Mark Madden's Hot Take: U.S. men's soccer team accomplished nothing, as expected

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Mark Madden's Hot Take: U.S. men's soccer team accomplished nothing, as expected

Mark Madden | Saturday, December 3, 2022 2:35 p.m.

Christian Pulisic of the United States reacts during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022.

Let’s finally bury the romantic notion that U.S. men’s soccer will ever be anything more than it was at this year’s World Cup. It won’t be.

The U.S. team did exactly like expected.

It scored just two goals in three games to narrowly navigate its way through a weak group that seemed rigged to get the U.S. to the knockout phase. (Lots of advertising dollars and TV sets in America.)

Then, Saturday, the U.S. was defensively horrific and only marginally competitive in a 3-1 knockout-round loss to the Netherlands.

Christian Pulisic reminded us that we always overrate America’s best player when he fired an early sitter right into the Dutch goalkeeper. Pulisic is primarily a sub for Chelsea in England’s Premier League. He’s good. Just not special.

Gio Reyna, arguably the United States’ most creative talent, didn’t play till halftime. Reyna is a regular for German side Borussia Dortmund, one of many club teams that would batter the U.S. in a game. (There’s a reason matches like that are never played.) Reyna played about 60 minutes in the entire World Cup. That’s inexplicable.

The average age of the U.S. team is about 25½ years, making it the second-youngest roster at Qatar. This has already led to optimistic babble regarding the World Cup coming to North America in 2026.

Don’t believe a word.

Age can bring improvement. Sometimes you just get older.

The U.S. team isn’t very good now. It won’t be much improved then. It won’t do better than losing at the same stage.

Unlike almost every other country, our best athletes don’t play soccer. If Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in the U.S., he’d be a strong safety. If 6-foot-5 Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk was American, Kenny Pickett would be his backup. The U.S. talent pool for soccer is way inferior to those of nations that are a fraction of America’s population.

Four years won’t change that. Looking ahead four years makes us delusional when it comes to World Cups and elections.

U.S. men’s soccer goes to the World Cup just to fill out the field, net FIFA a lucrative contract with American TV, bring fake supporters out of the woodwork in the name of phony patriotism, and make no legit impact.

That’s reality. This U.S. team accomplished nothing.

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