By Tommy Kane

Published: May 18th, 2018

Volume II: Issue XXVII

The 2018 World Cup starts on June 14th in Russia, and the United States National Team will not be making an appearance; the first time since 1990. Dave Sarachan, the intern head coach, has a lot on his plate. The 2-1 loss to the Trinidad and Tobago will go down as the most embarrassing and disappointing loss in US Soccer history. We will be seeing a new roster of players, minus Christian Pulisic, whom has become a huge star in Germany and for the United States National Team. The million dollar question is: how will the US come back and better than ever for 2022?

Klinsmann is Fired:

Former coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, led the United States to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He brought a new breed of international players to the team, creating a team by expanding US soil. Players like Jermaine Jones and John Brooks were originally German, but they had enough American roots to make an impact and play for the US team. As many fans know, John Brooks scored the pivotal corner to give the Americans the win over a difficult Ghanaian team. Klinsmann also led the team out of the group of death, where they would eventually lose to a tough Belgian squad in extra time. To add to his accomplishments as an American coach, Klinsmann also led the Americans to the semi-finals of the Copa America. The Americans lost to Argentina on home soil. Who could be upset about that performance? Argentina is a notoriously great team, with multiple superstars like Messi and Aguero!

Despite the great performances, Klinsmann dropped the ball in World Cup qualifying, losing to Mexico and Costa Rica in embarrassing fashion. Klinsmann was fired by the US Federation for not starting strong in the World Cup qualifying matches. Was this a quick decision by the Federation, or was it the right decision? The fact of the matter is his successor could not finish the job.

Bruce Arena Failed:

The successor, Bruce Arena, seemed to have a great start to his tenure. He has coached the US before, and was back for another attempt at bringing success to the American coast. In his first game, the US beat Honduras 6-0 and continued to move up in the table. It was almost as if the US was attempting to ‘run the table’ if you will. In the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the United States beat Jamaica, 2-1, to win their sixth Gold Cup. Jordan Morris had the game-winner late in the second-half. With the great successes under Arena, the US looked to make a run to the World Cup, but little did they know that the absence of some of the international players could affect the performance of the team. Jermaine Jones, a huge presence in the 2014 World Cup, was sitting on his couch for the qualifying. When the US would lose or tie an opponent, Arena would simply blame President Trump for creating hate against the United States. Geoff Cameron, a huge presence in the World Cup, gave some praise to President Trump, and was not seen again on the team. Now, he is ripping Arena a new one.

Politics aside, Arena needed to re-group and lead the US to a huge win against Costa Rica. On US soil, the Americans beat Costa Rica and set their eyes for an away match with Trinidad and Tobago. A win will grant them a spot in the 2018 World Cup. Some sloppy mistakes from Tim Howard and the inability to score threw the US out on a 2-1 loss. Even Clint Dempsey has not passed Landon Donovan in goals scored, an achievement that seemed easy to accomplish with the amount of countless opportunities he had. On October 13th, 2017, Bruce Arena resigned and the US was left in shambles. Now, Americans must watch the World Cup without America. ‘I Believe That We Will Win’ is no longer chanted by American fans across the country and around the world. It is devastating and shocking; past US players are embarrassed and angry at the former coach, as well as the Federation as a whole. The US must re-group and re-evaluate what is going on, and they better do it soon.

A Chance for a New Future:

A new coach and a new president will help the Federation greatly, but there needs to be success on the field. The US has some opportunities coming up to prove that they are still relevant. The US will play Bolivia on May 28th, Ireland on June 2nd, and France on June 9th. There is uncertainty as to who will play, but Pulisic has got to be a must. His development is crucial to the United States. All eyes around the world are set on the World Cup, but attention from the States must be paid on the US team as well. The US Men need to find a way to get on the same level as the US Women, who have recently just won their second She Believes Cup (there have only been three). Time will tell, but I think the US National Team will be right back where they were and will cause problems for the other nations in the 2022 World Cup. I will still garner a close eye on this year’s Cup, but I will miss cheering on the Red, White, and Blue. No matter what, the United States will always hold number one in my heart! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!!!