Soccer Mom Says…What now?
Can we use the USMNT and US Soccer’s WCQ failure as a catalyst for change?
I’m still speechless. Maybe it hasn’t quite sunk in, but here we are…out of the 2018 World Cup. Let me say that again. No 2018 World Cup. We didn’t qualify.
As US fans we’re used to a scrappy, get-the-job-done, no frills Men’s National Team. A team that figures out a way to come away with the result. Unfortunately, all of that is a thing of the past with yesterday’s 2–1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago. Flat, entitled, and uninspired play (aside from bright spots from Dempsey and Pulisic) just didn’t cut it. To lose to a team that was already out of the running is unacceptable. And perhaps the worst part was that it wasn’t even a good game to watch. A common theme of our WCQ.
But we’re at a crossroads. The US Soccer Federation has some decisions to make. Bruce Arena will likely be out and with Dempsey’s probable national team retirement on the horizon we’ll be left leaderless. (No, I haven’t forgotten that Michael Bradley is the current captain. I just find his tenure as captain mediocre at best.) We have some talent in the likes of Pulisic but it’s not enough. Where the US has always lacked in talent, we made up for in heart and as of last night we don’t have enough of either. It’s clear we cannot continue with the same attitude, talent (or lack there of), and leadership.
Sure, the USSF can sack as many coaches, staff, and players as they like, but does that fix the root of the problem? It’ll likely help but only if we bring in personnel with a fresh prospective, not those that harken back to the past. Italian great and current New York FC midfielder, Andrea Pirlo suggested bringing a promotion/relegation system to the MLS in hopes of shifting our attitude and culture. That would be definitely shake things up. What about Youth Soccer? Can we continue to develop our young players as is? Probably not.
Unfortunately, I, myself don’t have all the answers but I urge the powers that be to really think about the state of US Soccer and use this wake-up call as a motivator for change. Only time will tell if we can recover from this. My hopes are high that we can but my heart is still broken in the meantime.
