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Dear #USMNT,
I hope this message finds you well. Thank you for the journey you took us on at this year’s #FIFA World Cup. You most likely have received numerous posts and messages laying out all the technical mistakes made. I am in no position to do the same.
For your loss was not technical at all. There is no list of players whose error caused the loss. There is no coaching strategy that caused the loss.
You lost before the match started by walking onto the pitch not believing you belonged there. You played afraid the entire match.
Your creativity in your first match against Paraguay was a result of a solid belief that you belonged there, allowing you to relax, have fun and be inventive.
I was surprised that winning with 10 players against Bosnia and Herzegovina did not affirm that belief.
Attached is our benefits poster from my Wing Chun school. Notice both confidence and self-esteem are there. Some see them as the same thing, but they are not.
Confidence is belief in what you do. Self-esteem is belief in who you are. If you lack confidence but are secure in your self-esteem, you can work through the rust and gain confidence as the game progresses. But if your self-esteem (or team esteem) is low, doubt of your abilities creeps in like a cancer.
That is when technical mistakes creep in, like missed clearings, wrong positioning, first touch errors, errant passing, etc. - the things most “analysts” are wrongly focusing on today. You really don’t need to read or watch those. That’s what your coaching staff is for.
However, please take the time to rewatch Morocco vs. Haiti and Argentina vs. Cabo Verde. The whole matches, not just the highlights. If you played with the self-esteem and belief that Haiti and Cabo Verde showed, the result against Belgium may have been a lot different.
Please understand that you did not let us down, my brothers. Your fear let you down. We did not see a US Men’s National Team who loved playing the game, loved competing, loved playing for the fans, and believed you belonged there.
All 48 teams belong there. Cabo Verde tying with Spain in their first group match should have told you that.
I write this not to offer correction, but to offer hope. A self-help motivational guru is not what you need. You simply need to believe the truth - the whole objective truth - that you belonged there.
Peace and blessings to you all and your families.
- Si-Fu Jasper
English
