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re: Why Can't the United States Assemble a Championship Soccer Team?
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:01 am to Womski
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:01 am to Womski
Because 80% of our best athletes have not touched a soccer ball in their entire life
Thats like asking why England can't assemble a world championship basketball team. All their best athletes play soccer, rugby, or cricket
Thats like asking why England can't assemble a world championship basketball team. All their best athletes play soccer, rugby, or cricket
2
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:06 am to MrPackSix
quote:
Because 80% of our best athletes have not touched a soccer ball in their entire life
This is the biggest misconception about why the US isn't a soccer powerhouse. I used to think it too, but this has very little to do with it.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:15 am to MrPackSix
I'm not big on the "our best athletes don't play soccer so we suck" argument. Americans have dominated Olympic sports that very few care about. Somewhere along the line, Michael Phelps decided that he could be a mediocre 6'7" basketball player (or whatever sport) or an exceptional swimmer. It's all about recognizing and guiding potential talent. Soccer often rewards small and technical players, as increased height and weight often deters ball control and other skills. There are very few other sports in which Lionel Messi could become all-world.
I think it's more of a case that as a whole we haven't done a good enough job of targeting potentially exceptional American soccer players. There are a ton of marginally fast 5'10" running backs that could have played soccer instead of toiling away as a no hope high school football star.
Danny Cruz of DC United is an excellent example of a player like this. Cruz played football most of his life, and then gave soccer a try in high school. Now he's a fairly seasoned MLS veteran. He never was going to be an NFL player, but he had the physical qualities to make it in soccer. He may never make the USMNT, but he's a good example of how badly we've done at steering talent towards soccer.
I think it's more of a case that as a whole we haven't done a good enough job of targeting potentially exceptional American soccer players. There are a ton of marginally fast 5'10" running backs that could have played soccer instead of toiling away as a no hope high school football star.
Danny Cruz of DC United is an excellent example of a player like this. Cruz played football most of his life, and then gave soccer a try in high school. Now he's a fairly seasoned MLS veteran. He never was going to be an NFL player, but he had the physical qualities to make it in soccer. He may never make the USMNT, but he's a good example of how badly we've done at steering talent towards soccer.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:28 am to thenry712
I agree with Tim Howard on this, it's because pick up soccer is such a huge thing in a ton of places, and not so much here (it's all 1 hour 3 days a week practice etc)
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:36 am to Jumbeauxlaya
quote:
I agree with Tim Howard on this
And Rob Stone.
Pickup soccer is the junk. Where I went to high school, there wasn't a school or club team within a 45 mile radius. My friends and I (and some Mexicans) would play out on the American football field in the summer. You would've thought we were all having gay sex out there on the temple of overrated HS football, the way we folks reacted driving by.
Didn't have a team to play with for five years of my life, so pickup kept me in the game. When I moved back to Auburn, it was back to playing with the Nigerians and Asians in the park.
The club kids in town stay away from pickup. It's depressing. When I was their age, I wanted to play as much as I could.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:46 am to WarSlamEagle
Posted on 2/2/13 at 1:46 am to Womski
As cwill stated, club soccer and the youth developement is what is hindering everything.
Our youth system at the club level is solely based on winning, and not so much to technical abilities. Coaches will try to find the faster and bigger kids (with little skill) for their age group and heavily rely on their athleticism and not the technical abilities.
And the lack of playing soccer outside practices during club season. Practicing 2-3 times a week just isn't enough time on the ball to develope great skill and many kids/teens won't/can't drive to a park to practice/play on their own time (they can do training by themselves in their backyard, but kids don't want to sit in their backyard by themselves playing with a ball).
Our youth system at the club level is solely based on winning, and not so much to technical abilities. Coaches will try to find the faster and bigger kids (with little skill) for their age group and heavily rely on their athleticism and not the technical abilities.
And the lack of playing soccer outside practices during club season. Practicing 2-3 times a week just isn't enough time on the ball to develope great skill and many kids/teens won't/can't drive to a park to practice/play on their own time (they can do training by themselves in their backyard, but kids don't want to sit in their backyard by themselves playing with a ball).
Posted on 2/2/13 at 8:45 am to cwil177
quote:
This is the biggest misconception about why the US isn't a soccer powerhouse. I used to think it too, but this has very little to do with it.
On the other hand, if our best athletes played soccer, don't you think our youth development setup would be much much better. Even if we didn't have youth academies, our high school teams would actually have competent coaches.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 10:13 am to Anfield Road
quote:
On the other hand, if our best athletes played soccer, don't you think our youth development setup would be much much better. Even if we didn't have youth academies, our high school teams would actually have competent coaches.
I think I'm missing your point here. I'm not sure how better athletes would bring more competent coaches to the game.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 10:21 am to thenry712
quote:
Danny Cruz of DC United is an excellent example of a player like this. Cruz played football most of his life
Hockey too. I remember watching him at the U17 World Cup, and I am surprised that he was able to make it professionally.
His story is impressive as shite.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 11:05 am to cwil177
quote:
I think I'm missing your point here. I'm not sure how better athletes would bring more competent coaches to the game.
i think he's stating that if soccer were the sport that demanded our "top athletes" (the assertion that our USMNT isn't made of up elite caliber atheletes is incredibly stupid) , then a much greater emphasis would be placed on top quality coaching. i think he believes that, as is, any average joe can go coach a high school soccer team (probably true). if the "top athletes" were playing soccer, then a bunch of pep guardiolas would materialize as well.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 11:28 am to theOG
Does anyone think that if football (American) continues on its path that the youth ranks will be reduced and possibly help out the youth ranks in football (Commie)?
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:05 pm to thenry712
quote:
There are a ton of marginally fast 5'10" running backs that could have played soccer instead of toiling away as a no hope high school football star.
Danny Cruz of DC United is an excellent example of a player like this. Cruz played football most of his life, and then gave soccer a try in high school. Now he's a fairly seasoned MLS veteran. He never was going to be an NFL player, but he had the physical qualities to make it in soccer. He may never make the USMNT, but he's a good example of how badly we've done at steering talent towards soccer.
CBB is filled with point guards with no real future in basketball who could have been amazing soccer players
same with cornerbacks and WRs across CFB
i'm of the opinion that all soccer prior to high school should be played on a 50 yard field with fewer players. i'm "all in" on the whole "we suck because we play kick and run" soccer argument
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:08 pm to theOG
quote:
the assertion that our USMNT isn't made of up elite caliber atheletes is incredibly stupid
the athletes on our national team aren't close to being the top athletes in america
quote:
if the "top athletes" were playing soccer, then a bunch of pep guardiolas would materialize as well.
it's all about interest/demand, and you see it in other sports
Barbe's baseball coach makes more overall than probably any coach in a louisiana high school. why? because south lake charles fricking loves it some baseball, and our team is the best program in the state because of this support.
(funny enough SLC also does support soccer more than your average bear :whitepeopleproblems:)
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:09 pm to BraveTiger225
quote:
Does anyone think that if football (American) continues on its path that the youth ranks will be reduced and possibly help out the youth ranks in football (Commie)?
you still have a ways to go
baseball and baseketball will get an influx of players/resources long before soccer
if soccer could be sold as a legitimate option for the poor, i could see it blowing up. the problem is two-fold. soccer is a "rich" sport (both in perception and reality with select). football will continue to be a "poor" sport
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:12 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
i'm of the opinion that all soccer prior to high school should be played on a 50 yard field with fewer players. i'm "all in" on the whole "we suck because we play kick and run" soccer argument
Because it's true. It has nothing to do with the "athletes" that do or do not play the game. All of the Percy Harvin's/Lebron James' of the US could play soccer, but it wouldn't matter because our technical skills and development would still be the same.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:22 pm to cwil177
quote:
This is the biggest misconception about why the US isn't a soccer powerhouse. I used to think it too, but this has very little to do with it.
I disagree to a certain extent. African countries do fairly well on the big stage. I'm about to be a stereotyping thug POS, but it definitely seems that teams like Ivory Coast, Ghana, etc. rely heavily on athleticism.
Soccer is the preeminent finesse/skill team sport in the world, sure, and that ties in with our biggest problem. However, it seems like it would help in the short term to focus on finding "athletes," because the U.S. is the most athletic country in the world by a long shot.
This post was edited on 2/2/13 at 12:24 pm
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:24 pm to LSUSOBEAST1
quote:
Lebron James
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:25 pm to acgeaux129
quote:
African countries do fairly well on the big stage.
Not really. Certainly not better than the US.
Posted on 2/2/13 at 12:28 pm to LSUSOBEAST1
Given size of their populations, the resources available, and the overall conditions of some of these countries, I would say they do alright.
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