Copa America

Great. So we get to hear for another two decades how soccer is the sport of the future.

 

This is absurd. They had a good tournament and got smoked by the best team in the world. They might never be a Cup contender, but this game is not the one to judge that by. And Messi is unreal.

 

Yeah, the US played great in the tournament and demonstrated its highly competitive in international competition. There was absolutely no shame in losing in the semifinals to a team as talented as Argentina.

 

2002 was a fluke. The USMNT has never been especially close to being a true contender and won't be for some time.

 

Random counterfactual...does the result of the game change if Messi switches sides? Don't get me wrong, Klinsmann came out with a terrible plan and the U.S. got outplayed across the board, but Messi still had the goal or assist on three of the four goals and was absolutely toying with the U.S. midfield.

 

I daresay that if the world's best player, and maybe the greatest ever, was on the US side, it'd do better in every game. I'm sure Klinsmann isn't the answer here, but it's not like the US has regressed in his tenure. In general, team still wins the ones it's expected to, and loses to its betters just as consistently.
How to change that? No idea, but MLS has been around for a long time now, and the evidence is clear it is not developing world class US players, or at least not enough of them. It is kind of embarrassing to have been in France for Euro 2016 and see tiny soccer nations like Iceland (population 330,ooo), Northern Ireland and Wales field teams far more competitive than USMNT would have been.

 

The "Argentina is the best team in the world and there was nothing the USMNT could have done" defense falls flat when you look at the players out of position and the boggling tactical plan (down 3-0 in the 59th? Yes, another CB is what is needed!).

 

The US ought to worry about qualifying for the '18 WC before anything else at this point ... that's no gimme.

 

LeBron will be the player/coach for the USMNT to win the WC 2018. Book it.
@KingJames #AllGloryToHim

 

Please. The U..S would beat Iceland, NI, and Wales. Going Euro for a few weeks does not make one a football expert.

 

John, I watched the games. It's not that those teams are great teams, it's that they were COMPETITIVE with better teams in championship play. It took work to beat them. They were never blown out. In it's tournament, the US couldn't do the same. Also, Wales might smoke anybody these days. Team on a roll so far.