As the 2024 version of the Copa America soccer tournament rolls toward today’s final between Argentina and Colombia, there were two teams whose early exits were not surprising, but should've been. Maybe.
One, of course, was Brazil. Whatever dark cloud seems to have settled over the seleção hit during the 2014 World Cup. The one Brazil hosted, in which they were top-ranked and favored to win. As a few of my soccer friends pointed out, the fact that the whole tournament opened with an own goal–in the 12th minute, giving Croatia the temporary lead–was a harbinger of bad things to come. Recently, social-media posts marked the tenth anniversary of Brazil’s 1-7 dismantling at the hands of eventual winners Germany. By international football standards, this semi-final was a shocking event. Unfortunately, it looks like the seleção haven’t yet recovered, for one reason or other.
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The other Copa America exit which got my attention–because I’m an optimist–belonged to the USMNT.
Why couldn’t we do better?
Why can’t we do better?
Going by the results of the last few decades, our national (Men's) team has exemplified mediocrity as much as our U.S. Women's team has exemplified outrageous success. Over and over again, those of us who play the game and enjoy watching it (sometimes) ask ourselves: Why can't our squad do better?
Three total goals in this Copa America, where we didn't make it out of the Group Stage.
Three total goals in the 2022 World Cup.
We didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Four total goals in the 2014 World Cup.
Five in the 2010 tournament. Both of those competitions saw us eliminated in the Knockout Round.
Two goals in 2006, where we didn't make it out of Group E play.
In that time, the team has had what you might call a coaching carousel in charge. Even as I started this blog, news came of Coach Gregg Berhalter’s dismissal. Not surprising, all things considered, but it does leave us with several huge question marks tied to that ‘VACANT’ spot.
The way I see it, offensive firepower–or the lack thereof–has become the dominant issue for our national squad. Our players with the most goals, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan (57 each) are both retired. Christian Pulisic is on pace to break that record, currently with 30 goals at the age of 25.
By comparison, Brazilian star Neymar has 79 International goals for the seleção at the age of 32—despite missing playing time due to injury—and he's still playing. Obviously, we don’t have a Neymar.
We don’t have a Harry Kane, either.
The 30-year-old who has become the face of English football has netted 66 times for his national team–including a few noteworthy penalties to keep them in tournaments. Across the pond, in a few hours, England takes on Spain for the Euro 2024 championship. They wouldn’t be in that game without Kane. Strong defense and young stars Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden could take the squad far, but it seems like their success runs through Kane.
He’s exceptional, but he’s not in the echelon of single-name stars (Messi, Ronaldo, etc.) who top all-world lists. As I’ve watched him play for Tottenham Hotspur and now Bayern–where he’s done some amazing things–the question that continues to nag me is, Why don’t we have a Harry Kane? Or a Son Heung-min? Or a Bukayo Saka (who, at 21 years old, has already scored 12 goals for the Three Lions)?
Why is it so hard to develop such football talent?
Against England, Spain will field, among others, the immensely talented Lamine Yamal, whose late-game heroics punched La Roja’s ticket to the final. He just turned 17.
Where’s our Yamal?
In a country of 330 million people, and with a sports industry whose $83 billion value exceeds the gross domestic product of 109 nations, why can’t we put together some offensive firepower on the pitch?
One final note on the earlier USMNT woes I mentioned: In 2018 we missed the World Cup due to poor play in CONCACAF qualifying. (Pulisic was on that squad, so that excuse is out the window.) Simultaneously, across the pond, was a team which played really well: Iceland. With a population of around 360,000, Europe’s 46th most populous country qualified. They only played their three Group Stage games, netting two goals. I bet, for them, it felt like a kind of victory. They set the bar high, and they exceeded those expectations.
Maybe we just keep setting our bar too low.
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