U.S. Soccer Is Back From The Brink, Now What?

Soccer is about results. When Johan Cruyff referenced aesthetics, it was because he didn’t get a result. The U.S. beat Guatemala, 4-0, which is more reflective of the gulf between them and the opponent.

Jurgen Klinsmann is off the hot seat. Instead of facing probable elimination from the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. is now cruising in Group C. Nike’s sassy baby blue sleeve innovation will not be relegated to American infamy.

Three points against St. Vincent and the Grenadines should be a given. If Trinidad and Tobago beat Guatemala at home, the U.S. will qualify for the Hex before the final match.

So, that’s a good thing. The secondary consideration is what the heck is going on with the USMNT. Last night’s match resolved little.

While the U.S. was more assertive, the goals came from befuddled defending. Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey should score every time with acres of space from close range. That won’t happen against better teams.

Let’s take a quick run down the squad.

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan was not tested seriously last night. He has had a bad season at club level. He has done nothing to earn the job. Tim Howard, benched at Everton, is at the end of his tether. Rotating the two is not a permanent solution.

Defense: The back four might be clearer with a healthy Fabian Johnson and John Brooks. Emphasis on might. It’s still not clear Klinsmann has settled on a solid, first-choice quartet.

Midfield: Kyle Beckermann is wonderful. He’s smart. He’s disciplined. He works hard. He’s a solid distributor. He has that little bit of dark arts mastery you want in a holding midfielder. He has interesting hair. He stabilized things last night.

But, Beckermann has weaknesses. His speed and athleticism are liabilities when you get to the Germany/Brazil level of play. He will be 36 during the 2018 World Cup.

Forward: Bobby Wood is playing second-tier soccer. Gyasi Zardes does not have the first touch to capitalize on the positions he gets into. He’s sort of the American Theo Walcott. Now-veteran Altidore is not going to develop further. While Dempsey can still be a jolt of pure, undistilled America, he will be 35 in 2018.

It’s not clear what the U.S. has to work with. Nor is it clear Klinsmann should be the man working with it. The team has little structure or continuity (both vital at International level). His constant squad overhauls match to match seem to have little rhyme or reason. He gets lucky, sometimes. He screws up terribly, sometimes.

Prospects for the Hex are cloudy, not to mention the Copa America coming in a few months. Every opponent in the U.S. group – Costa Rica, Paraguay, Colombia – is better than Trinidad and Tobago.

Don’t Worry About The Olympics

While the senior team stayed alive, the U.S. U-23 team lost 3-2 on aggregate to Colombia. The U.S. men’s team will miss its second-straight Olympics in Rio. This matters little.

The justification for the men’s Olympics tournament mattering is “big tournament experience.” The counterpoint: it’s probably more important for young, fringy USMNT players in Europe to have a full training camp and fight for playing time at club level.

Does “big tournament experience” at the Olympics mean anything? Mexico won gold at 2012. That same team had a calamitous qualifying run and barely made it to the 2014 World Cup. The other finalist, Brazil, suffered the most demoralizing loss in their soccer history at home in 2014.

How about 2008? Gold medalist Argentina flirted with disaster, before a late run to finish fourth in CONMEBOL qualifying for 2010. Silver medalist Nigeria went out in the group stage. Semifinalist Belgium qualified for neither the 2010 World Cup nor Euro 2012. Athens in 2004? Iraq reached the semifinals.

The U.S. 2008 team did contain Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Brad Guzan. It’s not clear that three-match spell had a formative impact on their careers. That U-23 squad also contained Freddy Adu. The standout U.S. player was Sacha Kljestan, who rode that “big tournament experience” to not being selected for the 2010 or 2014 World Cups.

Not fielding a men’s team in Rio will have little impact for U.S. Soccer. Enjoy rooting for the women.