U.S. soccer team commended
Give credit where credit is due. Now that the USA soccer team has been eliminated from the World Cup, it is very easy to start pointing fingers at who everyone thinks is to blame: players, coaches, or the U.S.S.F. It is the opinion of this writer to say, “All of the above.”
The USA in their second game against Italy gave a display of dedication and determination. Individualism had nothing to do with it. A total team effort. Though not producing a victory we must remember the opposition. (Italy are no dummies.) Being one man down and facing some horrendous officiating, which by the way, has been a major problem throughout the whole competition, we had an opportunity to witness what a soccer team is. All for one and one for all.
This team’s problem was consistency. In the third game against Ghana it just wasn’t there. Two or three players were very obviously out of sync. And if I could see that so could those responsible for making the necessary adjustments.
Once again it is easy to say what might have been. Everyone is disappointed at the final result but you must remember one simple fact. Soccer in the USA is still young. The NSL was not organized until 1996 and they don’t have an active enough schedule. Expectations run way too high.
A soccer teams’ first priority is to play good soccer, which this line-up did not do against Ghana. Their play deteriorated as the second half continued. These guys were under way too much pressure not just to be respectfully competitive but to be better. Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. Too many changes will have to take place before that will happen.
The game here in the USA has too much opposition from other sports to be taken seriously. It’s a fun game; it’s a successful fun game if you’re winning. The USA made the trip to Germany, something a whole bunch of other countries did not achieve, mine included. Let’s be content with that, build on it, roll up the sleeves and get started building a program that just might someday bring the mens’ world cup to the USA.
Bill McGibbon
Uniontown