Spain Olympic Soccer Team: What Their Shocking Elimination Means for the Future

The soccer world was left speechless, when Spain was eliminated from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The gold-medal favorites lost in group play to Japan and Honduras, both with scores of 1-0.

The result sent shockwaves through Spain, who expected their team to follow in the footsteps of the senior club, which won the World Cup and European Championships. 

As Spain tries to find out what went wrong, we look ahead. What does their shocking elimination mean for the future of La Roja?

Read on to find out. 

New Coach?

Two games do not a coach make, but Luis Milla has to be on the hot seat.

As Milla said, [via Yahoo!]

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"I am very disappointed because I think we deserved more. The person responsible is myself," Milla said in a statement on the Spanish Football Federation's official website. "We need to sit down and analyze everything that happened. Perhaps we lacked something in our preparation, but last year we did the same before the Under-21 European Championship and ended up winning the title."

"The fans will think the coach has been a disaster, that this has been a total failure, and I understand that. But we need to be calm now and analyze what went wrong."

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Milla has been successful as coach, leading the under-21 team to victory 2011 European Championships.

Still, after one of the biggest Spanish soccer failures, Milla will take a lot of heat. 

His team didn't play poorly, they just couldn't execute. 

Spanish officials will have a decision to make, and Milla might go as to appease angry fans.

While it may not be completely deserved, someone has to take the fall. 

Change in Strategy

Spain is known for its possession. That's how they've made their mark in the soccer world.

Most teams try to combat that by packing it in on defense and trying to win on the counter attack.

Japan did this to perfection.

While this strategy has been successful for years, Japan's performance clearly showed that it could be beat. 

If anything, Spain might be wise to mix it up a little bit. Perhaps being more aggressive will keep opponents on their toes. 

More Experience Needed

Perhaps this under-23 team was just not ready for all the pressure that the Olympics brings.

Spanish paper Marca summed up the final scene thusly:

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"Spain said goodbye to the Games with a dismal cocktail...bad luck, bad refereeing and a terrible image at the final whistle as a result of the buildup of tension during the match."

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Spain surrounded the referee to complain about some of the calls. Not necessarily a graceful exit.

While these players are young, they are expected to compete with class and honor. While their frustration is certainly understandable, it doesn't excuse their behavior.

With more experience, this team will be able to better compete under pressure. The Olympics are a pressure cooker and knowing how to respond is half the battle. Spain did not respond well. 

Luck

Luck can sometimes get the best of you in sports and it certainly was not on Spain's side in London.

La Roja hit a bunch of posts in their two games. While that's not an excuse, it certainly means they were close.

They also were the beneficiary of some questionable calls from the referees. 

Against Honduras, at least one penalty was denied, perhaps more.

While you cannot blame the referees or the crossbar for your decision, it does speak to one thing: Spain was not outplayed.

In fact, Spain was arguably better than Honduras. Juan Mata was terrific and their superior talent was on display.

But in sports, a few inches makes all the difference. Had those shots been just a little different, we're talking about Spain the favorites, not Spain the disappointment. 

Future Is Bright

This is not necessarily a systemic Spanish problem; it very well might be an isolated incident.

Look, the Spaniards won the World Cup and the European Championships. But that was the senior team.

This under-23 team was clearly not ready for primetime.

But not all is lost. 

For one, the senior team is still the best in the world and will be perennial contenders for the World Cup and European Championships.

For another, this junior team  has plenty of young talent to be developed and nurtured.

Goalkeeper David de Gea was a bright spot for the Spanish club in London, surrendering only two goals. That should be a major boost to his confidence.

Christian Tello has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi, while Jordi Alba and Juan Mata scored goals during the European Championships.

If Spain can learn from their mistakes in London, they should be fine. La Roja will always have a boatload of talent. If they can nurture and develop their young stars, these Games will be just a minor blip on the radar screen.