1. Hey MLS, play in the same fucking time of the year as the rest of the world (save the Nordics), and maybe your domestic players won't be out of shape and useless during all the major tournament qualifications, the confederation champions league, etc.

2. Hey MLS, you exist only beause of US Soccer, don't fucking hold our domestic players out of Olympic qualifying. Fuck you Atlanta, in particular. Oh, it's a disruption to your preseason? (A) pre-season. (B) See point 1.

3. Hey US Soccer, don't think you're blameless: you're pushing so hard for players to move to Europe ASAP. Well guess what? That means they won't ever participate in Olympic qualifying. Maybe that's worth the price -- I could be convinced! -- but you have to recognize that it's a different ballgame versus Mexico who have almost all their top young players playing domestically (funny how a high-paying, strong developmental league can achieve that). Thus, it's your job to get the US pipeline, whether in MLS or elsewhere, up to the standard where our B, C, and D listers are strictly better versus all non-Mexico teams in the federation, even with their A listers.

Of course, that still doesn't entirely excuse this result, since our C-list roster has mostly MLS starters, versus MLS scrubs, USL players, and Honduran domestic players who kicked our ass tonight. Which brings me to ...

4. Also US Soccer, hire a coach who isn't the very epitome of "MLS 1.0" and thus decides to bring 4 defensive mids, a bunch of "effort guys", and limited actual technical quality.

I don't give a flying fuck about a glorified U23 tournament. They were held out of pre-season under a new coach with CCL matches starting the first week of April. I'm glad they were held out. I'd want them held out every time regardless of the MLS schedule.

The failure to qualify will have consequences that reverberate on the USMNT program for a decade.

Now, if you want to talk about a useless tournament, let's talk about the CCL.

That's always going to make it problematic. We can't bring our best European U23 players? Fine, FIFA hates the Olympics anyway (they're a competitor). But MLS clubs don't have to release, either, and it's just further evidence USSF isn't willing to flex one bit. Guys like Morris and Bello and others would have been a boost to this squad. There were too many thin positions.

Honduras, on the other hand, can do whatever it needs or wants. That's why they keep going to the Olympics but can't qualify for the WC.

(to be clear, this doesn't excuse Kreis)

U23 players are the majority of the lineups. A few exceptions for players over that age classification. I don't see how it has any impact on the main national team program. I don't think it has driven success for other countries. We're currently looking at the best collection of talent at the senior level. Have any of them played in the Olympics?

that the senior level players would be eligible for.

Our program has been total garbage. Finally, with all of the schedule congestion this summer, we were going to get the opportunity to develop three levels of players - creating >unprecedented< depth for the program.

We struggled in the last six or so years to field anything more than a best 11 and everything thereafter was a dumpster fire. Jozy hurt? We're screwed. Brooks hurt? We're screwed.

The pool is right on the edge of becoming respectable and the chance to build on our program and give real international tournament experience to a new group of guys is going to be a massive developmental hit, especially in light of the already damaging failure to qualify which stripped Pulisic of experience that would pay dividends one and two Cups from now.