US soccer looks bleak

[Unregistered]

Did you know that Spain and Argentina ( two top 5 nations in soccer) are also #2 and #4 ,respectively, in World Basketball just behind the US....So not every little boy in those countries wants to become a soccer player... get rid of the following in this country:

1. Pay to play system
2. Youth soccer rankings
3. Foreign coaches
4. Tournaments ( we play way too many)

True....I don't think Iniesta, Xavi or Mascherano to name a few are the best athletes in their country but are great world class soccer players. That excuse of the "best athletes" is just an American mindset. Of course you need to have a certain level of talent and athleticism but I've seen some big fast black kids on DA who can run as fast as Usain Bolt but have very little soccer IQ and bad first touch on the ball.

The kids are not being developed at a young age, that's the only real answer. Go to any travel soccer club in FL and look at how they train, it's truly awful. Some kids don't even belong there but the clubs need the paycheck from the Benz and Bimmer crowd.

It might be a tiny bit better at a DA but not a whole lot better. They train kids to play like robots and are mostly focused on big and fast. I've been to tryouts and saw the process and choices they were making. This is where the U.S puts the emphasis, fast and strong, not soccer skills and vision, hence the results.

Why go on....this is an old story and they need a major overhaul and change of mentality. Even at local DA's the coaches are not so great. Maybe in the MLS DA's they're a bit better but the whole structure is wrong.

They need 200 MLS teams all over the country like most soccer nations, not 20 for a country of 300+ million. They'll never discover talent this way. And if they think the local (non MLS DA's) are the solution then we're headed down the wrong road. They're only producing marginally average players...

[Unregistered]

The "never back to the golie" line makes my ears bleed. LOL

Or when a defender boots the ball 50 yards for no reason; and the parents yell "good kick", great job"........really?.......just give the ball back to the other team?

sometimes a panic clearance is needed, but its never a "good job".

Exactly. Thank you for the gift. Or a keeper booting the ball to no one. and losing possession "Great kick!" Are you kidding me? Play with your left back who is wide open and asking for the ball!

Or the player who is fast and takes it down the wing alone and crosses to no one. "Great run!" Huh? If he doesn't have numbers, he should play it back.

[Unregistered]

Great perspective. I agree with most points. The difference in those countries though, is that their Basketball is structured the same way as their soccer. The way their youth is organized, trained, and the way they go through the ranks. In this country, soccer is different than most other team sports. H.S. is the way to success for baseball, basketball, football, etc. For soccer, its pay-to-play (clubs). You can say the same for gymnastics, tennis, and others.

So I don't know if its fixable.


I wish. Pay-to-play means that the wealthier families are most likely to have their kids play at a high level. And talented kids that can't afford to travel will be left out of DA and ECNL. I say: "more than likely". The same goes for Tennis. You need to have a lot of money if you want your little-Serena" going to IMG or one of the other big tennis academies.


Yes. Youth soccer rankings on GotSoccer suck. There can be some kind of placement system, but giving points for racking up tournaments is idiotic.
http://www.youthsoccerrankings.us does a better job.



Not sure I understand your rational. A good coach is a good coach.
More immigrants should get involved in coaching. Why not? I also think that as our youth gets better at playing the game, they will become more educated and become better coaches.



I agree. Goes hand-in-hand with point 2. It becomes all about the points and rankings and parent's motivation: "which college will be at which showcase".

Maybe a solution is to just have invitational tournaments (for college recruitment purposes).
And then besides league play, have more "cup" play; ie: Florida Cup, state cup, etc.
Cup play together with league play will 'weed' out the bad teams. Its how they do it in most soccer countries.

Tournaments are for the parent's ego.

The top tournaments used to be invitational only...Disney, WAGS, Jefferson Cup etc...This past weekend WAGS in the Washington DC area happened. Back in the early '00's when my eldest was playing I believe there were only two brackets for each age group. You literally had to be a state champion, state finalists or semifinalists from a strong soccer state like NJ or Ga....Looking at some of the teams this year, there are way too many "average" teams. At the end of the day, it's all about the Benjamin...More teams , means more money even though the quality suffers...

[Unregistered]

..................The kids are not being developed at a young age, that's the only real answer. Go to any travel soccer club in FL and look at how they train, it's truly awful. Some kids don't even belong there but the clubs need the paycheck from the Benz and Bimmer crowd......

I think this is a big reason but also soccer 'culture". Soccer in other countries is a hobby, a past-time, etc. Kids play pick-up games after school. When kids are bored, they play soccer. On the street, in a parking lot, anywhere.

Pick-up soccer is where kids develop their creativity. It also continues their soccer culture of just loving the game.

In this country, if your kid happens to start liking to play soccer, they really only play during practice sessions. They don't go home and play after school in the driveway with friends, or in the park with their buddies. Most "american" non-soccer families will drive their kid to soccer practice but that is the extent of their soccer culture.

So they learn to play like robots. They may become good players but their soccer IQ/vision will never reach the level of what kids in other countries reach.

[Unregistered]

I think this is a big reason but also soccer 'culture". Soccer in other countries is a hobby, a past-time, etc. Kids play pick-up games after school. When kids are bored, they play soccer. On the street, in a parking lot, anywhere.

Pick-up soccer is where kids develop their creativity. It also continues their soccer culture of just loving the game.

In this country, if your kid happens to start liking to play soccer, they really only play during practice sessions. They don't go home and play after school in the driveway with friends, or in the park with their buddies. Most "american" non-soccer families will drive their kid to soccer practice but that is the extent of their soccer culture.

So they learn to play like robots. They may become good players but their soccer IQ/vision will never reach the level of what kids in other countries reach.

EDIT...

Just want to add that its not about the 'best athletes'. We need to stop with that excuse. Its about the soccer culture that is decades behind. Its getting better with so many games being televised, MLS getting better (yes I said MLS :) ), and more kids playing outside their practice sessions.

[Unregistered]

I think this is a big reason but also soccer 'culture". Soccer in other countries is a hobby, a past-time, etc. Kids play pick-up games after school. When kids are bored, they play soccer. On the street, in a parking lot, anywhere.

Pick-up soccer is where kids develop their creativity. It also continues their soccer culture of just loving the game.

In this country, if your kid happens to start liking to play soccer, they really only play during practice sessions. They don't go home and play after school in the driveway with friends, or in the park with their buddies. Most "american" non-soccer families will drive their kid to soccer practice but that is the extent of their soccer culture.

So they learn to play like robots. They may become good players but their soccer IQ/vision will never reach the level of what kids in other countries reach.

This is not entirely true. My kids play pick up at a nearby park. It's not perfect, but it works. During recess in school, they play soccer. Birthday parties are all at these indoor facilities. During the summer they go to camps that allow 2-3 hours of unstructured play. At home, it is non-stop nutmeg. I cant walk down the hall without someone trying to nutmeg me. So, there is some unstructured play. It is not a piazza in Napoli in the 1980s, but it's not exactly "robots."

[Unregistered]

I heard this will be the first question asked to the dems tonight. Bernie Sanders is going to insist that all the world's soccer talent be spread out evenly until all teams are equal(ly bad). Problem solved.
...just thought a little levity couldn't hurt the discussion)

[Unregistered]

True....I don't think Iniesta, Xavi or Mascherano to name a few are the best athletes in their country but are great world class soccer players. That excuse of the "best athletes" is just an American mindset. Of course you need to have a certain level of talent and athleticism but I've seen some big fast black kids on DA who can run as fast as Usain Bolt but have very little soccer IQ and bad first touch on the ball.

The kids are not being developed at a young age, that's the only real answer. Go to any travel soccer club in FL and look at how they train, it's truly awful. Some kids don't even belong there but the clubs need the paycheck from the Benz and Bimmer crowd.

It might be a tiny bit better at a DA but not a whole lot better. They train kids to play like robots and are mostly focused on big and fast. I've been to tryouts and saw the process and choices they were making. This is where the U.S puts the emphasis, fast and strong, not soccer skills and vision, hence the results.

Why go on....this is an old story and they need a major overhaul and change of mentality. Even at local DA's the coaches are not so great. Maybe in the MLS DA's they're a bit better but the whole structure is wrong.

They need 200 MLS teams all over the country like most soccer nations, not 20 for a country of 300+ million. They'll never discover talent this way. And if they think the local (non MLS DA's) are the solution then we're headed down the wrong road. They're only producing marginally average players...

Take Jermaine Jones and compare him to Andres Guardado or HH. Jermaine Jones is a beast of an athlete, but he does not have 1/10th the soccer savvy of Guardado or HH. Jones is the type of athlete DAs love. He's what we are producing. He is an athlete, yes, but at the elite international level, he's a liability.

[Unregistered]

I heard this will be the first question asked to the dems tonight. Bernie Sanders is going to insist that all the world's soccer talent be spread out evenly until all teams are equal(ly bad). Problem solved.
...just thought a little levity couldn't hurt the discussion)

I would vote for Barry Sanders before Bernie Sanders

[Unregistered]

This is not entirely true. My kids play pick up at a nearby park. It's not perfect, but it works. During recess in school, they play soccer. Birthday parties are all at these indoor facilities. During the summer they go to camps that allow 2-3 hours of unstructured play. At home, it is non-stop nutmeg. I cant walk down the hall without someone trying to nutmeg me. So, there is some unstructured play. It is not a piazza in Napoli in the 1980s, but it's not exactly "robots."

your kid is the exception, not the rule.

[Unregistered]

I would vote for Barry Sanders before Bernie Sanders

I'm voting for the Colonel !

[Unregistered]

This is not entirely true. My kids play pick up at a nearby park. It's not perfect, but it works. During recess in school, they play soccer. Birthday parties are all at these indoor facilities. During the summer they go to camps that allow 2-3 hours of unstructured play. At home, it is non-stop nutmeg. I cant walk down the hall without someone trying to nutmeg me. So, there is some unstructured play. It is not a piazza in Napoli in the 1980s, but it's not exactly "robots."

"not entirely true".....

I agree. There are exceptions. And every year there are more and more 'exceptions'.

It is the same way in my house. I am first generation American so I have a soccer culture. Its the main sport in my house: on the TV, as a youth sport, going to live games, etc.

Its getting bigger here in the states but still a high percentage behind European countries.

Costa Rica will never be a Skiing powerhouse because the kids don't grow up skiing (there is no snow). Thats an extreme example.
But the same holds true for soccer. We need to get to a similar soccer-culture with soccer countries.

[Unregistered]

Take Jermaine Jones and compare him to Andres Guardado or HH. Jermaine Jones is a beast of an athlete, but he does not have 1/10th the soccer savvy of Guardado or HH. Jones is the type of athlete DAs love. He's what we are producing. He is an athlete, yes, but at the elite international level, he's a liability.

I agree with the point you are trying to make. But Jermaine Jones is a bad example.

He is German-American. He was born and raised in Germany with German family. Grew up playing soccer in the schoolyard for fun. Was trained at top academies and HAS a soccer culture. If he is not as savvy as Guardado, its because he's just not.

He never lived in America until signing with the MLS.

[Unregistered]

I heard this will be the first question asked to the dems tonight. Bernie Sanders is going to insist that all the world's soccer talent be spread out evenly until all teams are equal(ly bad). Problem solved.
...just thought a little levity couldn't hurt the discussion)

...very little

[Unregistered]

your kid is the exception, not the rule.

And you need to get out more; talk to more people. Though most of our kids are in college, when they get together it is for a run to the park for a pick up game; texting makes this very easy to pull a group together in a minute. When they were younger they'd do it at our house, and when bored, they'd switch to four-square. Our youngest (still soccering) keeps a ball rolling around the house. Everyone plays indoors, and always have.