For all the strides U.S. Soccer has made with its men’s program in recent years, Sunday’s failure to reach the 2021 Olympics felt like a major step back.
The U23 men’s national team fell, 2-1, on Sunday to Honduras in the semifinal of CONCACAF qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. With a win, the U.S. would have qualified for the first time since 2008. Instead, the loss made it a third straight Olympics without the U.S. men.
While this wasn’t a senior competition and the actual USMNT won against Northern Ireland on Sunday, much of the blame fell on 20-year-old David Ochoa who gave up an abysmal goal at the start of the second half that put the U.S. down 2-0.
ABSOLUTE DISASTER FOR THE U.S. as David Ochoa’s blunder gives Honduras a 2-0 lead 🥺
— International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) March 28, 2021
But sportsmanship wasn’t lost when the visibly crushed Ochoa fell to his knees after the loss.
Luis Palma, the player who scored that goal, made a point to catch up with Ochoa and offer his words of support.
The USMNT will now miss their third consecutive Summer Olympics. pic.twitter.com/0BQSIiWqsn
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 29, 2021
Palma and Ochoa played together with the Real Monarchs — Real Salt Lake’s USL affiliate — so the Honduras midfielder knew exactly how Ochoa was feeling in that moment.
And sure, the loss was another embarrassment for the U.S. even as the senior team is loaded with young talent. But you have to commend that sign of sportsmanship.
That’s a mistake that Ochoa won’t be forgetting any time soon.
