by Chris Asbrock

Well folks, our fears have become a reality. The United States will not be in Russia for the World Cup next year. This is the first time the United States Men’s National Team has failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1986. The failure to qualify is the culmination of an abysmal run of play for the Americans. The USMNT lost five matches during this qualification cycle, which is stunning from a team that is one of the most talented in terms of player pool in a while. The collection of talent is solid but as a team, this group does not play well as a team.

The next few days, weeks and months will be interesting and crucial to US Soccer. Things certainly need to be changed and it will be intriguing what comes out of this debacle.

Below are my thoughts on the hysteria of the USMNT not making it to Russia next year.


Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on Twitter  and