Candid answers from US keeer Matt Turner on the disappointing defensive effort from the #USMNT today. pic.twitter.com/S0r1T5omUv
— Joe Hughes (@VegasJoeHughes) December 3, 2022
Will Leitch, at NYMag — “The U.S. Team Can Hold Their Heads High”:
One of the nice things about being a young group of athletes like the U.S. men’s national team (the youngest of all 32 entrants in the World Cup this year) is that every success feels like a bonus. And with the promise of greater fortunes in the future, a loss, theoretically, shouldn’t hurt that much. When you’re young, losses aren’t even necessarily losses: They’re just backstory to your eventual breakthrough, the testing of your mettle everyone remembers when your glory days arrive.
The problem with the World Cup, though, is that you have to wait so long for that next opportunity to arrive…
..It’s still hardly a surprise that the U.S. lost. The Netherlands is really good, after all, and looked sharper against the U.S. than they had at any other time this tournament. The U.S. is young and will surely learn lessons from this game that will serve them well down the line. This team was more skilled and talented than any predecessor, one that has clearly earned the respect of the rest of the world in a new way. There are things the United States needs to figure out with their squad — more depth in the defense, a no-doubt, put-the-ball-in-the-damned-net striker — but they took undeniable steps forward in this tournament that will be the building blocks for some great moments in the years to come…
The problem, though, again, is that we have to wait four more years for any of that to happen. There will be matches and tournaments between now and then, but even World Cup Qualifying, which is exciting in its own right (except when, uh, the U.S. doesn’t qualify), won’t be a thing in the next cycle. The United States, because it’s hosting (along with Canada and Mexico), is automatically qualified. Most likely, the next USMNT match to captivate casual fans will arrive in June 2026. That’s a really long time from now! Who in the hell knows where we’re all going to be in June 2026? That’s what makes a game like Saturday more frustrating in the moment than it is in context: There won’t be stakes like that for many moons from now. There are brighter times ahead, there’s no question about that. They’re just, you know, far ahead…
Acts of Kindness: A Holiday Break
Shalimar
A National Team is usually made up mostly of players in their late 20s, with a small number of younger players on the bench and a handful of over-30 aging stars sticking around for one last hurrah. For whatever reason, the US had a lost generation that would currently be 26 and over, with no starters on the team other than goalkeepers and central defenders. They should be a fun team to watch in 4 years when all the young offensive players are in their primes.
lowtechcyclist
Now Trump wants the Constitution suspended so he can have a re-do of the 2020 election:
“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” he rants.
I really, really want the media to for once do its job on this, and ask every last GOP Senator, Governor, Representative, and “Constitutional” sheriff how they feel about this.
The Dem take should be simple: if you’re against the Constitution, you’re against America. End of story. There’s no daylight in between the two; you can’t be for one and against the other.
It’s one thing to argue over interpretations of the Constitution; we’ve been doing that for over 200 years. And it’s one thing to desire its amendment through the process laid out in the Constitution. But anyone for an ad hoc sweeping aside of the Constitution is against America. Period.
SFAW
@lowtechcyclist:
Someone should ask TFG: “If you believe you’re the actual Preznit, and your Oath of Office requires you to protect/preserve and defend the Constitution, shouldn’t you now be impeached (again) for violating that Oath, since it would reasonably be classified as a ‘high crime and misdemeanor’?”
I think the word salad response would be interesting.
Geminid
Deleted
Alison Rose
For me, someone who has followed the team for a couple decades now, I was okay with this ending. We didn’t even qualify in 2018, which was pretty embarrassing. This time, we got in, we got through the group stage, and we were up against a very tough opponent. So I think these young guys gave us the best we could reasonably hope for. And with four more years of experience plus some home field advantage, 2026 is gonna be much brighter :)
Geminid
@Geminid: deleted again.
JML
@Alison Rose: yep, there’s a lot of talent on this young and interesting team. They have flaws that need to be solved…and I have concerns that Berhalter isn’t the right manager (subs and sub patterns were…not great, he seems to play favorites a bit, and tries to park the bus too early when the US gets a lead and without the right players to run that) but the future is bright.
Paul in KY
We need a true number 9 striker.