US Men's Soccer's "Golden Generation" Lays a Golden Egg at the Copa America

 

July 16, 2024

This year's Copa America, South America's regional national team tournament, was to be played for the second time in 8 years in the United States. The International Federation of Football (FIFA) will have a larger presence in this country; it was to be the first of well-known and prestigious tournaments over the next four years that would increase the profile of the sport in the U.S.: Copa America (2024), FIFA Club World Cup (2025), FIFA World Cup (2026) and 2028 Olympics.  The participation of the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) was to be a bellwether for how the team can perform against excellent competition.

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The 2024 Copa America was to be one of the first competitions that hopefully would, in the hearts of soccer fans, bring about an era of soccer that would win over casual fans of the sport.  The inclusion of the USMNT would allow the players to be tested against national teams from South America with impressive pedigrees such as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia, all of whom produce legendary players who play at the highest level in Europe.  This tournament was to be a good test for the U.S. men, and being put in Group C with two winnable games against Bolivia, and Panama, along with a tough one against Uruguay sure looked that way.  

Group Games

USA v Bolivia

Their first game against Bolivia was pretty solid, with Christian Pulisic, the star talisman for the U.S., scoring the opening goal and Folarin Balogun netting the second insurance goal.  The team had other missed chances to send a strong message and score more goals to pad their goal differential, but a win was a win.  

USA v Panama

Disaster struck in the second game for the U.S., when in the 16th minute, Tim Weah, son of legendary Liberian striker George Weah, was given a straight red card for a retaliatory gesture against a Panama player.  That put the USMNT down a man for the rest of the game, but their fortunes seemed to change when Folarin Balogun scored a pretty goal for the Americans in the 22nd minute, which bounced off the right post and into the net.  This gave the U.S. a much-needed boost of confidence.  Sadly, it lasted for only four minutes before Panama's Cesar Blackman sent an equalizer at the 26th-minute mark, into the American net when U.S. defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was unable to deflect or kick away.  

For the remaining minutes, the USMNT was content to play from the back (as the goalkeeper or backline defenders initiate ball movement forward). This meant playing most of the game in their half of the field until good opportunities were presented for a counter-attack. The USMNT had some good opportunities to score, from Pulisic (shot hit the crossbar), and 2nd-half substitute Ricardo Pepi whose header lacked power and fell into the hands of the Panama goalkeeper.  The fatal go-ahead goal by Jose Fajardo came in the 83rd minute. It looked like replacement goalkeeper Ethan Horvath should have been able to stop it but didn't get the job done. The subsequent red card given to Panama's best player Adalberto Carrassquilla at the 88th-minute mark for a rough tackle put both teams at even strength, but the damage was done and the United States was not able to recover a draw, much less a win.

The United States had to secure three points in their final group game against one of the tournament favorites, Uruguay ("La Celeste").  They were led by a mad scientist type of coach, Marcelo Bielsa.  whom some call "El Loco," based on his all-out approach to pressing in his opponent's half of the field and aggressive fouls against their opponents.  I feel his style is the South American version of the Netherlands' groundbreaking 'Total Football" introduced in the 1970's.

The U.S. was supposed to have taken care of qualifying for the knock-out rounds by beating Panama, but being a man down and giving up a late goal changed the outlook.  It required a tall task of overcoming a tough Uruguay side.

USA v Uruguay

Their final group game started well, with the U.S. mirroring Uruguay's tough pressing and countering.  The USMNT even had some good scoring chances, but were not able to capitalize on any of them.  They went into the half tied 0-0, and were 45 minutes away from qualifying for the next round, with a little help from the Bolivians.  U.S. coach Greg Berhalter was even signaling to his team later on that Bolivia had tied Panama in the second half, so all the USMNT had to do was hold on for dear life and draw Uruguay.  That dream didn't last too long, as Panama netted two insurance goals past the Bolivian goalkeeper.  During this time, a Uruguayan player placed a rebound off of a free-kick from teammate Ronald Aruajo in the 66th minute. Replays looked as though it may be offside, but ultimately video assistant referee ("VAR") let the goal stand. That put to death the American dream of going deep into the Copa America.  It was the worst tournament outcome for the U.S. men in twenty tournaments on home soil.

Where does the USMNT go from here?

The time for recriminations has begun, especially for coach Greg Berhalter, who was never the person many USMNT fans felt was the right coach to begin with.  A lot of questions will be directed toward the USSF as a whole, and its board members, in addition to Greg Berhalter, that will also generate a lot of anger and frustration.  

What ails the men's program?  Many indicators on and off the playing field provide a glimpse as to what is wrong.  Let me lay them out:

• Many countries, through their national teams, possess a certain style of play.  Think Netherlands and "Total Football,"  Brazil and their legendary "Jogo Bonito,"  Italy and its suffocating defensive style, and Spain's "Tiki-Taka".  The USMNT doesn't have a particular style or formation, and it changes with each new manager.  It lacks a coherent philosophy when they play, and it shows.
• The American men have not established a strong culture based on anything in particular.  Whereas the U.S. women, with the help of the Title IX federal law, were able to create a pipeline for talent, coupled with the rest of the world that showed little interest in women's soccer (at that time, not currently) and thus creating an exemplary record of winning FIFA World Cup titles (four) and producing elite players (Mia Hamm, Alex Morgan).  The U.S. men have no comparison with their peers, and that hurts their legacy.
• Youth soccer in America is a notorious pay-to-play format, where families with means have access to good coaches, practice fields, and a network to help promote their child's journey. 
• Leagues around the world have an academy system for individual teams, which is free to those who have talent (regardless of socio-economic background, which is key), and those teams spend considerable time and effort in molding players who can fit their style of play and thrive on the senior team. The top-flight U.S. league, Major League Soccer (MLS) has made some improvements to their academy system, but not enough.
• The USSF can make mistakes in their hiring of coaches for the USMNT; Greg Berhalter has had a mostly unimpressive tenure, especially with the recent failure in the Copa America this month, and many fans were justly calling for his dismissal after the U.S. was eliminated.

For the fortunes of the USMNT to change, some of the above points must be addressed.  A philosophy that men can adopt for their team's character is good but needs more thought.  Perhaps finding a Sporting Director at the U.S. Soccer Federation who will stay in the position for quite some time and work with senior team coaches to develop that philosophical playing style could be one solution.  It is hoped that philosophy will slowly develop a culture that the rest of the world will acknowledge, and should propel the USMNT to better success.  

Additionally, the youth soccer system in this country needs a massive overhaul. Around the world, talented kids are steered to environments where their careers can be nurtured for personal growth and success. Instead, players here dream about getting a college soccer scholarship. That should not be how the men's program should develop talent. I feel American players should begin their pro careers in MLS (that is one route), and then go to Europe's best leagues. Pursuing higher education can be done later.

Do I think these changes are going to happen soon?  I don't have a strong feeling about it.  The powers that be that have influence and control, at the U.S. Soccer Federation, and at MLS, are not interested in reform. They are like protective fiefdoms that aren't on the same page consistently to achieve big things but would rather keep things the status quo. The wrong people (pay-to-play coaches, MLS owners) are making money instead of the right people (the players). That is why I think the trajectory of the USMNT will plateau for the foreseeable future, and nothing will improve on the field.  

I see more failures in international competitions for American men and a lack of regular introspection. A week after the Americans were eliminated, Greg Berhalter was fired by the USSF from his duties as the men's team coach. A coach they chose not to hire, Jesse Marsch (former MLS, and occasional USMNT player), led Canada to the Copa America semifinals, which was for him, an amazing achievement.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has an opportunity to hire a dynamic coach who in turn will assemble a great team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and if they achieve success, could win the hearts and minds of the country.  However, the federation must get it right in terms of who it hires.  The coach will have just a short two-year window to sift through the men's talent pool and find the players who can work inside the coach's playing style.  The names being openly discussed include Jurgen Klopp (former Liverpool manager), Herve Renard (former Saudi men's team and current French women's coach), Patrick Viera (former France player and MLS coach), and a few American options, Steve Cherundolo, (current MLS coach at Los Angeles Football Club), B.J. Callaghan (former USMNT assistant and current MLS coach in Nashville). Many of them will turn down the opportunity, but the federation should still have high aspirations.

I believe the USSF will ultimately choose a coach based on metrics that have nothing to do with soccer but with an emphasis on the financial aspects.  The federation wants someone who will be a loyal and obedient "company" man, someone who will pick a large number of MLS players, based on the wishes of MLS Commissioner and USSF Board Member Don Garber.  Additionally, since it is a two-year window leading up to the World Cup, priorities will be on marketing and storylines not really important in the grand scheme of things.

While I hope the federation changes how it operates and picks a coach who will help the USMNT win, I think in the end, nothing will change.  The USSF knows soccer is not the most popular sport in this country, and as such, there is a lack of accountability for the choices senior executives make.  That makes everyone comfortable, and when people are comfortable, there is no pressure to get it right and succeed on the field, where it really matters.