USMNT - Turning Point?

[Desert Hound]

So are the US genuine contenders for the World Cup in 2026? This article builds a case that they are heading in the right direction, and sees the DA as the catalyst for that ...

World Cup 2026: Are USA building towards success on home soil in 2026? - BBC Sport

I have always believed you would start to see the benefits of boys DA around now. Ie a long term thing. Lots of people expect immediate results.

You need groups of kids going through all the years of youth academy and then get some pro experience.

And now we are starting to see increasing numbers of players who are good enough to play in Europe.

Good article

 

[SoccerFan4Life]

So are the US genuine contenders for the World Cup in 2026? This article builds a case that they are heading in the right direction, and sees the DA as the catalyst for that ...

World Cup 2026: Are USA building towards success on home soil in 2026? - BBC Sport

We still need a world class Strikers and a world class center back.
I’d say we can get to the top 16 and maybe final 8 if we get an easy draw.

 

[espola]

I have always believed you would start to see the benefits of boys DA around now. Ie a long term thing. Lots of people expect immediate results.

You need groups of kids going through all the years of youth academy and then get some pro experience.

And now we are starting to see increasing numbers of players who are good enough to play in Europe.

Good article

This could be an issue --

"teaching scouts to identify specific players that fit their desired profile. "

 

[eastbaysoccer]

We still need a world class Strikers and a world class center back.
I’d say we can get to the top 16 and maybe final 8 if we get an easy draw.

We will never be good as long as we have our BEST athletes playing american sports like football and basketball.

 

[eastbaysoccer]

We still need a world class Strikers and a world class center back.
I’d say we can get to the top 16 and maybe final 8 if we get an easy draw.

2026? Are u kidding. We didn’t even make the cut to be invited for the last WC

 

[Carlsbad7]

USMNT lost to Honduras. US will not be represented in the Olympics this year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ot...ens-soccer-after-loss-to-honduras/ar-BB1f3V4F

 

[Grace T.]

USMNT lost to Honduras. US will not be represented in the Olympics this year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ot...ens-soccer-after-loss-to-honduras/ar-BB1f3V4F

the key difference between the Olympic squad and the first team is that the first team is heavy with players in Europe. The Olympic team lost out on some players who were otherwise occupied with the first team. But it does go to show for all the talk of da and up and comers, our bench isn’t very deep (I’d argue because we still don’t have enough people playing in Europe).

The other issue is the backpass. Sorry but the way us coaching is structured it’s very much on mistake avoidance. Players get yelled at for mistakes instead of creative play being encouraged. So when players like the gk are put in this situation they haven’t trained and don’t know what to do with it. And it’s not just practice....practice is different than a game and then same frantic energy just can’t be replicated in inter team or inter club scrimmages. They have to see situations like that in high level highly competitive games and weve seen even high level European goalkeepers mess it up.

but for the backpass error tie

 

[EOTL]

So are the US genuine contenders for the World Cup in 2026? This article builds a case that they are heading in the right direction, and sees the DA as the catalyst for that ...

World Cup 2026: Are USA building towards success on home soil in 2026? - BBC Sport

No. The DA made the US men’s team even worse than it was before. The one thing that makes a country great at soccer is more people play it, more often, for a longer span of years. The DA took a very small group of mostly middling kiddie athletes (but super cute circus jugglers) to move forward, while relegating 99% of pre pubescent boys to second class training, competition, and training until completely running them out of the sport by age 13-14. Even with those chosen few mediocre athletes, it limited how much they can even have fun playing their sport. This is the worst possible way to create a great national team. So the US is now stuck with one itty bitty guy who can play a little at Chelsea so long as he’s surrounded by real athletes, plus mostly a bunch of crap that dumb Americans wistfully claim have “potential” because occasionally they get the privilege of carrying water for real players like Haaland and Ronaldo.

The new crop of players have never even won a real NT soccer game before. Not one. Speculating they can win the WC is crazy talk.

 

[eastbaysoccer]

No. The DA made the US men’s team even worse than it was before. The one thing that makes a country great at soccer is more people play it, more often, for a longer span of years. The DA took a very small group of mostly middling kiddie athletes (but super cute circus jugglers) to move forward, while relegating 99% of pre pubescent boys to second class training, competition, and training until completely running them out of the sport by age 13-14. Even with those chosen few mediocre athletes, it limited how much they can even have fun playing their sport. This is the worst possible way to create a great national team. So the US is now stuck with one itty bitty guy who can play a little at Chelsea so long as he’s surrounded by real athletes, plus mostly a bunch of crap that dumb Americans wistfully claim have “potential” because occasionally they get the privilege of carrying water for real players like Haaland and Ronaldo.

The new crop of players have never even won a real NT soccer game before. Not one. Speculating they can win the WC is crazy talk.

Mens soccer in the US is bad, that's why all our best players are overseas.

 

[SoccerFan4Life]

2026? Are u kidding. We didn’t even make the cut to be invited for the last WC

We are the host nation so we are in regardless. Host nations historically make it past the group stage. I still believe we can make the round of 16. We’ve done it before with less talented teams.

 

[happy9]

No. The DA made the US men’s team even worse than it was before. The one thing that makes a country great at soccer is more people play it, more often, for a longer span of years. The DA took a very small group of mostly middling kiddie athletes (but super cute circus jugglers) to move forward, while relegating 99% of pre pubescent boys to second class training, competition, and training until completely running them out of the sport by age 13-14. Even with those chosen few mediocre athletes, it limited how much they can even have fun playing their sport. This is the worst possible way to create a great national team. So the US is now stuck with one itty bitty guy who can play a little at Chelsea so long as he’s surrounded by real athletes, plus mostly a bunch of crap that dumb Americans wistfully claim have “potential” because occasionally they get the privilege of carrying water for real players like Haaland and Ronaldo.

The new crop of players have never even won a real NT soccer game before. Not one. Speculating they can win the WC is crazy talk.

We are bad at men's soccer. Trying to rationalize why we are bad is senseless.

Maybe hire Calipari and Saban as consultants. They'll be able to find talent.

At the end of the day, a small portion of the US sports viewing population cares about soccer. Some don't even know it's an Olympic sport.

 

[Kicker4Life]

We are bad at men's soccer. Trying to rationalize why we are bad is senseless.

Maybe hire Calipari and Saban as consultants. They'll be able to find talent.

At the end of the day, a small portion of the US sports viewing population cares about soccer. Some don't even know it's an Olympic sport.

Try explaining to people why 4+ of our best u23 players are in Europe playing a friendly rather than in Mexico helping us qualify for the Olympics.

 

[happy9]

Try explaining to people why 4+ of our best u23 players are in Europe playing a friendly rather than in Mexico helping us qualify for the Olympics.

Yep, it's as if they didn't want to qualify. Maybe those players just couldn't be bothered? Disfunction to say the least.

 

[Kicker4Life]

Yep, it's as if they didn't want to qualify. Maybe those players just couldn't be bothered? Disfunction to say the least.

No....their Club teams wouldn’t release them for Olympic Qualifying.

 

[MacDre]

The tale of 2 Christian’s...is Christian Pulisic overrated like Christian Laettner?

 

[outside!]

No. The DA made the US men’s team even worse than it was before. The one thing that makes a country great at soccer is more people play it, more often, for a longer span of years. The DA took a very small group of mostly middling kiddie athletes (but super cute circus jugglers) to move forward, while relegating 99% of pre pubescent boys to second class training, competition, and training until completely running them out of the sport by age 13-14. Even with those chosen few mediocre athletes, it limited how much they can even have fun playing their sport. This is the worst possible way to create a great national team. So the US is now stuck with one itty bitty guy who can play a little at Chelsea so long as he’s surrounded by real athletes, plus mostly a bunch of crap that dumb Americans wistfully claim have “potential” because occasionally they get the privilege of carrying water for real players like Haaland and Ronaldo.

The new crop of players have never even won a real NT soccer game before. Not one. Speculating they can win the WC is crazy talk.

I agree. IThe same can be said for ECNL.

 

[espola]

Yep, it's as if they didn't want to qualify. Maybe those players just couldn't be bothered? Disfunction to say the least.

FIFA wouldn't release them. Perhaps they see the Olympics as a distraction from their business.

 

[happy9]

FIFA wouldn't release them. Perhaps they see the Olympics as a distraction from their business.

Well, it kinda is..

 

[whatithink]

Try explaining to people why 4+ of our best u23 players are in Europe playing a friendly rather than in Mexico helping us qualify for the Olympics.

For the Olympics (soccer) the clubs can refuse to release the players (unlike senior FIFA competitions when they have to release them). So it may be that clubs said "no way" to releasing players to travel to Mexico to play. IDK but it seems more likely than not IMO.

 

[whatithink]

No. The DA made the US men’s team even worse than it was before. The one thing that makes a country great at soccer is more people play it, more often, for a longer span of years. The DA took a very small group of mostly middling kiddie athletes (but super cute circus jugglers) to move forward, while relegating 99% of pre pubescent boys to second class training, competition, and training until completely running them out of the sport by age 13-14. Even with those chosen few mediocre athletes, it limited how much they can even have fun playing their sport. This is the worst possible way to create a great national team. So the US is now stuck with one itty bitty guy who can play a little at Chelsea so long as he’s surrounded by real athletes, plus mostly a bunch of crap that dumb Americans wistfully claim have “potential” because occasionally they get the privilege of carrying water for real players like Haaland and Ronaldo.

The new crop of players have never even won a real NT soccer game before. Not one. Speculating they can win the WC is crazy talk.

Anyone who makes the team at any of the examples in the article is doing it on merit. None of the professional European clubs are charities and none of them are picking US players for altruistic reasons. The professional teams could care less wrt the nationality of the players, aside from any national federation restrictions (on foreign) players or legal visa requirements.

The premise of the DA/MLS Next leagues makes sense and replicates what happens everywhere else. That should be the cream and the quantity is irrelevant if you don't isolate and develop the cream. It should also be constantly changing. I can see that in AZ where for some clubs, the "elite" teams change as different kids hit puberty, starting to level out at U16/17. Mind you, the v best will have been offered a real MLS academy prior (most likely).

 

[BIGD]

For the Olympics (soccer) the clubs can refuse to release the players (unlike senior FIFA competitions when they have to release them). So it may be that clubs said "no way" to releasing players to travel to Mexico to play. IDK but it seems more likely than not IMO.

It really shouldn't matter. With the amount of soccer being played in the US and our population size, the fact we can't put together a team (even without those 4 players) to beat a tiny country like Honduras speaks volumes.