Coach: U.S. lacks speedskating focus

— -- Dutch speedskating coach Jillert Anema knows how the United States can improve on its Olympic 0-fer on the Sochi ovals -- stop playing sports like football.

"You have a lot of attention for foolish sport, like American football," Anema told CNBC on Friday. "You waste a lot of talent, athletic talent, in a sport where it's meant to kill each other, to injure each other.

"... (The U.S.) is so narrow-minded, and you waste a lot of good talent in a sport that sucks."

The U.S. assured itself of its first medal shutout in the long-track events since 1984. No American placed higher than seventh in an individual event, and the men's team was relegated to the "D" final, which will decide the last two positions in the eight-team field.

On the short track, only a silver medal in the 5,000-meter relay kept the U.S. from its first shutout since 1988.

Anema believes the United States could do so much better with an improved infrastructure in the sport.

"When you compete once every four years, with talent, with a few lone wolves who are skating, you can't beat the world," Anema told CNBC. "It's no way."

You can't blame Anema for being a bit cocky as the Dutch have won 21 of the country's 22 medals on the speedskating ovals in Sochi.

"I think that the gold medal in speedskating is just as valuable as the gold medal in basketball, and we won 22.

"You'll never win 22 in basketball."