48 hours ago it was talk of advancement, and success. Now, it’s inconceivable the 2008 Olympics will be considered anything other than a large-scale failure for the US Men’s soccer team. Once as close as 30 seconds to the Quarterfinal Round, this morning’s 2-1 loss to Nigeria means the Nats will instead suffer the ignominy of another 3 and out in a major tournament.

It took 5 minutes for things to unravel. Less than that, actually, as full back Michael Orozco received a straight red card in the game’s third minute. An unnecessary, petulant foul, Orozco reacted to a physical challenge and cost his team the game. The fact that Peter Novak’s side should have been prepared for a rougher opponent makes his red even more galling. Maybe Orozco just flipped, maybe Novak didn’t coach well enough, hell, maybe the full back was just eager to fall into the idiotic footsteps of suspended duo Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley. The bottom line is that it took 3 minutes to render tactics and strategy meaningless and put the USMNT out to pasture.

The 87 minutes and stoppage to follow were basically meaningless. With less time perhaps the disciplined US squad could have preserved the draw they needed to advance, but not with so much of the game to play.

A part of me would like to chalk this up to poor luck. Oh, but for a poor Stuart Holden challenge in stoppage and we’d have beaten the Netherlands. But such errors are the surest signs of inferiority. The Americans deserved this loss every bit as much as they deserved the tie versus the Netherlands, every bit as much as they deserved to be bounced out, flat on their asses.

Where did it all go wrong?

During Peter Novak’s squad selection process, namely, not bringing another centre half with his over 23 exemptions. The US defense was shaky throughout the tournament and buckled badly under speed and pressure.

Sure, stupid mistakes cost the US tactically, but how did we wind up with Maurice Edu (a midfielder) playing 3 games at center defense? I know injuries were an issue – Nathan Sturgis and Jonathan Spector notably – and that Michael Parkurst was a deserved selection, but Spector is ALWAYS hurt and Parkhurst is far too green to anchor the backline in a major tournament. There are better, more experienced options in the US pool.

Is there a bright side?

There are clearly capable players in-system. Good ones, even, and the next great challenge for US Soccer is going to be how to play to justify expectations.

The fact that this tournament was such a colossal disaster is a sign of how far US Soccer has come. We have progressed to the point where the blame starts internally. The US crashed because the US players and coaches did poorly at key moments. Even the most dedicated homer – me for instance – will not argue that the US can compete technically with the top tier, but they’re good enough to beat those teams on the pitch. Ask the Oranje.

Who looked good?

This is a bit of a mixed back, because I don’t think that anybody played well throughout the tournament, but there are highlights. Just note that all of these come with a caveat.

For all but a few moments against Holland, Freddy Adu lived up to his role as the best player on the US squad. Once he cut out the dives and worked to keep possession, his ball skills and passing stood out.

The US Midfield was also largely effective. Strong turns by Stuart Holden and Sascha Klestchen were particularly noteworthy, as was Dany Szetela’s effective cameo against Nigeria. For the first time in recent memory, I saw a US squad comfortable holding the ball a little bit instead of an offense built exclusively on the counter attack.

Finally, there were moments of quality from Marvel Wynne. Sure, not enough to suggest MLS isn’t the perfect home for him at the moment, but there’s something there. The big man has pace to burn and improved slightly on his defense as the tournament progressed.

Goats?

Pick anybody, really, but special hate is reserved for the “Three Amigos”

Michael Bradley has done nothing to dispel his image as a 70 minute player. Bradley tends to start strong and competes well in the midfield, but his performances are characterized by poor decisions late in games. Case in point, the yellow card issued for time wasting against the Netherlands.

Freddy Adu also deserves a mention. In the opener, the young dynamo spent too much time bitching to notice that he was Japan’s most effective defensive asset. You cannot concede the ball that cheaply when the games matter, nor can you expect a foul every time a defender makes contact. Against the Netherlands, he was miles better, but still capped his day with a poorly taken foul. Hopefully France will provide the dose of maturity Adu needs to reach the next level as a professional.

Oh yeah, he also got ruled out of the team’s most important game of the tournament, so good move there.

Finally, Michael Orozco for all of the obvious reasons. Not to pile on, Chet, but when a fringe full back who struggled for long stretches costs his team an entire tournament… well… that’s bad. Real bad.

And to a lesser extent

Holden for the unfortunate foul against the Netherlands. Whatever positives he pulls from the tournament will need to be measured in light of a single mistake that cost his team a win.

McBride and Altidore for anonymity. Jozy gets a bit of a pass for a goal, and for Orozco’s idiocy against Nigeria, but he was still not the factor that he was expected to be. McBride, meanwhile, worked hard, held the ball up but otherwise brought too little threat for one of 3 Over 23 exemptions.

Final thoughts…

Jamie Trecker – of Foxsports.net – made an excellent point about the need for new ideas. This tournament felt similar to every other since Japorea’s magical run. If anything, it proved that the physical tools and talents are nearly there. The US stood toe-to-toe with the Netherlands, outplaying the tournament favorites for 60+ minutes and did what good teams do against Japan – namely, winning a game they probably deserved to lose – but I feel like they’re stuck.

I’m tired of plucky, workmanlike teams. A bit of class, and guidance from someone who knows how to run a premier-level national team program would be a boon. Well worth the money I’m sure US Soccer would need to fork over. Let’s try – and maybe fail – to be a good team for a little while. It’s time to play the name game.