I'm not sure if this has already been posted, and I know I don't want to even think about it, but if the U.S. would somehow pull a U23 Olympic Qualifying type of stunt - what would the potential implications be for US soccer (besides lapsing me further into depression)? Specifically... Would we see any major developments, plans or knee-jerk reactions from USSF? Would Arena be out (I assume he would probably resign) and what other heads would roll? How far would this set the US back in terms of the legitimizing the US player to the rest of the world? How would this affect MLS (or would it)? What about US player development and/or talent scouting? I'm not trying to be pessimistic here; I do fully expect us to qualify. We're maturing as a soccer country when you can look at your recent successes and expect the team to succeed at the highest levels of international competition. But, that type of expectation comes with a price for failure. Thoughts?
Yes, Arena would be fired or step-down...I suspect he'll do the latter anyway after the world cup, regardless of outcome.
Hey if we fail to qualify for WC it means we failed over 10 games. olympics we failed in a single elimination game to mexico in mexico. Honestly at this point if we didn't finish in the top 4 of 6 we would need a complete collapse. As to it's future impact were it to happen, we would lose all of our momentum since 98 so that would set us back 2 cycles.
Well, kinda. I think by and large, no one would notice, because it would just be another example of "how lame U.S. Soccer is". Eurosnobs would laugh, Soccer haters in the press would roll their eyes. It would definitely be a kick in the pants to MLS. They are banking on 2006 being a banner league for the year. If we don't get to Germany, the development and interest and support from moderate soccer fans, parents, and other possible medium-level supporters would be set back a few years. But it ain't gonna happen. We're doing just fine. We're going all the way, baby. If Greece can do it, WHY NOT US (don't say 'Brasil')
I respectfully disagree. They would laugh and gloat because they love it when we fail and they root for it. They noticed enough at WC2002 to boo us in the press rooms and at stadia. And that was before Iraq...
Then this is a stupid thread. You call me when you have, you know, real concerns, substantiated by serious evidence that would support as bleak a notion as the one you put forward.
Why take the time to post to it then? The real question here is how big a shakeup would something like this cause? I'm not trying to substantiate that the US is not one of the top teams in CONCACAF, because they clearly are.
Totally disagree. The subject of this thread may be a bit pessimistic, but it's certainly not "stupid." As for the thread: While I don't see the Nats not qualifying, I think if they didn't (or perhaps even if they just show poorly in the group stage at WC06), there would be one certain result: the next coach of the US MNT would definitely not be an American. In fact, it might have such a damning effect on the program that not even a US-based foreign coach (i.e., Peter Nowak) could get the job.
Boy is this "BIGSOCCER OVERREACTION CENTRAL" over here. It wouldn't be a good thing, but I honestly don't think it wold be nearly as big of a deal as it would have been, say, two or six years ago. I honestly think we would wake up the next morning, put one foot in front of the other, and be fine. I don't think it would do severe damage to the program any more than finishing in the top eight catapulted us into full national spotlight. The game is bigger than the World Cup team now, moving in the right direction, and will continue, so long as missing out didn't become a trend.
Really? Where were you from 1998-2002? Because I can 100% guarantee you that the rest of the ********ing world did, very much so, notice when we got our ass handed to us. And if you think the rollicking we took for those four years was something, you can't imagine the laughter if we failed to finish Top-3 or lost to Asia's #5 and failed to get to Germany.
The problem with the question is that you have to figure out HOW we didn't qualify. Let's discount a Munich disaster. That means that our players weren't good enough. But if you look at the qualifying group, if OUR players aren't good enough, then how are the players from T&T (featuring Avery John) going to be better? How are the players from Panama (all desperate to get to MLS, and with the wrong Dely Valdes playing as a sub) going to be better than us? If our MLSers aren't good enough, then how is Carlos Ruiz-led Guatemala going to be better than us? That's why this question is getting so many sarcastic/non-responsive responses. We would have to lose to players WE KNOW (not counting CR and Mexico here) we're better than, based on how many of them play or played in MLS...and not in a one-off match on the road. Over 10 matches, we'd have to get beaten out by a bunch of teams that WE KNOW we're better than. That's one of the great things about eliminating Jamaica. So many of their players are in England, it's hard to be sure that we're better than them. But with the hex as it actually is, our guys play their guys, and our guys (especially when you add in your Bocanegras and Cherundolos and Beasleys) are just flatout, hands-down, BETTER. Now, if Guatemala had a Piper Cub, THAT'S something we could discuss.
I doubt not making WC2006 would have much effect on U.S. soccer. The USMNT's relative succuss at WC2004 didn't seem to have much of a positive effect on MLS, so I doubt that not making a WC Finals would have much of a negative one. American kids will continue to play soccer in rec leagues and colleges whether or not the USMNT's succeeds, so the talent pipeline for the USMNT shouldn't suddenly dry up. And though some foreigners might have a laugh at our expense, knowledgable fans know that almost all national teams occasionally fail to make the WC Finals. Argentina in 1970; Netherlands in 2002; Mexico in 1990; all failed to make the WC Finals and survived the trauma well enough.
A MAJOR & DEEP DEPRESSION until WCQ for South Africa starts in summer of 2008!!! Seriously though, it would set US soccer back quite a bit & would destroy any momentum that Korea/Japan gave us.
I'd be pissed off and depressed. The Europeans at my work would taunt me mercilessly. The young talent that the US has been developing would continue to play for their clubs and continue to mature. It would be disapointing, but I don't think it would have much of an effect on the long term development of soccer in America.
it should be noted mexico was banned from wcq 1990 because they used an overage player in a youth tourney... maybe freddy is really 21 and usa gets banned because he played in the u-17 in finland?? as to how the usa would NOT get a top 3 in the hex, this would require 3 or 4 matches going totally..let's say guatemala gets 6 points of of the usa... and then usa only gets 2 points out of mexico and costa rica... basically drawing at home and losing on the road to RC and MEx and then getting nothing out of guatemala... the question then is the battle for 4th...with t&t and panama....given the scanario above usa has 2 points...so of the 12 points available from panama and t&t usa would need to win all 4 to get the 12 points, putting usa at 14 points... I'd say that'd be good enough for 4th....now if usa drew one of those and had 12 points, then panama and t&t are in play, as 12 points might be reached by either of them... but as I've descriebd the scenario, NOT advancing is really difficult... soccer in Holland and France and England hadn't died when they failed to advance.....won't die here neither
That would be the worst thing for most of us, but keep in mind that, if you work with more than a couple of Europeans from different countries, it's likely that at least one of them will be joining you in suffering. That's how it always seems with European qualifying. Of course, I've been lucky because the biggest A-holes in my office in 1994 were a French guy and an English guy, and in 2002 it was a Dutch guy. The only international folks I work with now who care are a Belgian woman, (who likes soccer), a German guy, and a Brazilian guy.
if we don't qualify: 1. Bruce Arena will be the first national team coach in U.S. history to receive a national media bashing akin to those in other countries when their national team fails miserably. Even the likes of soccer haters like Jim Rome would call him a fool. "We couldn't beat Panama? Panama? A country of shortstops?" 2. WC 2002 brought a new respectablity to US soccer, no doubt about it. In Concacaf, the US official became a "power" on the par with Mexico. We would lose a lot of that respectablity locally, and most of it outside the region. 3. The overall popularity of soccer in the US and of MLS would not change. MLS will flourish or fail depending on the quality of its on the field product--the only thing that might change that equation would be the US actually winning the World Cup or making a dramatic run to the final. 4. You wouldn't hear anything about "Project 2010" anymore.