While completely true ... for a lot of casual fans, losing in the round of 16 = losing 5-0 three times in the group stage
Few "every four years" fans care about how good the individual performances look to the knowledgable observers. It's first, second, third, and fourth about scoreboard.
The every 4 years viewer obviously don't follow the sport in any depth and probably don't have a good feel for what happened over the 70 games the US played during the cycle.
So sure, they can look at scoreboard and think what they want. No different than someone who does not follow college hoop and makes his opinion based on 1 or 2 games in the NCAA tournament.
It does not make it an informed opinion, but it is an opinion none the less.
Agreed.
A common theme among a lot of the radio sports guys I've been listening to the past month has been "
Will this USNT be the one that breaks soccer wide-open in the U.S., to challenge football, basketball, baseball, etc. in the American sports consciousness?"
As the years have passed from 1990 (first USNT qualification in 40 years) forward to today, I think the general American sports public has been looking over every four years to see if the US team are "winners" yet. 2002, getting into the quarters ... that was nice. That perked people up for a while (and led to some "
calm down, soccer still isn't big here" backlash from Jim Rome types).
Getting back to that 2014 rendition of "
will this USNT be the one?" ... I'm starting to think the American soccer watershed won't ever happen until the U.S. at least makes a WC final. Maybe even has to win it. I read this thread, and see a lot of satisfaction ... almost a sense of "
What more could a US team ever hope to accomplish -- now or in the future?"
Once a team can get out of the group stage a few times in a row ... isn't it natural for the collective gamut of USNT fans to want more? And further -- to withhold acclaim until more is
concretely accomplished?
Anyway. That's where I think the feeling of failure come from.