Episode 109: Netherlands 4, USA 0, and a U17 World Cup postmortem

The US U17s’ trip to Brazil was cut short on Saturday night with
a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands. That’s it. We’re out, after a 4-1
loss to Senegal and a 0-0 draw with Japan. Scuffed regular Matt
Hartman joins me to recap Saturday’s game and try to take
something away from the tournament.


- 0:30 opening thoughts and lineups
- 6:15 scoring summary
- 22:15 big picture takeaways


The Earnie Stewart/Berhalter Brothers regime takes an L on
this one

Concacaf qualifying was not good enough preparation for the
World Cup for this cycle.

Our lack of dangerous wingers made us dull and predictable in
the attack, even in transition.

Central midfield softness was once again a problem.

Getting MLS minutes doesn’t make you a difference maker at
the U17 level. 

Argue about player selection all you want, the player pool
wasn’t good enough to make noise in this World Cup group.

Most American MLS academies aren’t doing enough to contribute
to the youth national team player pool.

Don’t give up on the players from this roster because of this
tournament. Several talented players here despite the poor
showing.



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