While I was watching the World Cup, a stunning realization popped into my head: The U.S. will not win the World Cup (or probably even make the final) in my lifetime. That is, unless I live to be 114.
And the reason for that? We just don’t produce players with the skills to compete at a high enough level to challenge the established world soccer powers.
Sure, we could win a game or two that we shouldn’t (upsets happen), or the bracket might open up for us like it has for UConn so many times. But to win a series of games against the best teams? Nope.
Now, our side is scrappy and plays real hard (we saw that this past World Cup), and we have players scattered around Europe in the big leagues. But we have nobody even close to being a world-class goal scorer, and that would seem to be a problem.
Watch a player like France’s Kylian Mbappé and dream about us getting a striker with even half the skills he has. Until we do, until we can produce not just one, but several players who put the ball into the net consistently and with skill, our chances of hoisting the cup remain nil.
Our best player, almost by acclamation, is Christian Pulisic, but he is a distributor more than a goal scorer (as we saw in the game against the Netherlands). The rest of our top guys are the same: they run hard and battle for the ball, but are extremely challenged in the scoring areas.
Unless that changes, no Cup.
My wish for 2023 is that somewhere in the United States (or one of our territories … maybe Guam?) a boy is born who will be able to score at the highest levels of soccer in 18 years.
If so, I just might see Team USA in the final!
Reach assistant managing editor/digital Lee Lewis at llewis@rep-am.com.
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