There is not one good excuse for the United States Men’s National Team after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The United States is the third highest populated country in the world and has the funding capable of producing a dominating soccer team. The women’s team has risen to the test, and now it is now time for the men to step to the plate.
To put this loss in perspective, the last time the USMNT failed to qualify for a World Cup, the Chicago bears won the Super Bowl, “Pretty in Pink”, “Top Gun”, and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” were at the top of the box office, and Madonna was reaching her peak in popularity. After almost 32 years of rebuilding a program, it seems all progress has been lost.
19-year-old Christian Pulisic should not be holding a prime leadership role on this team, considering there are more experienced players that should be up to the task. He was the only player on the field who looked as if he had a pulse against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, October 10. There was no sense of urgency by the players to win or even tie. It should not have come to a point where the United States were in a win/lose situation that night. The United States had gotten shut out by Honduras a month previously, which only worsened their situation. Trinidad and Tobago came to play, and they clearly wanted a win more than the United States. A team from a country with a population of 1.3 million (roughly the population of Dallas, Texas), had more grit than a country of over 300 million.
Recently resigned head coach Bruce Arena released a statement after the game saying, “No excuses. We didn’t get the job done, and I accept responsibility.” Arena replaced coach Jürgen Klinsmann in 2016. Arena is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and won five MLS titles and five College Cup titles in his successful career. It is unknown how this loss will affect his legacy as a coach, but it is certain his failure to win Tuesday harmed it.
Senior, Tomas Elias, who has been a USMNT fan since birth is openly upset about the loss. “I am really disappointed. A world class team losing to an unheard of team is obviously upsetting.” Elias is unsure about the future of the USMNT, but he knows there needs to be a change made in the program to make US soccer fun to watch again.
The disappointment will not fully set in until next summer, when countries around the globe will be competing in Russia and USA will be at home watching. Hopefully until then, there will be an incentive to change our ways of coaching and playing in order to form a team of players with the appropriate tactical skills and mental toughness to qualify in 2022. It will certainly be a long four years of waiting, but this setback will fuel a fire for a redemption tour for the USMNT.
