Trinidad and Tobago – USA 2-1 : Disaster strikes for U.S. Soccer

After a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago, the US will miss out on the World Cup for the first time in a generation. Here is what we learned following a disastrous loss that cost the US a World Cup spot.

The warning signs were there early and often during this qualifying campaign. In a most forgiving qualifying group, the US never looked the part of a team worthy to be amongst the world’s best soccer nations. A campaign that started with embarrassing losses to Costa Rica and Mexico was capped by Tuesday night’s egregious performance at Trinidad and Tobago. The talent was never there. Coaches came and coaches went but in the end, the quality of the players — excepting one Cristian Pulisic — was lacking. It was never about catching bad breaks, or adverse conditions or CONCACAF refereeing, US Soccer has no one to blame but themselves.

Throughout the last few decades, and through player pools of various talent levels, the US team was always able to rely on its fighting spirit, athleticism and discipline to overcome some of the trickier, craftier opposition in CONCACAF. Not this time around. This group of players was flat and showed no fight in spite of one of the less gifted generations of players we’ve seen since the pre-Landon Donovan days. The loss against Trinidad and Tobago was an encapsulation of all the issues that had been masked by Pulisic’s talent and a forgiving qualifying system.

The loss against Trinidad and Tobago was an encapsulation of all the issues that had been masked by Pulisic’s talent and a forgiving qualifying system. US was never on Mexico or Costa Rica’s talent level. The USMNT went through dozens of players in a futile search for a winning formula that was never found.  The team lacked an identity in terms of formation, tactics, attitude, and personnel. The timing of the qualifying campaign could not be worse. The talent pool was made up of a bizarre mix of over the hill veterans in key positions (Tim Howard, Omar Gonzalez, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey), players who are not quite there in terms of national team experience (Deandre Yedlin, Paul Arriola) and others who may never be good enough to make a difference at the highest level.  Aside from Cristian Pulisic’s fairy tale meteoric

Now the timing of the qualifying campaign could not be worse. The talent pool was made up of a bizarre mix of over-the-hill veterans in key positions (Tim Howard, Omar Gonzalez, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey), players who are not quite there in terms of national team experience (Deandre Yedlin, Paul Arriola) and others who may never be good enough to make a difference at the highest level.  Aside from Cristian Pulisic’s fairytale meteoric rise, there aren’t any positive things to mention about US Soccer.

If the US wants to be taken seriously as a soccer nation it cannot apply band-aids to a severely bleeding gash; dramatic measures are needed.

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Finishing fifth in the Central and North American region is frankly embarrassing for a nation where millions of kids spend their entire weekends on soccer fields and where training conditions at the youth level are much superior to what you’d find in San Pedro Sula or Panama City. This is an indictment of a system that failed the millions of US Soccer fans who were ready to pack their bags for Russia and support the US Men’s team. Anything short of resignations en masse would be a travesty.

It is lights out for US Soccer, and the program needs a complete revamp. In the long run, this may be the wake-up call needed. Right now for millions of fans across the country missing out on a World Cup seems like too hefty a price to pay for a much-needed change in direction.