So here we are again.

Yes, after many months of calm and quiet the United States soccer world is back to where it always likes to be: a perpetual state of drama, finger-pointing, dubious quotes, and eventually hope once again. If the American soccer world were an appliance it would be a 1980s Maytag laundry machine: it might not be pretty and a few of the settings might not work, but it has a mean spin cycle.

On Sunday night, the United States under-23 Men’s National Team crashed out of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, losing 2-1 to Honduras. It is the fourth time in five cycles that the side failed to make the Olympics.

As one can imagine, after the flame out in 2018 World Cup Qualifying, social media was none too pleased. At the sound of the final whistle you could almost hear a million keyboards clamoring on social media for change. It makes sense really, given how soccer has grown and thrived in this country during the digital age. Along with the dearth of international soccer over the last year, it felt like a return to normalcy. Complaining about the state of American soccer over the last few years was almost as routine as setting the clock for Daylight Savings Time or filing one’s taxes.

Yet, Sunday night’s rage out on social media felt different. Perhaps it was due to the senior National Team beating Northern Ireland earlier in the day 2-1, stretching their unbeaten run to four games. Or perhaps it was due to being inundated with positive play from their European club players every Saturday. Whatever the reason, the hope seemed to be strong with this side. Not even a tepid run during group play seemed to quell this belief that they could win.

Watching the first three matches it is peculiar to think that a loss wasn’t at least in the realm of possibility. During their matches against Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Mexico the United States looked poor. Yes, Alex Ochoa had some excellent moments in goal and there were a few bright spots (Hassani Dotson and Jackson Yueill may have earned a Gold Cup spot and David Fereira could also be going depending upon his club form) overall the play was poor. The 1-0 Costa Rica match certainly was the result that they needed but their were definitely warning signs that perhaps all was not right. The same with the Dominican Republic match, which was closer than the score indicated. The Mexico match was again another 1-0 result but the U.S. did little to muster much of an attack. So let’s dispel the myth that it was just one bad game.

There are two major questions that have emerged from this competition: Is missing the Olympics a big deal and what steps can be taken to ensure that this doesn’t happen again?

Let’s take the first question. The truth is that qualifying for the Olympics for USMNT is far more important than participating in the Olympics. The tournament is vastly different than the women’s event, with the sides featuring players under the age of 23. When you look at rosters through the years teams rarely feature their top players. Rather it is an opportunity for national teams to give time to middle tier players and perhaps a nice send-off to some veterans.

Pundits like to point out Neymar and Messi both played in the Olympics but those situations are more the exception than the norm. Neymar joined up with Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics because a.)Brazil was the host nation and b.) They had never won a gold medal for soccer. Had those factors not been in play, odds are he wouldn’t have played. The same with Messi, who actually got the approval from Barcelona and then-coach Pep Guardiola.

As for the United States, their goal with the Olympics is a bit of an unknown. The odds were slim that had they qualified they would have medaled, most likely bottoming out at the group stage. This may be why some Major League Soccer teams refused to release their player, hinting that losing some of their key players for at least a month in March and for possibly two months in June-July might not be worth it. Measuring one’s B/C team against an opponent’s B/C team may have some value but given that many of these players will not be used in World Cup Qualifying there is little incentive. This isn’t necessarily to say that the Olympics are a complete wash but to put it on a pedestal as an important tournament is a bit of a stretch.

(Sidebar: Can we also pour some cold water on the idea that people will get up to watch these games? Given that most matches will be on around 3-5am which will be great for those who are normally up at that hour. But for most people that’s way too early. Also, no one watches replays)

No, the true point of contention for the US Men not making it is that they have once again fallen in qualification in CONCACAF, a region that we should supposedly dominate. Yet, we don’t and it doesn’t appear as if we are closer to beating out our geographic rivals. Would having the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah have helped during this tournament? Without a doubt. But remember, the European clubs do not typically let their best players participate. If Bayern Munich isn’t going to let German players do Olympic Qualifying why would they let a player from the States?

So how does the United States get over this hump? The first is simple: find better players. The US shouldn’t need their ‘A’ team but their ‘C’ side isn’t the solution either. Yes, this will require U.S. Soccer to pull some strings with MLS teams but there is little reason why a player like Jeremy Ebobisse wasn’t on the roster. No, neither the CONCACAF Champions League nor training for your season, which is still a month away, are not viable reasons. Second, the league should recognize that its success or failure is still dependent upon the USMNT actually doing well.

There also needs to be more accountability. U-23 Head Coach Jason Kreis was really a part-time coach, managing the Olympic but also serving as the assistant coach for Inter Miami FC. From the get-go it didn’t seem like he quite had the grasp of the players available, instead relying on players from his time as the Head Coach of Real Salt Lake (which should be noted currently doesn’t have an owner and finished with five wins last year). The head coaching position for any senior team should be a full-time position and should be someone who is intimately familiar with the players available. That doesn’t seem have to been the case.

While losing out on the Olympics isn’t the end of the world, it is another worrying sign that perhaps the USMNT haven’t broken its stink cycle. Despite not making the Tokyo Games, it will be a very busy summer for the MNT with the CONCACAF Nations League, the Gold Cup, and World Cup Qualification (Look for the YNT to begin playing again in the summer as well). There are multiple opportunities for the U.S. to get back on track but we’re back to the same problems of player selection, organization, and execution. Right now, it seems like we may be stuck in another stinky cycle.