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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Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com