Excellent article. I was at that game but can't really remember any details of the game itself. My main memories are of being outside of the stadium and listening to the other fans. all that I remember was fans hoping and talking about how Costa Rica would win. El Camino, for those that don't know, is in Torrance Ca. which was considered a hotbed of US soccer growth. AYSO began in Torrance (1964) and many of the best non-latino players tended to come from Torrance and the area around Torrance. El Camino Jr. College (where the game was played) had one of the better programs around. There was even at least one national team player (that I know of) that played for El Camino while a member of the USMNT. I expected a stronger showing from US fans.
I think that one thing that makes that stat very misleading is that the vast majority of our youth players play only at the "recreational" level and do so only part of the year. (AYSO and leagues like it). In the US, many of the players play in AYSO for 3 months of the year and then do something else the rest of the year. In other countries, even if they only played 3 months of the year, they would be playing soccer the rest of the year informally in non registered settings. Ironically, some of the best "recreational" soccer in the US is probably being played in "rec" leagues in urban areas where they play year round and the players are primarily immigrant. (here in So Cal it would be latino). I am, of course, assuming that these leagues are not generally registered with US Soccer. The growth in club soccer (for all its many faults) is changing this to some extent but I think that much of the change must come at the lower levels and mainly includes more kids playing year round on their own and in organized settings as is already happening in many urban/immigrant areas. In addition, the cost to play must be reduced so that more of these players can compete with and against those in the registered population.
2014. The US had its most favorable set of circumstances heading into a World Cup in the team's history. -Proven goalkeeping strength -Strongest fullbacks in team history (although Yedlin was an unknown heading into the tournament) -Underrated center backs, better IMO than the Bocanegra-Onyewu years. -Superb box-to-box midfielders that cover ground and with just enough creativity, perfect for a short World Cup style tournament -The two best attacking players (until Pulisic) in the team's history, a brilliant counter-attacker and an enigmatic fox in the box, still in the prime of their careers. -A tenacious lead striker with a lot to prove. -No major injuries* (except Holden, but the writing was on the wall after the 2013 Gold Cup). -A tough group, but one that was mitigated with an extremely favorable schedule (a reverse 2006) and some team issues. -A manager who put some shaky initial years in the past with a very solid 2013, grinding out tough results. It was the strongest player pool heading into a World Cup in US history, though a fully healthy team in 2010 would have been stronger. *Of course, the US did end up carrying one injured player (Johannsson) to the World Cup. The question I've never seen answered is whether Johannsson hid the injury, or whether Klinsmann knew about it. But all US players seemed healthy in May 2014 based on public knowledge.
I concur with the OP's ten list. I'd like to toss in how the 2002 was disappointing to me. The first match in the 2006 WC vs Czech. I dragged two not-really-soccer-fan friends to a place for a long lunch to watch the match. Hoping for two things. A USA victory (or draw) and bring two new fans into the fold. After explaining how hopes are high based on 2002 and recent performances, I set the bar kind of high. Match started and straight away, the giant, bald headed Koller put the ball into the net. Another first half goal and USA is down 2-0 and looking sorry. One friend was laughing at how bad they looked at the end. Not the best way to corral a new fan. The Ghana match was worse.
The Charlie Davies one was rough on me, our attack looked so lethal with him in there in that confederations cup, who knows what could've been if he hadn't been in that crash
My biggest disappointment is that US Soccer culture still has not developed its own identity. Its a wannabe England with bastardized English soccer culture. The vernacular, jargon, accoutraments, and mores are all cellophane-wrapped knock-offs cherished by an unsophisticated youngest cousin. We have a great sports culture in the US. The sooner that soccer adapts to the established American sports culture the better.
1) Ghana 2010 2) Brazil 2009 3) Mexico 2011 4) Belgium 2014 Never been more depressed after watching a game... Definitely cried after 1+4.... not afriad to admit it lol
This definitely was a major disappointment at the time, especially after having tied CR a week before in the away match (the US has never beaten CR in a WCQing match away). Unfortunately, even though the US would have moved on with even a draw in the Torrance "home" match, they still would have had to get by Canada and Honduras in Concacaf's final round of WCQing for 1986. Not sure they would have given their results up to that point. Canada did prevail vs. Honduras and Costa Rica.
Well, the English get upset if anyone does anything differently than they do. It's not our job to make them happy with our subservience. I'd much rather use Mexican-influenced terminology personally, but really I'd like to see us use our own.
Perhaps how many within the US landscape don't consider guys like Williams, Brooks, Fabian and Chandler to be real Americans, and their commitment to the program regularly questioned. Previously, Mix and AJ were questioned. Omar has a poor game, it's just Omar being Omar. Brooks has a bad game and his patriotism is questioned. Some have taken it even further to the point that if you want cats like McKennie or Haji given a look, you have some Euro agenda as even guys raised here but who go overseas are considered less American. You can longer prefer someone like McKennie to Acosta on quality without there being some ulterior, anti-American agenda brought into it. I have other disappointments too but this pocket/segment of folks surrounding our game who casually and willingly question the Americaness of fellow Americans just is not healthy for the game, the program, especially considering in such a globalized world more and more players will come from across the globe. It's not just keyboard warriors on here either, it's prominent figures in US soccer from Arena to Wambach who've pushed this. As someone with an immigrant wife who isn't even a citizen but gives her blood, sweat and tears to this nation, who will have a dual-national child soon, it's unfortunate to see such open questioning of motives around a game which historically has brought people together.
Much more recent disappointment, but a harsh one. 11/11/2016 The day we lost the Dos a Cero magic in Columbus.
If we're getting into disappointment in fans and fan culture of U.S. soccer, I would need a few pages in order to be comprehensive. Of recent note, though, would be the obsessive negativity towards MLS, as well as the knuckle heads who think they're insanely clever by relentlessly slamming Bradley and Zardes, even after U.S. wins where the players in question are productive.
was Brian Ching being left off the 2010 squad really that big of a disappointment for some? would he have even saw PT in South Africa? It was our defense that was weak there, not the scoring.
Strange to say, but that top 10 list just about covers it for me I might add giving up three goals to Brazil in the second half of the 2009 confed cup final. When Dempsey is in tears, you know it's bad. Did I imagine that?
The entire Klinsmann era. The toughness, the grit, the fight, that was a hallmark of US Soccer slowly eroded over time while he was coach. The continuing lineup shuffle, constantly playing players out of position, losing winnable games....everything got worse under his watch. The way he handled the Landon Donovan '14 World Cup snub was bush league too. He should have been fired a long time ago, but at least it looks like Bruce came along just in time to turn things around.
To me, there were too many bad choices by BB like choosing an injured Gooch, selecting Clark over Edu on the key game. Ching was one of the last cuts, I think Gomez ended up taking his place.
Your top 3 pretty much sums it up for me. I would probably add the Czech Rep game in 2006 as number 4 on the list. While I wish the handball was called back in 2002 over the years I have gotten over it and the fact that we played a good game helped. And to be honest I'm was much more upset then, and still am, about Landon Donovan not cutting to his right foot 1v1 with a defender earlier in the game to set himself for a certain goal. Plus, if we would've advanced to play SK we would all be talking about how royally screwed we got out of a place in the final since we all know how crooked that WC was. Players not panning out sucks but the trade off is seeing guys appear who no one expected. I do have to add us not throwing in the towel down in Panama in 2013 to knock Mexico out of the WC was a tad disappointing
I would add the Onyewu injury in that Costa Rica game....losing both him and Davies before the 2010 WC hurt. Onyewu was poised to do great things.... Also, I would put letting Portugal score in the last seconds in the 2014 WC. We should have come out of that game with 6 points instead of 4 heading into facing Germany.
1. John O'Brien. 2. Frings Handball 3-10. John O'Brien JOB was my personal hero at the time I was coming of age. JOB was literally a Pulisic level talent technically. We don't have a problem developing physical freaks, but JOB was a whole different animal. I 100% agree with what Jond said. I am not easily offended, but I will listen to criticism of LD if I ever here it coming from someone who played with or against him. Calling Landon, one of the greatest USMNT players of all time a pu$$y, or Landycakes, or anything else derogatory makes my blood boil. Players of that caliber only ever achieve what he has achieved by having the stones to work harder, longer and better than their contemporaries. The myth of "talent" and wasting it is propagated by lazy pu$$y's who sat their fat ass on the couch to complain about their betters, rather than competing, working, sweating and bleeding themselves.
For those of you who were around more than a decade ago, miss Donovan yet? Its sad to say, but this team hasn't been the same since he left. No one to open up a game, no one to create space, no one really creating chances. That game last night was a joke! 2002 WC team. <------------ not being able to watch that team play everyday - biggest disappointment.