And so the MLS vs Liga MX debate sparks up again. Just about everything concerning soccer in the USA is being questioned since the USMNT got eliminated from the 2018 World Cup. The critiques involve everything from the USMNT team to more administrative issues like who should manage the national side after last week’s catastrophe and why. As would be expected, also the MLS is now being targeted for criticism.
Welcome aboard, Claudio. Former USMNT captain and one of the best American players ever Claudio Reyna joined the growing list of former players and coaches jumping on the bandwagon of bashing U.S. Soccer for failing to qualify for the World Cup. Reyna didn’t hold back in his criticisms of how the country approaches soccer.
Tim Weah is the son of a Ballon d’Or winner. Tim Weah is a Paris Saint-Germain player. Tim Weah is American. Tim Weah scored a hat trick on Monday. Tim Weah helped the U.S. into the U-17 World Cup quarterfinals. Tim Weah is, like, Weah good.
A wonderful 4-0 victory over Panama back on October 6 sees the United States Men’s National Team climb to 27 in the latest FIFA World Rankings, leaving Ukraine, Turkey and Iran in their torrential wake. The U.S. could’ve made further strides with a win against Trinidad and Tobago, but the Soca Warriors used the shock 2-1 victory to their own advantage, climbing up 16 places to 83.
Sunil Gulati, president of U.S. Soccer, just oversaw the most catastrophic defeat in U.S. Men’s National Team history, with the coaches he hired failing to get the U.S. to the 2018 World Cup. But Gulati was defiant Friday, saying he would not resign and made no indication he would not seek reelection in February.
Bruce Arena’s second stint in charge of the USMNT officially ended on Friday with the coach’s formal resignation from his position.
U.S. Soccer Federation announced a conference call for Friday morning with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati addressing the media after the recent World Cup qualifiers. It would surprise no one if Gulati announces Bruce Arena is no longer the coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team — it would probably be a bigger surprise if he didn’t. The question then is, who will be the next USMNT coach?
Tuesday was a nightmare for U.S. soccer, but soccer does not stop because the U.S. won’t be in the World Cup next summer in Russia. In fact, the U.S. is competing at a World Cup right now — the U-17 World Cup in India — and the team is doing quite well.
The USMNT’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup is nothing less than an abject failure. It’s a failure for U.S. soccer on so many levels, from player development and youth organization to individual performances and coaching decisions. It’s a failure that must be learned from so as to never repeat it again.
Taylor Twellman was back at it again Wednesday morning. After his epic rant went viral on Tuesday night after the Americans’ shocking elimination from the 2018 World Cup, Twellman returned to the ESPN airwaves to rant some more on the morning SportsCenter.