I know we are all disappointed, but considering where we live and our country's sports preferences, aren't we setting our expectations a little high. Soccer in the USA is not even among the top 4 professional sports in terms of spectator interest and just about every other criteria.
The USA has qualified for the World Cup five consecutive times! This is huge in and of itself! Only 32 countries, out of more than 200 who belong to FIFA, qualify for the World Cup. For at least 28 of the countries in the 2006 World Cup, soccer is the most popular sport. And in many, it is practically the only national sport. And that is also true for most of the CONCACAF countries the USA bested while finishing first in our federation's qualification round.
I would say we have done fairly well considering these circumstances. We should still be disappointed. We should still want US Soccer to strive for a better finish and we should all do our part in promoting and supporting soccer so it becomes a more prominent part of our national sports landscape. But let's be realistic and appreciate how far soccer has come since the 1980s.
