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…
Late Night Open Thread: Consolation, of A SortPost + Comments (8)