Why is soccer so expensive to get good at? That is not the case in other sports, and it seems players from much poorer countries are able to do it. Also, why is soccer somewhat unique in that it apparently requires academies to reach an elite level? Why can't players do that in college like most other sports, where lets face it...it's pretty much an athletic factory/academy for most of the high level players now in the revenue producing sports especially. How much does Title IX hurt men's soccer in this country? Many major Universities field women's teams but do not field men's...is that a major factor? Says on average a men's D1 team has 29 players and only 9.9 scholarships while the women get 14...meaning the average player only gets 1/3 of a full scholarship... Not trying to be argumentative just trying to be educated here
Its not expensive to get good at, it's expensive to be part of the culture. It costs 4-5k a year on the low end to play on this big club travel teams where everyone gets noticed.
I imagine it's expensive because the only way to play the highest level of competition is to play on traveling teams
Yeah but it is like that in basketball and baseball too (though I'm sure sponsorship take care of a lot of the players, not everyone kid can play on an elite AAU team)...I'm sure some of the football camps aren't cheap. What I mean is that I don't think that is unique to soccer.
Yeah it's a growing trend everywhere with the commercialization of youth sports. They even argue about it in Europe that kids are too focused in the youth academies instead of just kicking the ball around together in pick up soccer.
i think people are missing the boat here, you have no idea how much damage klinsman did to the program. arena just needs more time, and bullets, to get his guys in there, at least three years. bruce arenas is a great guy and he's doing things the right way for our soccer team!
Those countries have youth systems where talented kids are playing against elite competition from an early age. An American kid who plays high school and college here will not be exposed to high level play until well into their 20's which is too late. That is my understanding at least and why talented players skip college and head to Europe.
Soccer is expensive in the USA only, its the opposite practically everywhere else in the world. Why? B/c companies, sports fanchises, pay for players to get good at soccer. Why? Because there is a lot of money to be made in those sports. Also, no matter the sport, the USA is built on an archaic collegiate system that requires the player to pay. Academies are required because that is where the stakes have taken the sport. Its a far far bigger sport than American Football. There are billions of $ at stake. The academies have become requisite to maximize player pool. Title IX hurts to a degree, but its not the culprit. The college system is to blame for soccer's stunted growth. Title IX has not hurt Men's swimming, perhaps Men's track.
Do we really want one more sport where parents have to sell their young kids' souls for them to participate? Hard pass.
College soccer is a joke and takes away crucial years of development. Pulisic at 19 is competing every day at a high level European club instead of limited practice time and games a few months a year.
I absolutely can not wait until the first day of the 2018 world cup. I'mma wear myself out asking every soccer fan I know "hey, what time does USA play in that soccer thing today?" Of course, I only know a couple soccer fans...and I'm an incessant cunt...but still #cantwait
The high school-college development system is by far the biggest impediment to a young player’s development. It is not a surprise that traditionally our best players went to europe early or to the development program in Florida. The average American coach in the schools still has absolutely no idea how to teach the game and develop a player to a high standard. They also do not play against good enough competition.
No shit the best players will get gobbled up my European clubs and IMG. That's how the system works everywhere. But the greatest US Men's National Team we've ever had was predominantly a product of collegiate soccer. You would be better off arguing EU work permit laws are a greater inhibitor than college soccer.
Comes down to ability to monetize as well. Not discounting your points but to add to it. Where we filter talent through college say, other countries will literally buy families. Raheem Sterling is a good example for the people who don't follow that closely. He is Jamaican, had some talent and England moved in and bought his family. Try to do that here and they fire Rick Pitino.
This is pure myopia. Of course our “greatest team” ever was developed that way—that’s where the players have largely come from. There’s no magical universe where we have European-style development that we can compare it to. If more of our 14 year olds were in academies and leaving the US extracurricular system behind entirely, you’d see a markedly better pool
I don't want to make it sound like I'm blaming our failure to qualify on how we develop. We should be able to hold open tryouts in 20 large metros for a month before the T&T match and be able to beat them with what comes out of that. A select XI from our college system should be able to beat T&T. Jurgen was making great strides in how we identify and grow young talent, and I do believe it's getting better. Our coaching courses are getting better. Hopeful for the future but just frustrated today.
That's because, as corrupt as the game is, the rest of the world has decided that these kids are professionals, and assets of the clubs that buy them. Rather than have a sham notion of "amateurism" these kids are bought and the clubs pay for their housing, training, and in-house schooling, from as early as 9 and 10 years old.
When the rest of the SEC starts playing soccer I'll know we're moving in the right direction EDIT: After reading a few more pages I have discovered this is the opposite of true. Still sucks us and UK are the only ones that play and we have to compete in CUSA
It’s really no different than traveling baseball or aau basketball, if anything less expensive. Don’t let that stop you from pretending to be an expert though.
Simply put, the kids that play soccer in this country do so because they aren't talented enough for football or basketball. Baseball is kind of a different beast when it comes to what makes a great player.
How is this even arguable? We just lost to Trinidad and Tobago and couldn't even qualify for the main show.
Man we would've been a lot better at high school football if all the good players weren't so committed to soccer. Said no one ever.
If you're good enough at soccer to make it near a professional level you're 99% of the time playing it since childhood, and I'm not sure how you'd be able to come to such a conclusion on your future football and basketball careers at that young of an age.
ITT Clint Dempsey and Christian Pulisic were just desperate to play slot receiver and were absolutely gutted when it didn't work out, settled on soccer
Im not sure what to tell you if you dont think our current talent pool should be more competitive than it is.
I mean blame whatever you want, simple fact is that our best athletes play football, basketball, and to a lesser extent baseball. Nothing is going to change until then