For years, Landon Donovan has been the face of United States soccer. Now, that face has retired. While he was left off the US Men’s National Team squad at this summer’s World Cup, fans could write that off as a tactical decision on the part of head coach Jûrgen Klinsmann. But make no mistake about it: he is gone for good. The USMNT is now left with the frustrating task of finding a new identity and defining the next era.

¨Satisfactory¨ could describe the USMNT performance in Brazil, beating out Ghana and Portugal to escape the Group of Death alongside eventual champions Germany. In the quarter finals of the tournament, the boys in red, white, and blue fought hard for two hours against a Belgian side bursting with young talent from a footballing “Golden Generation.” The USA’s backline, composed of 100% MLS talent, was noticeably out of place against the combined attacking potency of Chelsea’s world-class Eden Hazard and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku. America’s team eventually succumbed to the relentless pressure, and the hopes of a “Miracle-esque” victory on international soccer’s grandest stage were dashed. While it was an admirable performance from a clearly lesser side, fans are left yearning for  moral victories to become actual victories. Looking ahead to the World Cup in Russia in 2018, the question remains: Is the USMNT actually getting better?

Many would argue that the USMNT will first take a few steps backwards before it can begin to move forward. The average age of the first XI that took the field against Belgium was 29. That same group of players will be (on average) 33 years old by the time the Russian games roll around in 2018. Specifically, goalkeeper Tim Howard, who single-handedly prevented the Belgium game from being a three- or four-goal American defeat, will be 39 years old, possibly too old to make much of an impact on the world stage. Clint Dempsey, or ¨Captain America¨ as he was affectionately called by his compatriots, will be 35 and could potentially face the same fate that Landon Donovan experienced this past year. Other team leaders like Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, and DaMarcus Beasley, will all be well past their primes (as far as sports is concerned) and perhaps left off the senior team roster. While this is not a problem exclusive to the USMNT, the predicament of replenishing these aging players with those of equivalent or superior class is a legitimate concern. Will the fruit of the imported German system implemented by Klinsmann begin to surface in the next few years in the form of young talent? The answer to that is not so clear. In such a vast and varied country, it can be hard to extensively scout players and make sure that those with the most potential are being coached in the USMNT system early in their careers. Still, with such a large population, one would think that there must be at least 11 world-class players somewhere out there.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who believe the USMNT is still on the rise. Starlet Julian Green, a 19-year-old German-American dual-national who Klinsmann himself recruited to the Stars and Stripes, connected with the back of the net on his very first touch in a USMNT kit to cut the deficit in half against Belgium. While Green will be an integral part of the team for years to come, critics have raised many points to argue that his choice of Uncle Sam over Germany is not such a good thing. Many infer that Green simply is not good enough for the German national team, so his only option for first-team World Cup competition resided with the USMNT. Moreover, the reason for Green’s prowess is his upbringing in the German soccer system — not in the United States. While the USMNT should capitalize on dual-national opportunities such as Green and potentially the Arsenal FC starlet Gedion Zelalem, just as Germany does, a steady stream of internally developed players should largely populate the USMNT. The possession statistics support the belief that the USMNT needs stronger and more creative play from the midfield. Chances on goal were few and far between, a direct result from the lack of consistent control of the ball from the the middle third of the park. Tactics, coaching, and discipline can give a lesser team a fighting chance in any game, but only world-class players can win center-stage matches. The burning question now becomes: Can Klinsmann maximize the potential of this country? As frustrating as it may be, the answer is simply unclear — at least for now.