The game’s finish seemed to defy belief. The U.S. U17 Men’s National Team entered the U17 World Cup with hopes high enough that coach Richie Williams noted in the run-up that the team’s ultimate goal was to win the entire thing.
Coach-speak? Maybe. But it augured broader goals for a team that had played such coherent soccer in the first few months of the cycle.
And yet here it was, in tatters at Chile’s feet, in a bowl of a stadium in the team’s home country, slipping away and then shattering. The U.S. took a 1-0 lead early, and then lost it, and then lost its tournament as Chile scored goals in the 52nd and 86th and finally 93rd. After all the buildup, the U.S. went home with zero wins, one point, a goal differential of minus-5 and a lot to chew on.
What now?
Changes. Big changes.
