United States Goes Crashing Out

It's day like this when I'm proud to say I am an American Soccer fan. We fought for 120 minutes we gave everything we had. Today you saw that we aren't there yet, we haven’t reached the next level. You can’t ask your goalkeeper to stand there and make 16 saves every game. You can’t sit back and defend for 90 minutes. 

You can see that under the coaching of Jurgen Klinsmann these things are going to change. That game against Belgium today was the biggest game in United States soccer history. Over the last 3 weeks you have seen what American soccer is capable of. With Jurgen Klinsmann at the helm this country is capable of incredible things. Unfortunately it didn’t happen this year, but in the long run that wasn’t our goal. Jurgen has set up a system that will make this team successful next World Cup and many more after that.

            I want to say thank you to a few groups of people. First the squad that went to Brazil and gave everything they had. Some people would call these performances stubborn. This team succeeded when they weren’t given a chance at all. To advance from a group with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana is an incredible feet. To fight to the death in every game is all that we asked of them. For Clint Dempsey and Jermaine Jones to play through a broken nose, to Michael Bradley playing out of position for 4 games and taking the criticism, we say thank you.

            Next you have to say thank you to Jurgen Klinsmann and his staff. What he has been able to accomplish in his three years as the coach of the United States Men’s National Team is unrivaled by any coach before him. He took a group of low-level “inexperienced” professionals to the Round of 16 in the biggest tournament in the World. The changes he has made in Unites States soccer are apparent to any soccer fan. He knew what this team was capable of and he believed more than anyone else. He has made changes from the highest level of American soccer down to 10 year olds that are just starting. Jurgen knows that if this country is going to win a World Cup it starts in the youth system and that belief is what will make this country a soccer power in the coming years.

            Lastly I want to thank all the fans. For those of you that don’t religiously watch soccer it is incredible to see the passion you have shown over the last three weeks. It is your belief and passion that makes US soccer what it is. Every four years this country goes head over heels for its National Team. I ask you to continue that passion over the next four years. You have seen what this team is capable of and with your support the sky is the limit.

            It is hard to watch this team go out in such a heart breaking way, but there were so many positives we can take from this World Cup. We can be proud of this team and the performances they had in Brazil. This is not the end for United States soccer; this is only the beginning.

            I believe.