by Anthony Strait, OTSL Panelist
This month all eyes will turn to Russia as one of the most exciting events will take place: the FIFA World Cup. 32 of the world's best teams will compete through group play and then the knockout rounds all in hopes of reaching the finals in Moscow. 20 of the 32 teams will be making consecutive appearances -- including defending champion Germany -- while countries like Iceland and Panama will make their first tournament appearances. It’s a three week event that brings the world together via love for native land or love of soccer. The FIFA World Cup played on a fresh pitch is a celebration that all of us love to witness.
The United States, however, will not be a part of that celebration of the beautiful game. For the first time since 1986 the men's soccer team will be no more than mere spectators to a tournament they had been a participant in for five straight cycles. The U.S. had plenty of chances, time, and opportunity to show the world that they belonged among the world's best. Why shouldn't they have felt confident about their chances? Each of the last two World Cup tournaments saw the U.S. reach the round of 16. However, inconsistency with coaching, failure to develop talent, and possibly unearned arrogance all came to a head last October. With a berth at stake, everything that was wrong led to one of the most embarrassing results ever and four painful years to regroup.
In the last four FIFA World Cups the United States were led by four different coaches, all of whom brought different degrees of styles with various results. Steve Sampson led the group into the 1998 World Cup in France. That team lost all three group play matches and was more known for the controversy of then captain John Harkes having a affair with a teammate's wife as the reason why he was cut prior to the tournament. 2002 saw U.S. Soccer fare much better under Bruce Arena; making the quarterfinals for the first time since 1930. 2006 saw regression under Arena as the team only scored one goal in three group play matches and were quickly eliminated. Bob Bradley led the team into the 2010 World Cup and won its group for the first time since 1930, but was upset by Ghana in the knockout round. In 2014 Jurgen Klinsmann was the coach of team USA. His tenure started out with the questionable decision to leave Landon Donovan off the team, opting instead for youth. The U.S. advanced to the knockout stage but again would lose their round of 16 match. Klinsmann's coaching style was criticized by many who felt it was too conservative.
It seemed like the United States were on the right track as far as developing into a soccer power, but then the team struggled and Arena was brought back after Klinsmann was let go following consecutive losses. The losses seemed to mount after the 2014 World Cup, starting with the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They dropped home losses to Mexico and Costa Rica which made qualifying much more difficult. They had to win on the road at some point.
The roster the U.S. carried also showed a total lack of depth and flaws in player development. Goalie Tim Howard was a hero for his play in Brazil but had clearly lost a step. At the same time it can be said that too much was put onto the shoulders of 19-year-old Christian Pulisic. There are no in-betweens for the U.S. roster as it was heavily dependent on veterans or guys just not ready. The gap of talent of players in their 20’s showed during this stretch as team USA’s inevitable doom loomed over them.
It all came down to one result; all the ups and downs and coaching changes came down to one match. The U.S. simply needed a draw against Trinidad & Tobago to qualify for Russia. On a less than ideal pitch that was mocked by the USA Soccer 's social media page, it was Trinidad & Tobago who scored the first two goals. The U.S. would get one, but draw no closer. Combined with wins by Panama and Honduras, the shocking 2-1 loss left the U.S. on the outside of the World Cup. You can also say it left them on the outside of the elite soccer nations as years of progress went down in flames. Arena resigned three days later and now the United States is at a major crossroads. They elected to go younger starting last month with a friendly but it should have been done after the fact.
So now this is what we are left with. The United States, with all of its vast resources, can't get 11 solid players together with any consistency. While the rest of the world looks forward to the World Cup in Russia; the U.S. is back to the drawing board to try and get to the elite status it thought was within reach just a few years ago. Their female counterparts have done it correctly, incorporating younger players like Mallory Pugh alongside veterans like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd.
Maybe the men should have taken notes. Perhaps they need a coach who will play with more of the attacking style needed on the grand stage. The U.S. men's team should really take their time figuring it out; they will have about four years to work with.
