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USMNT: Two Essential Changes

By Jimmy Lee

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I believe that we will win… one match.

I believe that we will draw… one match.

I believe that we will lose… two matches.

This summer’s second most popular song, behind only Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy”, was the supporters of the US Men’s National Team’s single lined tune, “I believe that we will win.”  Yes the World Cup ended over 2 months ago and we are 46 months away from the next World Cup, but with a couple of USMNT matches coming up (October 10th and 14th) I think it is time to correct our mistakes of the past and get started looking forward to the future.

Unpopular opinion alert: The “I believe that we will win” cheer was stupid.  Is that really the best that we can come up with?  We are America, a country that has provided musical greats like William Hung and the Backstreet Boys.  As a nation, we have to do better.

Like I said above, the USMNT only won one match.  Yet, we still consider their 2014 World Cup to be a success.  So chanting the words “I believe that we will win” simply don’t make any sense.  In soccer, sometimes a draw is a win.  And in the match against Germany, a loss was a win because we only lost by one and were able to get into the knockout round based on goal difference.   This cheer is unintelligent and not creative. Not to mention, did anyone truly believe that the USMNT was going to win the World Cup?  We know Jurgen Klinsmann didn’t believe it.  Did any of the players?

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Looking forward to the 2018 World Cup, Klinsmann has already stated that the goal for the USMNT is to make it to the semifinals.  Once again, we don’t believe that we can win it all.  So come on America, let’s get a better chant.  I am not a song writer, but I believe that we can do better.

But the song is the least of my concerns.  My two biggest concerns moving forward are far more important than a cheesy chant.  For years these thoughts have been on my mind and until now, I have not had the forum to express them.  So thank you Playing for 90 for giving me the chance to vent.

First concern

The USMNT team kits are horrible.  I am not only talking about the away kit we sported in the World Cup, which was identical to the Russian hockey jersey from the Olympics just a few months earlier. I am talking about our kits as a whole.  My overall issue is that the USMNT does not have an official home jersey.  We lack an identity.

Over the years, the home jersey has predominantly been white but not always.  The different looks of that white jersey have been as all over the place just like a Jackson Pollock painting.  Let’s look at some of the most iconic teams. Argentina, always wears celestial blue and white stripes.  Spain, always has a red shirt.  Brazil’s home shirt is always yellow.  Italy is always blue.  The list goes on and on.

Yes there are subtle differences each time they release a new jersey, but overall, the shirt is the same.  The USMNT needs to pick a look a stick with it.  My vote, the red and white horizontal stripe shirts (the candy cane ones) they wore back in 2012.  These shirts were unique and original.  No other national team wears anything like them.

I lived in Argentina when I was younger and I love the Argentine soccer team.  I buy each variation of their jersey.  I have yet to purchase a USMNT shirt because I am still waiting to see one that I considered worth wearing and I know that whatever variation I purchase now will be out of date by the time the next major tournament is upon us.  If we want to look like a real soccer team that can compete with anyone in the world, we need to start dressing like one.

Second concern

The name USMNT has to go.  I am sick of referring to the team as the US Men’s National Team.  It’s ridiculous that we have yet to come up with a real nickname for the team.  Mexico is “El Tri”.  England is “The Three Lions”.  Belgium is “The Red Devils”.  And probably best of all, Australia is “The Socceroos”.  And we are the USMNT.  A name so awful we have to write the acronym.

I know some people refer to the team and “The Yanks” and if that’s what we wanna go with, then that’s fine. Others of us, the Men in Blazers GFOPs, refer to them as the “Von Trapps”.  Anything is better than the USMNT.  Just pick a name and go with it. Come on America. We have two great American’s who were clever enough to name their baby South West, and we can’t come up with a real name for our soccer team.

We need to get these two major issues resolved.  We have four more years to get this figured out, but if we go into Russia with another different and random home kit and without a true nickname we have no hope of winning.  I do believe that we can win this battle.   Come on America!

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