Taylor Twellman was back at it again Wednesday morning. After his epic rant went viral on Tuesday night after the Americans’ shocking elimination from the 2018 World Cup, Twellman returned to the ESPN airwaves to rant some more on the morning SportsCenter.
In the wake of the USMNT’s utterly pathetic defeat to Trinidad and Tobago and subsequent bouncing from the World Cup, perhaps no man on the planet has greater license to say “I told you so” than former head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. That’s not to say that Klinsmann shouldn’t have been fired or that he would’ve steered the U.S. to the World Cup, it’s just to say that he’s ultimately been vindicated in his criticisms of Major League Soccer and American player mentality.
The USMNT was eliminated from World Cup qualification Tuesday in humiliating fashion, and folks have wasted no time dancing on the grave of the USA's World Cup hopes.
It has since been changed, but this was the state of the Trinidad & Tobago Wikipedia page last night:
Normally I do not care much for Taylor Twellman as a broadcaster. He sounds like he's arguing with a vaery angry invisible person all the time. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I also think Twellman does good things. His work in concussion prevention is admirable. And then there was the rant Twellman went on after the USA's elimination from World Cup qualification.
I have never seen anyone that angry be that articulate at the same time, so kudos to Taylor Twellman. He said it better than I could have.
$400 million. That’s how much Fox Sports paid to wrestle the English-language World Cup broadcasting rights away from ESPN. That total includes both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but Fox’s plans for the 2018 edition took a massive hit last night when the United States was eliminated from contention by Trinidad and Tobago, a country trumped in population numbers by Hawaii.
Maybe you’ve already heard, but the USMNT will not be going to the World Cup. They’ve been gazumped in the Hex by both Panama and Honduras following the most embarrassing defeat in the history of American sport. But America’s loss is another’s gain, primarily Panama’s, who’ve clinched automatic qualification to Russia.
The nightmare is real. Three days before Friday the 13th and a few weeks before Halloween, U.S. Soccer completed its horror-show qualifying campaign with a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in Cuovo, eliminating the Americans from the World Cup given the results elsewhere in the CONCACAF Hex. With Honduras beating Mexico 3-2 and Panama edging Costa Rica 2-1, the U.S. fell from third to fifth place.
Heading into Tuesday’s final matchday in the CONCACAF Hexagonal, there are still a number of scenarios that could confront the United States when the dust eventually settles. Most importantly, the USMNT controls their own destiny. However, things could get a bit dicey in the event of a draw or catastrophic loss. Let’s check it out!
The United States beats Trinidad & Tobago
The USMNT are set to try to qualify for the 2018 World Cup against Trinidad & Tobago at a smaller venue than originally planned, and one thing we are happy to report is that everything is going EXTREMELY WELL with the playing surface.
Yes, NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY to report. NOTHING AT ALL.
It’s getting harder and harder to deny the hype of Christian Pulisic; it’s getting harder and harder to find new superlatives for the teenager. Pulisic, who recently turned 19, was brilliant for 55 minutes but that was all he needed to inspire the United States to a crucial 4-0 rout of Panama in World Cup qualifying on Friday in Orlando.