Lone Star Jacket
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Eliminated by a flu-weakened Netherlands team 3-1 in the knockout round. US had edge in possession time and shots on goal, but let down by goaltending.
USMNT Folds Again
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CINCYMETJACKET
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I wouldn't say they were let down by goaltending. I'd say that they were let down by a few defensive mistakes that gave the Netherlands a couple of huge chances that they put home. Not sure Turner really had a shot at most if not all 3 of those shots. The US had their chances as well and didn't convert. It happens in sports. On to the next game in January to build for 2026.
BainbridgeJacket
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Nobody celebrates moral victories quite like the USM(S)NT. Won't be the best unless you set the expectation.
JacketOff
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Who’s celebrating moral victories? We’re the 16th ranked FIFA team and we made it to the round of 16. Played 90 full minutes against one of the best teams in the world in England. 3rd youngest team in the tournament. We finished and did about what everyone expected us to do. Yeah it sucks to lose, but that’s like saying Tech’s expectations for next year should be a national championship, and celebrating any result other than that is celebrating a moral victory.
This year’s USMNT was a building block for the future of soccer in the U.S. We needed to prove we belonged on the world stage, with the best teams in the world, and we did that. It was a stepping stone to have us in position to actually compete for the trophy on our own turf in 2026.
By 2026 Pulisic will be 28 and a Premier League vet. Weston McKennie will be 28 with multiple years of top tier competitor. Tyler Adams will be 27. Sergino Dest will be 25. Giovanni Reyna will be 24 and in much better shape to contribute. Brendan Aaronson will be 26. Timothy Weah will be 26. Antonee Robinson will be 29. Josh Sargent will be 26. Walker Zimmerman will be 33, and for reference Tim Ream is 35 and played excellent all throughout the Cup.
Just about everyone who contributed in this Cup will literally be in the primes of their career. We legitimately have one of the best midfields in the world right now, and it’s only going to get better. All we need to be an absolute contender are solid strikers, guys who can finish at the net. I don’t see this being a more victory at all. It gave everyone a chance to see that we deserve to be out there, and hopefully will provide a spark that gets us into that elite conversation in the next Word Cup cycle, especially on our home turf.
This year’s USMNT was a building block for the future of soccer in the U.S. We needed to prove we belonged on the world stage, with the best teams in the world, and we did that. It was a stepping stone to have us in position to actually compete for the trophy on our own turf in 2026.
By 2026 Pulisic will be 28 and a Premier League vet. Weston McKennie will be 28 with multiple years of top tier competitor. Tyler Adams will be 27. Sergino Dest will be 25. Giovanni Reyna will be 24 and in much better shape to contribute. Brendan Aaronson will be 26. Timothy Weah will be 26. Antonee Robinson will be 29. Josh Sargent will be 26. Walker Zimmerman will be 33, and for reference Tim Ream is 35 and played excellent all throughout the Cup.
Just about everyone who contributed in this Cup will literally be in the primes of their career. We legitimately have one of the best midfields in the world right now, and it’s only going to get better. All we need to be an absolute contender are solid strikers, guys who can finish at the net. I don’t see this being a more victory at all. It gave everyone a chance to see that we deserve to be out there, and hopefully will provide a spark that gets us into that elite conversation in the next Word Cup cycle, especially on our home turf.
BainbridgeJacket
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Sounds like you're celebrating moral victories.
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I'm celebrating that we played well. I'm celebrating that we are getting better. I'm not celebrating a "moral" victory wince I don't see sports as a morality play. I'm celebrating accomplishment.
There were about 205 teams which could have qualified for the 2022 World Cup. We finished in round of 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification
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OK, looks like there are a couple of questions here
- Did we fold? I don’t think it’s “folding” when you play your guts out against a more talented and higher rated team. I watched the game, and the players gave it their all.
- Did we have the right strategy? Possibly. We had a very aggressive strategy, and if we’d converted on a couple of early scoring opportunities, we would have a lead and we could switch to bunkering and countering. We need strikers, and we don’t really have great strikers.
- Is this a “moral victory”? Nah, it’s a loss. The US is the #16 national team, and you go into games against the #8 team trying to win it. We should have made the round of 16 (and we barely did, unlike some other teams). It’s not an unexpected loss, though—the Dutch would be favored to win 4 out of 5 games, probably—maybe more.
- Is Berhalter the right coach? He’s the right coach for NOW. He’s not the big problem though
- What IS the problem? Spain and Brazil and the Netherlands have had high-functioning futbol academies for longer than most of us have been alive. It’s a long-term solution, and we haven’t been patient enough or had a league like MLS for long enough to have working academies. Philadelphia went all-in on soccer academies, and it made them one of the best teams in MLS. Most of the other teams are trying to develop their academies. I think we’re really looking at 2030 before we see that payoff, but maybe we’re a little better by 2026
- What’s the other problem? The Dutch team is tall. As a country, they have tall people. Their goalie was 6’8”, and they had lots of 6’5” and 6’6” fullbacks. It’s really hard to cross into that kind of defense. The US has 300 million people, and lots of tall people, but if you’re 6’8” here, you’re playing football or basketball. Our football teams recruit the same athletes that their futbol teams do, and here our football teams win.
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A "problem" is that futbol is not a money sport in the US and not as culturally valued as other countries IMHO. Our best athletes generally go to the money sports of football, basketball and to some extent baseball. But that is slowly changing in the US with futbol gaining popularity.
Since my favorite sport is cycling, I see a lot of comparisons as to why the US doesn't compete overall in cycling or futbol. But futbol is a lot more culturally valued in this country than cycling. Regardless, fans have to follow what makes them happy for whatever reason and not just the money sports that most follow. One of the infinite number of things I'm not going to change or worry about.
leatherneckjacket
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Yeah, the team had three major mental defensive lapses and the Dutch took advantage of all three. Cannot blame the goalie. Adams takes his time getting back on the first to allow the trailer to score, Dest does not mark Blind as he crashes the box, and Robinson double marks a Dutch player on the interior when he has outside responsibility. I think the team was probably a bit mentally exhausted and lacked the maturity to stay focused. Hopefully, they can get better as they get older.
leatherneckjacket
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Yes. The biggest weakness is the lack of a striker. This is true not just with the US but several other countries who either failed to qualify or were bounced earlier than expected.