SBNation.com - CONCACAF 2012 Olympic Qualifying: USA Eliminated In Stoppage Time

The United States Men's Soccer Team Didn't Qualify For The Olympics And It Doesn't Matter

2012-03-27T12:00:54Z

The United States' Olympic dream came to an end on Monday night with a draw against El Salvador, and U.S. fans weren't happy about it. Then again, who is happy about losing? The problem was not in the disappointment of losing or not qualifying for the Olympics, but the scope of the outrage. Many were quick to deem this a massive failure for American soccer, but doing so shows an ignorance of a simple point -- Olympic football does not matter that much.

Olympic soccer begins in an odd place. FIFA already organizes youth tournaments for players under 20 years old and 17 years old. They do not want a competitor with the World Cup so they created an under-23 age group for the Olympics. The problem is that is an age group for players who are usually already playing for their clubs. To be more frank, it's an age group that doesn't need a youth tournament.

Take a look at the U.S. team, which went into qualifying without Jozy Altidore, Timothy Chandler, Alfredo Morales, Josh Gatt and Danny Williams. All of those players would have played key roles for the Americans' U-23 team, but they were not released by their clubs for the qualifying tournament because they were too valuable to their clubs. That isn't something to pooh-pooh, but something to applaud because players of their age should be playing regularly for their clubs. That they are too valuable is proof of their success. It It is also proof that players in the U-23 age group do not need a youth tournament.

Moreover, FIFA and the rest of world have already voiced their opinion of Olympic soccer with the list of Americans absent from qualifying. If the tournament was of any importance, clubs would be required to release players for the competition, as is the case with all other tournaments of note.

That the rules for the Olympics and qualification to the tournament differ is further proof of the makeshift nature of the tournament. Not only does the qualification come on non-FIFA dates so top players are missing, but the Olympics are not purely a U-23 tournament. Three overage players are allowed, but they are not allowed in qualifiers. What important tournament has different eligibility requirements for qualification?

The Olympics are a soccer novelty. Germany won't be in London this summer and, despite being the two-time defending champions, neither will Argentina. The Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, France, Ghana and the Ivory Coast will also be absent. The United States didn't qualify in 2004 and Mexico is dominating CONCACAF despite not qualifying in 2008. Clearly, Olympic success, or even qualifying, doesn't equal senior team success, nor is it even an indicator of it.

Most people who like to put value in the Olympics like to point to the "important development opportunity" the tournament provides. Instead of playing in the preseason with their clubs, players on the U.S. Olympic team would get to play in the Olympics, in meaningful matches, and grow as players. But are the Olympics really best for the development of the U.S. players?

Playing in the Olympics would have taken players away from their clubs in the preseason. For a group whose biggest weaknesses in the qualifying tournament was its inexperience, that doesn't exactly seem ideal. Instead of three or four matches at the Olympics, the players can work on earning playing time with their clubs, which they desperately need.

Take away Jorge Villafana and the five remaining defenders on the roster had all of six combined professional seasons to their names. Terrence Boyd, Joseph Gyau and Jared Jeffrey all played key roles for the team and none of the three has made a single professional legue appearance for his club yet. These are all players who could use a full preseason with their clubs to earn the playing time with their clubs that would do infinitely more for their development than the Olympics could ever do.

The United States will not be playing in the Olympics this summer. They can take a nice comfy spot on their couches to watch the matches this summer and invite their friends from Germany, Argentina and the slew of elite soccer nations who also didn't qualify. They can go to train with their teams in the preseason and forge an identity for themselves where development is really done -- with their clubs. They can play in competitions that matter enough to have the same eligibility rules for qualification and the tournament as well as the top players at their disposal.

In short, American soccer can be exactly where it would be had they qualified the Olympics, only without the five rings convincing people that the soccer competition is anything more than a youth tournament for players who are established professionals and no longer youths.

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: United States U-23 Out Of 2012 Olympic Qualifying

2012-03-27T03:33:43Z

The United States went into to Monday's Group A finale knowing that a win and only a win would keep their Olympic dreams alive. They had to beat El Salvador to book a spot in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament and after 94 minutes, it looked like that is just what they had done. They were up 3-2 and seconds away from getting the win they needed, but then a speculative El Salvador shot skipped off the turf, off the hands of Sean Johnson and into the goal. El Salvador had managed a tie and the Americans' Olympic dream was dead.

It took less than a minute for the U.S. to get on the front foot. Brek Shea scampered down the left, avoiding several would-be defenders before crossing. Terrence Boyd got on the end of the ball and after a nifty finish, the U.S. was up, 1-0.

Despite going up early, the U.S. never looked completely confident and they were made to pay for their struggles in the midfield when El Salvador nabbed a couple goals. The first goal came off of a corner kick, which Lester Blanco got to and nodded home. Not long after, Bill Hamid was injured so when a slow shot found its way to the back post he couldn't get off of his line to claim it. That allowed Jorge Flores to tap it in and the Americans were behind 2-0.

As time went on and the hour mark passed, it looked like the U.S. was in trouble and that's when Freddy Adu made his mark. First, he slipped a well-weighted ball in for Boyd to finish and the Americans were even. Right after that, he cleared space for himself down the right and crossed to the back post where Joe Corona came flying in with a header that found the net and the U.S. were in front.

The U.S. held that lead until the waning minutes when El Salvador got the one long shot off. It should have bothered Johnson, who came on for the injured Hamid, but when he dove, it bounced off of his gloves and high into the air. When he came down it was under the bar and over the line, the death blow to the Americans' tournament hopes.

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: Freddy Adu Leads Americans To Lead

2012-03-27T02:47:33Z

Freddy Adu was criticized for not stepping up and creating opportunities when the United States needed him in Saturday's loss to Canada, but nobody will criticize him tonight. With the U.S. trailing El Salvador, 2-1, and in need of a win to avoid elimination, Adu created two goals to put the Americans in front and on the way to a spot in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

The first goal came off of a long boot, which Terrence Boyd did well to win. The ball eventually made its way to Adu, who spotted Boyd making a run in behind the El Salvador defense and played a perfectly weighted ball in. Boyd, who already scored earlier, was calm as could be in front of goal and slotted the ball home for the equalizer.

Right after, the U.S. found the go-ahead goal and once again, Adu was the creator. He found his way over to the right side, where he was tightly marked, but a good bit of footwork cleared enough space for him to cross. The ball floated to the back post, where Joe Corona was waiting and he nodded the ball just inside the near post.

From one down to one up, the U.S. are still alive. Even so, there are still more than 20 minutes left for the Americans to hold on.

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: El Salvador Gets Two To Take Lead

2012-03-27T01:54:51Z

The United States got just what they needed in the first minute of the match. Terrence Boyd scored and with the Americans needing a win to avoid elimination, all looked good. Then, in a span of just a couple minutes, El Salvador leveled thanks to Lester Blanco, and went in front, thanks to Jorge Flores. Now, El Salvador leads 2-1 in the first half and barring a U.S. comeback, will be through to the semifinals, while the U.S. stays home.

El Salvador leveled on a corner kick. The ball came in at the near post and Blanco just flat out beat Kofi Sarkodie to the spot, nodded the ball past Bill Hamid.

Hamid would injure his ankle not long after, but he insisted that he stay on and that came back to hurt the Americans. A weak shot rolled across the frame towards the back post where Hamid should have gathered it, but he didn't come off his line and Flores got there first. With the US. team watching, Flores poked it past Hamid and El Salvador were eying a semifinal spot.

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: Terrence Boyd Puts Americans In Front

2012-03-27T01:22:59Z

It didn't take long for the United States to make their mark against El Salvador. Brek Shea pretty much unlocked the entire El Salvador defense single-handedly to set up the goal. Out on the left, El Salvador sent several defenders to him, but he danced through a couple then ran by one more to get to the endline, where he could cross. He spotted Terrence Boyd in front and while the cross was a bit behind him, Boyd did a fantastic job to finish it. He hot his foot behind him and redirected it on goal from close range, giving the Americans an early lead they so desperately need.

The U.S. had to be buoyed by Cuba's surprising draw against Canada that puts them top of Group A with a win tonight. That is vital because it will keep them from having to play Mexico in Saturday's semifinal, when a spot in the Olympics will be on the line. Before they can worry about that, though, they need to finish this match strong because if they do not win they are eliminated and there is no Saturday for them.

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: Caleb Porter Puts His Reputation On The Line Tonight

2012-03-27T00:16:23Z

Want to know what the best part of tournaments is? The drama. Want to know what the worst part of tournaments is? The anxiety. In this case, the drama and anxiety are pretty much the same thing. Could the United States, one of the tournament favorites really crash out in the group stage and not qualify for the Olympics? For the neutrals, the drama is probably salivating, but for the U.S. fans out there, the anxiety is nauseating.

The biggest question of all is how the U.S. handles this anxiety. The players, while professionals, are not exactly the most seasoned of players. There are a lot of players in their first or second season and there are even a handful with zero first team professional appearances to their credit. The kind of pressure that they will experience tonight is unlike anything some of them have ever felt. Some players respond well to the pressure and other crumble, but what is scary for the U.S. is that they have no idea what their players will do because they have never been there before.

As much pressure as there might be on the U.S. players tonight, there is even more on head coach Caleb Porter. The University of Akron head coach is considered a rising star in the U.S. soccer ranks for the incredible job he has done with the Zips, not just winning, but also developing a slew of guys for the pros. That success earned him interest from MLS clubs in recent years, which he declined, and then this appointment as the Americans' Olympic coach, but the shine seems to have worn off of Porter in the last couple of days.

Many fans were quick to point the finger at Porter when the U.S. lost to Canada and put themselves in the precarious spot they now find themselves in. The team looked to be short of urgency and some fans blamed Porter for that. The team was unable to show a bit of creativity to break down the Canada defense, which some saw as a result of a poor tactical approach. Joe Corona came off at halftime for Joseph Gyau and the Americans only got worse, a substitution that Porter took heat for.

This is a U.S. team that was billed as one of the most talented ever. The attacking talent was unmatched by any U.S. youth team before it, the creativity in the midfield was sublime and these were all professionals. Whether any of that is true or not does and whether it is enough to make up for a shoddy defenses not matter because perception is reality. The perception was that this team could battle for a medal in the Olympics and if they don't even qualify for London then the blame will be heaped upon the easiest target -- Porter.

Right now, there aren't a lot of people in Porter's corner. That isn't to say that everybody is anti-Porter, but many are now on the fence, waiting to see how the U.S. responds. That's a far cry from just a few days ago when Porter was still the golden boy of young American coaches, but if the U.S. can't beat El Salvador, Porter will long for the days when people were on the fence because you can bet that he will be blamed. Fair or not, Porter's reputation, at least in the short-term, is on the line tonight.

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: Lineups

2012-03-27T00:06:12Z

It's time for the United States to either figure it out or call it a day. Beat El Salvador and go on to the semifinals, where a win qualifies for the Olympics, or lose and close up shop. That is it and there is nothing else to it at this point.

With a win absolutely necessary, head coach Caleb Porter has made a couple changes to his team. Zarek Valentin sits and Kofi Sarkodie comes in, although that's not a major change since Sarkodie did play in the Americans' first match. The bigger changes come in the midfield and up top, where Jared Jeffrey has been dropped for Amobi Okugo and Terrence Boyd is getting the nod ahead of Teal Bunbury. Again, though, neither change is a shocker considering how poor Bunbury was last match and the need to add some steel to the midfield, which Okugo does.

United States (4-3-3): Bill Hamid; Kofi Sarkodie, Ike Opara, Perry Kitchen, Jorge Villafana; Mikkel Diskerud, Amobi Okugo, Joe Corona; Freddy Adu, Terrence Boyd, Brek Shea

USA Vs. El Salvador, 2012 Olympic Qualifying: Game Time And TV Schedule

2012-03-26T23:04:03Z

This is it for the United States. It is either win tonight against El Salvador and move on to a decisive match for Olympics qualification (likely against Mexico) or close up shop and head home for a summer of Olympic-less soccer.

It will be interesting to see how both teams handle the fatigue of playing their fifth match in three days. That will be especially true for the Americans, who made only two changes from their first match to their second and don't have any obvious changes to make in hopes of providing fresh legs or a change. That means that the likes of Brek Shea, Freddy Adu, Mikkel Diskerud and the rest will be leaned upon, heavy legs or not.

Just because the U.S. are getting the majority of the press because they were the favorites in Group A and lost to Canada doesn't mean that they are the only ones with someone on the line tonight. Like the U.S., if El Salvador win, they are through to the semifinals with a chance to qualify for the Olympics, but unlike the U.S., a draw also puts El Salvador through so they are in an advantageous position.

You would expect such a big match for Olympic qualification (and American LOVE their Olympics, even if it is just a U-23 competition in soccer) would justify some quality TV coverage, but instead it is being tucked away on Universal Sports Network and Mun2. For those of you lucky enough to have DirecTV, they are offering a free preview of the channel so you can watch the match on channel 625. The rest of you, pray that you get the channel

United States vs. El Salvador

Game Date/Time: Monday, March 26, 9:00 p.m. ET

Venue: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: Universal Sports Network (English), Mun2 (Spanish), CONCACAF.com