Despite the hype, despite the hopes, and despite the unexpected and unwanted intervention by Donald Trump…the United States were unceremoniously eliminated from the World Cup by Belgium. They played flat, they made too many mistakes, and they could not get anything going offense wise. Some critics and members of the team say it was disappointing and it was a sign of hope. As a sportswriter, I must disagree with that assessment fully.
The United States Men’s soccer team didn’t deserve to be on the same field as a team like Belgium. If anything, the Men’s team probably didn’t deserve to be at the World Cup period. The only reason we were there is because we were one of the three hosts besides Canada and Mexico. Of the three hosts, I gave the United States very little hope of actually winning the Cup. I gave a little more hope and chance to Canada, and I gave the best chances to Mexico. Instead, all three were eliminated in the span of three days.
But it’s like I said, the US Men’s team didn’t belong on the world stage because the US doesn’t have a good Men’s soccer program. Now notice I didn’t say the US has a bad soccer program, just a bad Men’s soccer program. That’s because the United States Women’s soccer team is the gold standard and envy of women’s soccer worldwide. Meanwhile, the Men’s team pretty much languish in relative obscurity.
Here are some stats to show the differences between the men and women’s programs:
Men’s results in World Cup history:
In 22 World Cup, USA has played in 12.
Best finish was third place in 1930, the first time held, only 12 countries participated.
Had advanced to round of 16 four times, losing all, including 2026.
In 1950, the team had a major upset in group play, defeating England 1-0. After that, they did not qualify for the World Cup for the next eight times.
In 1994, the US was the host nation, advancing to the round of 16.
Just when hopes were running high for the next cup, the US lost all three of their group matches, including to Iran.
In the last 10 cups, the US has played in 9, with an automatic entry this year.
Meanwhile, in the history of the women’s World Cup, the American women have won four times and finished in the top three in all nine tournaments.
That success is also seen in the Olympics. Since women’s soccer was added in 1996, the ladies of the US have won five gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Only low point was losing in the round of 16 in 2016. Overall, the USWNT is the most successful team in international women’s soccer.
So how did the Men’s soccer team even get to this far in the tournament? Well, they had a relatively easy group to deal with. They only had to deal with Paraguay and Australia while holding off Turkey. Fortune smiled on the United States as Turkey, rated one of the better teams in the tournament, just could not find its footing save for its last game against the US. Turkey beat the Americans, but it was only to save face as they were already eliminated from advancing to the knockout rounds.
Then came the shocking overturning of the red card issued to US forward Folarin Balogun. Under normal circumstances, a red card means a one game suspension for whoever gets it. Now, according to Mr. Trump, he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to intervene. The decision to overturn the suspension sent shock and outrage across the soccer world. There have already been accusations leveled at Infantino for coddling too much to world leaders accused of corruption and authoritarianism, and this situation made those accusations more credible.
In the end, though, none of it mattered. Because the US proved that they are NOT ready for the high level of competition at this stage in Men’s soccer. US Men’s soccer manager Mauricio Pochettino did not offer an indication about whether he wants to remain with the Men’s national team. However, Pochettino did have comments about the future. “I think we set the principles for the future to be very successful,” he said Monday after the loss. “I think we feel proud because…I think we’ll create something that is going to stay now in the federation and in this country.”
Again, I must wholeheartedly disagree with Pochettino. Yes, the US overperformed, but this was a wild tournament where many favorites were not at their best and we saw plenty of shock exits such as Germany, Netherlands, and South Korea. Is there reason to hope for US soccer fans? Yes, there is…because the REAL stars of US soccer, the Women’s National Team, will be playing to qualify for the Women’s World Cup next year this November. We will see the Men’s soccer team again for the Olympics…but only because we are, again, the hosts…and I don’t see any reason to hope anything will be different two years from now. The Men’s soccer team will probably still languish in mediocrity while the Women’s soccer team have a very good chance of hosting the Women’s World Cup and getting the Olympic gold medal by this time over two years from now.
