...has failed to make the World Cup for the first time in sixty, that's right, SIXTY years.

This situation makes what happened this year to the U.S. national team look like mere peanuts.

Everybody in the front office is gonna get their asses booted.  This is for sure, a national disaster.

What are your thoughts on this?

Feel worse about the US.

Definitely more of a troubling situation. Italy is such a proud footballing nation with fans that really grasp the game. The US, not so much. I mean a lot of them weren't even aware of how dominant their womens team has been. There was a big thing on social media about it.

Still though, I can't help but be a little happy since I will always hold a grudge for that diving prick. Who knows how far Australia could've gone in 2006 if not for that screwed up penalty in the knockout stages.

When they were drawn with Spain it was always likely they would end up in the play-offs. Tough-ish draw picking up Sweden compared to say either of the Irelands, but still expected them to get through.

Feel for Buffon but not at all for the rest of the chancers they have in there. Their squad is bang average at best.

I wonder how much better that team would've been had Sebastian Giovinco been on the team, and not be black-balled for playing across the Atlantic?

Nov 14, 2017 1:00:56 GMT daveymolz said:

When they were drawn with Spain it was always likely they would end up in the play-offs. Tough-ish draw picking up Sweden compared to say either of the Irelands, but still expected them to get through.

Their biggest mistake has probably come from an administrative level, playing so many friendlies over the past few years has caused their ranking to drop, and caused them to lose their #1 seeding leading to the group with Spain. Put them in England's group for example and we wouldn't be talking about this, no matter how ordinary the players' performance or the manager's naivety.

It will likely only be a temporary calamity though as they have a very strong crop of young players emerging, and Serie A is reawakening after years of decline.