No one knows exactly how the next 10 years will unfold, but we do have a clear vision of U.S.-geared story lines over the next 12 months. Here are 10 of them:
1. With the pain and embarrassment of missing the 2018 World Cup still gnawing at our souls, the men’s national team will have an opportunity for absolution starting this fall when regional qualifying for the 2022 tournament begins.
After a year of inconsistency, Coach Gregg Berhalter continues sifting through the player pool and implementing a playing style that has yet to take hold. He has a promising foundation of young players (Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent and Zack Steffen) but is running out of time to make it work.
A restructured format means the Americans will dive straight into the Concacaf hexagonal — six teams vying for three automatic berths and one playoff slot — without the usual preliminary stage to work out the kinks. By Thanksgiving — two years before Qatar welcomes the world — the U.S. team will have played six of 10 qualifiers.
Preparation time is precious. Berhalter will have his full squad available twice — in March for two friendlies in Europe and in June for two Nations League matches — before regathering for two qualifiers in early September. FIFA’s rankings will dictate the field: At the moment, the others are Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Honduras and El Salvador.
2. Women’s soccer conducts its major competitions in consecutive years, so after winning the World Cup last summer, the national team has quickly turned its attention to the Olympics. The Americans have won the most gold medals (four) but lost in the quarterfinals in 2016.
First, they must qualify from the eight-team Concacaf tournament, Jan. 28-Feb. 9. The group stage will take place in Houston and Edinburg, Tex. The semifinal winners in Carson, Calif., will punch tickets to Tokyo. The United States and Canada are heavily favored.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski called 22 of the 23 World Cup players into a 28-strong training camp starting next week. The exception was Alex Morgan (pregnant). Twenty players will report to the qualifiers, and assuming the Americans advance, Andonovski will have to narrow the roster to 18 this summer.
3. While the U.S. women should advance to the Olympics without trouble, the men face a tough road to Tokyo. Unlike the women, Olympic men’s soccer is for ages 23 and under, with three exceptions in the final tournament.
The men have qualified once in their previous four attempts (2008). The qualifying tournament will take place March 20-April 1 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The hosts are big favorites, followed by Honduras and the United States. Two teams will qualify.
Missing the Olympics is not nearly as bad as missing the World Cup, but every failure reflects poorly on the program at large.
4. Euro 2020 is the ultimate European competition and Copa America is South America’s venerable tournament. In the United States, though, the two summer competitions allow expats and unaffiliated fans alike to enjoy the show. Both will run June 12-July 12.
The Euros will use venues in 12 countries; Copa is in Colombia and Argentina. The Euros will feature 24 teams; Copa has the usual 10, plus Australia and Qatar as guests. ABC, ESPN and Univision platforms will show the Euro matches. Copa America broadcast rights have not been announced.
5. MLS’s 25th season is scheduled to kick off Feb. 29, but with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire Jan. 31, that is no certainty. After months of serious talks, negotiations between the league and players’ association will intensify soon. These things typically go down to the wire or beyond. Don’t be surprised if the current terms are temporarily extended to buy additional time.
6. Off-field issues remain a sore point for the U.S. women’s national team, which is due in court May 5 regarding its gender discrimination suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. Mediation broke down in August, though the sides have said they hope to reach an out-of-court resolution before trial. It seems unlikely to impact Olympic preparations.
7. The video assistant referee system was introduced with good intentions, and for the most part, it serves its purposes of correcting on-field errors. But the interpretation of the offside rule, in particular, has become maddening. Is an extended toe grounds for nullifying a goal? The VAR outrage in England is loudest, but this is something affecting the sport worldwide and must be addressed this year.
8. MLS has long been jealous of the popularity of Mexican teams in the United States. So in an effort to capture some of that audience, MLS last year pitted four of its teams against four Liga MX sides in the inaugural Leagues Cup, which is expected to continue. This year’s all-star opponent will be select squad of Liga MX players July 29 in Los Angeles. MLS teams this winter have also signed several well-known players from Liga MX.
9. The NWSL enjoyed a popularity bump after the World Cup last summer, but will it continue? At the very least, two teams are better positioned to grow: The Washington Spirit will play four matches at Audi Field (doubling the number of 2019 visits to D.C. United’s stadium) and Sky Blue FC will move 30 miles closer to New York by leaving Rutgers University and playing all games at Red Bull Arena near Newark.
10. Fans of the U.S. women’s team have traveled by the tens of thousands to each of the past two World Cups, in Canada and France. Where will they head next? In early June, FIFA will choose the 2023 host.
The candidates are Brazil, Colombia, Japan and, for the first time, a joint effort, put forth by Australia and New Zealand, which seems like the early favorite, followed by Japan. That said, in an effort to lift the lagging women’s game in Latin America, FIFA voters might opt for Brazil or Colombia.
2019-12-29 16:27:00Z
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/12/29/what-expect-us-soccer/
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