these people on the USA team? Are they Americans? Who told them that they can scream and cry and takes dives on the field. We have an athlete's code of honor here. They should cry to their mothers when they get home and just practice please. Thank goodness we have been eliminated and don't have to be embarrassed anymore.
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