Winter Olympics curling: USA men won’t advance to playoff round
Team USA’s chances at an Olympic medal are over.
Streeter Lecka
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The Olympics are over for the Team USA men’s curling team after losing Monday and failing to advance to the semi-finals.
Their 6-3 loss for Switzerland capped off a 2-7 run in Sochi, matching the team’s record from four years ago in Vancouver. It’s a disappointing end to an Olympics that held promise. It was unlikely team would threaten the podium against more established teams, but it was hoped they could improve on their result in 2010.
Team captain John Shuster repeatedly apologized to his teammates for poor stone placement on Tuesday. At times he was on point, but largely struggled to deal with consistently well place stones from his opponents, while not converting on blasts and missing key opportunities for two-stone ends. The team allowed scores in five of the 10 ends, ending their hopes.
It’s unclear what the future holds for the currently comprised team. Shuster has competed in three Olympic games, but has been a part of disappointing teams since the USA’s bronze medal in Turin in 2006. Shuster admitted his squad didn’t play to its best ability in Sochi and that could mean a look for new talent for 2018.
More on the Winter Olympics:
• Hockey: Men’s schedule | All 12 men’s rosters | USA roster analysis
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