US soccer searches for answers after missing World Cup
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, November 1, 2017
Weeks after the US men's soccer team was knocked out of the 2018 World Cup, the country is still recovering from the shock amid confusion and struggling for answers.
Needing only a draw against the world's 99th-ranked Trinidad and Tobago, the US team was eliminated from 2018 World Cup Finals early this month with a 2-1 loss to the island nation, ending a run of seven straight American appearances at the soccer's showcase.
US coach Bruce Arena accepted responsibility and resigned immediately, but the blame for the World Cup failure can not entirely be laid upon Arena's feet.
"Nothing has to change."
These are the words of Arena. He's upbeat about the future of US soccer.
However, the stunning nature of the US ouster has inspired an unflinching examination of the entire national program for men's soccer.
"US soccer has had this bad outcome. How do we work together to solve it? It's not maybe a straightforward answer," said Garth Lagerwey, a former goalkeeper and now general manager of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC.
There have already been calls for US soccer to address the way it develops young players after the national team was outclassed by teams with inferior resources and revenue.
The US team failed to qualify for the 2012 and 2016 men's Olympic soccer tournaments, with a generational talent gap evident when a creaky defense repeatedly broke down during qualifying. There were even no young goalkeepers considered challengers to veteran Tim Howard.
"This has been coming for a while. I think it's just kind of been building up," commented former US defender Marcelo Balboa.
In the World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago, Arena started only four players under the age of 25. The 19-year-old Christian Pulisic, US soccer's next potential big name, moved to Germany as a 16-year-old to train with Bundesliga power Borussia Dortmund.
"I think there are a number of reasons we're missing the best kids, but the fact is we are missing a lot of the best kids," said soccer legend Landon Donovan. "And that should not be the situation in a country of this size, with the resources we have, where kids are getting passed over for any reason, whether it's socioeconomic status, race, religion, proximity to a club."
There is precedent for soccer rejuvenation. Germany's program fell into disrepair in the late 1990s, culminating with a disastrous showing at the 2004 European Championship. That led to a total revamping of that country's system across all levels of the game -- and was followed a decade later by a World Cup triumph in Brazil in 2014.
"Our best, most talented kids should have the opportunity that everybody else has. There's no easy answer to that. But it's something that needs to be fixed," Donovan said.
"Everything's a lot easier when you're on the outside looking in, but it is time to re-evaluate and reassess what's going on and make sure we are doing the right things and implementing the right things to make sure this doesn't happen again," he added.
The ripple effect of that defeat may be felt off the field for quite some time.
The absence of a US team at the most popular sporting event on the planet will make it difficult for the US Soccer Federation (USSF) to attract new partners. FIFA will be disappointed by the US absence as the American market is among the final great frontiers for the organization.
Fox Sports, which broadcasts next year's World Cup, will also take a major hit with the US defeat, facing the question of "Will Americans still watch if their national team is not there?"
More importantly, whether a World Cup without the participation of a US team can attract new generations of kids to the sport remains to be seen.
The US will not participate in the 2018 World Cup, but as part of a combined bid with Mexico and Canada, the country is likely to host the majority of the 2026 World Cup.
As the bidding process ramps up and FIFA prepares to announce the winner next June in Moscow, the US will use it as an impetus to enhance the sport at all levels after the absence from the world stage for years.
USSF chief Sunil Gulati said: "The most important part of this in many ways is what happens after the World Cup. Have we used the period, the eight and a half years that we'll have before the World Cup, to build the game to take advantage of this spectacular event that will take place in the summer of 2026 and where is the sport after? Have we risen the level of the sport? Is MLS bigger and stronger? Is the quality of play of our national teams better? Is the professional structure under Major League Soccer stronger? Are there more kids playing in a safe environment? And what does it look like the day after the World Cup?"
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)