_posts/2017-10-11-us-out-of-excuses-after-defeat-in-trinidad-leaves-it-out-of-world-cup--espn-fc.markdown
---
title: U.S. Out of Excuses After Defeat in Trinidad Leaves It Out of World Cup | ESPN
FC
date: 2017-10-11 13:47:00 -05:00
tags:
- sports
- football soccer
custom_type: link
link_url: http://www.espnfc.com/blog/the-match/60/post/3226598
---
Jeff Carlisle on *ESPN FC*:
> Bruce Arena called it "disappointing." Michael Bradley referred to it as "a perfect storm." Omar Gonzalez said: "It's the worst day of my career."
>
> No doubt, everyone associated with the U.S. national team is hurting in their own way, but Gonzalez's comment seemed to crystallize the pain that was a byproduct of the 2-1 defeat to Trinidad & Tobago -- a result that, when combined with scores from elsewhere, resulted in the U.S. being eliminated from World Cup qualifying for the first time since the 1986 cycle.
>
> It's a result that is difficult to process on many levels. But let's be clear: It's the most embarrassing defeat in U.S. soccer history and one that will be impossible for this group of players and coaches to live down.
The U.S. Men's Soccer team is officially out of the World Cup. Now, I'm not going to pretend to know how this whole qualifying stuff works, but every four years this team manages to qualify just to make no impact whatsoever. *But they at least qualify*.
Interestingly the article calls this particular team "the most talented team in U.S. history," which ironically serves as an indictment of U.S. Men's Soccer. The U.S is in the CONCACAF region which is "a massively forgiving region from which to qualify," and yet here we are. The worst part is it all points to a lack of effort. Qualifying for the World Cup was on the line, and the team couldn't be bothered to put in work. Even worse, one of the Trinidad and Tobago goals came from a U.S player.
I have an idea: disband the Men's Team, rename the Women's Team to just U.S Soccer, and send them. That's an *actual* talented team [that can handle the big leagues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_women%27s_national_soccer_team#Competitive_record).