US Men's Soccer: Why Believe that We Will Win?

By Ryan Bowman (@_ryanbowman_)

Sitting here typing this piece, I am at a loss of words with how to describe what I saw on Tuesday night. Disappointing? Obviously, but surprising? Sadly, no.

For the first time in my lifetime, I will not be watching the U.S. Men’s National Team play in the World Cup. This was an outcome brewing ever since the USMNT lost its first two games of the qualifying stage under former manager Jurgen Klinsmann back in the fall of 2016.

I, along with countless other soccer aficionados in the states, was ready for the national team to take a hard look in the mirror and make some serious changes. Klinsmann was fired in November of 2016 and, while that took care of one immediate problem, US soccer's issues turned out to be much deeper than a simple coaching change could fix. The problems are spread out within the entire organization, ranging from the youth development program, the players themselves, and ending with Sunil Gulati.
Taylor Twellman nailed it on the head on SportsCenter immediately following the game, commenting that ESPN, "probably won't be talking about this in a few days."

If this debacle had happened in Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, or any other country we claim we're trying to compete with, this would be the number one sports story for weeks. Coaching, management, the Federation, players, player development, youth academies, and reporters would all be under fire. It would be inane to completely demolish the entire Federation and rebuild, but it would be incredibly naïve to say that nothing needs to be done.

With No USMNT, Who Should You Root for in the 2018 World Cup?

Great guys, now what excuse do we have to drink at 7 am this summer?

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I'm 30, and I know that's not actually old in the grand scheme of things, but once you start typing that "3" instead of a "2" every time you enter your age, you start to feel a little bit old.

Then something happens for the first time in your lifetime, and you feel like a young whippersnapper again.

For me, that happened last night, when the US Men's National Soccer Team didn't qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Now, let's put all the misery behind us. We already know that the US only needed a draw against lowly Trinidad & Tobago (the worst team in the damn group, who was playing for nothing) to punch a ticket to Russia, and that the USA is wasting a valuable summer of world-class competition for wunderkind Christian Pulisic.

And, of course, the US is one of the largest and richest countries on Earth, yet we still suck at this footy ball game, blah, blah blah. I don't want to talk about any of that because, frankly, it's depressing.

What I do want to talk about is who I, and you, should be cheering for in this summer's World Cup, because if you think I'm going to spend an entire summer not waking up at 7 am to day-drink while watching a game I barely understand, you are sadly mistaken.

Bob Lobel: The Revs and the Pain of Losing "The Big One"

 By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

My eyes were still red and swollen when I looked in the mirror this morning. 

Two long nights of crying from something only a sports fan can feel: The big one! The big game! The one and only, win or lose, world championship game. The 7th game of the World Series, Stanley Cup or NBA finals! The Super Bowl!  

One game to take it all, or take the fall! 

Lobel's Question of the Week: How About the New England Revolution?

Every week, legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel wants to hear your opinion on something that caught his eye over the weekend.

The Patriots rolled to another big win last night in San Diego, but New England also suffered a heartbreaking defeat in southern California Sunday.

The New England Revolution, that is. The Revs fell 2-1 to the perennially powerful LA Galaxy in extra time, marking the fifth time New England has made the championship game and lost.

With New England's Major League Soccer Club going 0-5 in title games, and the region no stranger to sporting heartache, Bob wanted to know: Do the Revolution's championship woes even register with you?

We'll even make it easy for you- On a scale of 1-10, where do the Revolution's disappointing championship game performances rank?

Participate in our poll here to let us know!

Lobel's Question of the Week: Soccer Still Fighting for Attention

Every week, legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel wants to hear your opinion on something that caught his eye over the weekend.

The Patriots may have been home enjoying their bye week Sunday, but Gillette Stadium was not devoid of action.

The MLS' New England Revolution punched its ticket to the league's Eastern Conference Championship in front of over 20,000 screaming fans in Foxborough. While the Kraft family's "other football team" is nowhere near as popular as the Patriots, the Revs' win over Columbus has created a buzz, and sends the franchise back to the East Finals for the first time since 2007.

With US Men's National Team star Jermaine Jones and one of the MLS' most exciting scorers in Lee Nguyen driving regional and, dare we say, national niche interest in the team, Bob wants to re-visit a question he asks every four years during the World Cup: Can soccer REALLY make it in America?

During the World Cup it's one thing for soccer to be on our minds. It's the world's largest sporting event and brings out our national pride. Americans like nothing more than to tell everyone how awesome America is and be a part of an "event," but if the Revolution can be a bona fide sports story in team-heavy New England, that has to bode well for the MLS and sport as a whole in America, right?

Participate in our poll below and let us know what you think.