Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it assumed that the US should have a competitive international soccer team? Soccer is probably a third tier sport in this country (at least on the men’s side). That’s why it is pay to play. No money in it. That’s why top US athletes choose to play other sports. That’s why there’s no money in it. You see it’s a circle that is unlikely to change.

Stop with the top athletes choose other sports nonsense. We are just not a good soccer nation. It is just that simple.

I mean, they’re related points, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it encouraging that our best U23 players are too valuable to be given time off by their clubs to play in the Olympics. Shows that we are at least getting somewhere.

I think it shows that we lack depth, coaching, and heart. There is no excuse losing to any Central American country other than Mexico.

Have you ever watched our boys national teams play? This loss was not a surprise at all. US teams play so mechanically with very little creativity. Not all the players fault. I will agree with the bad coaching part. They put square pegs into round holes and try to play a style that doesn't suit them.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it assumed that the US should have a competitive international soccer team? Soccer is probably a third tier sport in this country (at least on the men’s side). That’s why it is pay to play. No money in it. That’s why top US athletes choose to play other sports. That’s why there’s no money in it. You see it’s a circle that is unlikely to change.

Stop with the top athletes choose other sports nonsense. We are just not a good soccer nation. It is just that simple.

Anonymous wrote:I find it encouraging that our best U23 players are too valuable to be given time off by their clubs to play in the Olympics. Shows that we are at least getting somewhere.

I would like to think we had a much deeper pool and not lose to a Central American team.

Anonymous wrote:I find it encouraging that our best U23 players are too valuable to be given time off by their clubs to play in the Olympics. Shows that we are at least getting somewhere.

I think it shows that we lack depth, coaching, and heart. There is no excuse losing to any Central American country other than Mexico.

I find it encouraging that our best U23 players are too valuable to be given time off by their clubs to play in the Olympics. Shows that we are at least getting somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:Huh?

Oh you mean the MEN'S team. The reigning World Cup women's team did, indeed, qualify for the Olympics.

The U-23 men failed to qualify. The Full men's team played a friendly against Northern Ireland. Yes, the Full women's team qualified.

Huh?

Oh you mean the MEN'S team. The reigning World Cup women's team did, indeed, qualify for the Olympics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:threads like this are annoying because every soccer wannabe/crackpot comes out of the woodwork to decry that our system is hopelessly flawed.

Yes. Though I love DCUM in general, BigSoccer is a much better place to go if you want decent analysis (plus humor) in a forum format.

Ok. Did you find the US team's performance in the Olympic qualifier to be an inspired effort?

^^^No they did not need to see it. They just know so much more about soccer vs anyone else....because they have watched a few u14 travel games.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it assumed that the US should have a competitive international soccer team? Soccer is probably a third tier sport in this country (at least on the men’s side). That’s why it is pay to play. No money in it. That’s why top US athletes choose to play other sports. That’s why there’s no money in it. You see it’s a circle that is unlikely to change.

Most sports, including basketball, are pay to play for the vast majority of participants

Why is it assumed that the US should have a competitive international soccer team? Soccer is probably a third tier sport in this country (at least on the men’s side). That’s why it is pay to play. No money in it. That’s why top US athletes choose to play other sports. That’s why there’s no money in it. You see it’s a circle that is unlikely to change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:threads like this are annoying because every soccer wannabe/crackpot comes out of the woodwork to decry that our system is hopelessly flawed.

Yes. Though I love DCUM in general, BigSoccer is a much better place to go if you want decent analysis (plus humor) in a forum format.

Ok. Did you find the US team's performance in the Olympic qualifier to be an inspired effort?

Anonymous wrote:threads like this are annoying because every soccer wannabe/crackpot comes out of the woodwork to decry that our system is hopelessly flawed.

Yes. Though I love DCUM in general, BigSoccer is a much better place to go if you want decent analysis (plus humor) in a forum format.

Anonymous wrote:There were so many American U-23 players who were not cleared to play Olympics that it is difficult to take this that seriously. Our real U-23 team is the USMNT. If you do not see the potential there then you have been dooming and glooming too much to pay attention.

20 or so US U-23 players weren't cleared to play. Yes, these were our best players in a country with 300,000,000 people. Honduras has a population of less than 10 million. We can't develop 20 additional players (and a strategy for winning a game to qualify for the Olympics?

Or, should they have fought harder to get those other players there? These are the core of the squad that needs to qualify for the World Cup. Surely this type of high pressure match experience would be helpful in preparing for that effort?

Anonymous wrote:There were so many American U-23 players who were not cleared to play Olympics that it is difficult to take this that seriously. Our real U-23 team is the USMNT. If you do not see the potential there then you have been dooming and glooming too much to pay attention.

or you remember all of the other U17 and U23 teams that were supposed to be great and accomplished nothing