International Tournaments Looming for U.S.
The International field has been set for both the upcoming US Men’s National Team Tournaments as well as for the US U-
20s, and for the large part, it looks like it’s going to be an uphill battle.
The best opportunity to win a trophy will be for the US Men in the Gold Cup as we will match up against Guatemala, Trinidad, and El Salvador in the opening round. These are 2nd and 3rd tier teams that the US has a history of handling easily and contrasts sharply against the opening round we’ll be facing in the Copa America.
Down in Venezuela it will be another story as we will be up against Argentina, Paraguay, and Columbia and really look to be fighting it out against unpredictable Columbia for the last spot in this group. We had a difficult time facing similar traditional opposition in the World Cup at Germany, and this will appear no different as our current digression at the National Level is there to be observed.
With no new player developments at the top level we should be asking what is it that the USSF produces? Other than hype and chance after chance for certain players to compete, but never truly measure up!
Perhaps that best glimmer of the US Soccer future will come in Canada for the U-20s at their World Cup. Unfortunately, we face off against Brazil, Poland, and South Korea and are not assured of anything. The initial match against Brazil will be all important, though a victory does not have to be the result.
The way we play in this first match will tell the tale of the next two fixtures. Victory will be bonus, but a positive result will bode well for our young ones’ confidence and could carry us when we play the lesser, but disciplined powers of Poland and South Korea.
It’s about time we stop just competing at these tournaments and really start keeping score with our National team performances. Fans are getting less-and-less satisfied with the good old American try. With the current lack of direction at the top level, is not anyone else alarmed at the US growth in soccer?
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