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Started By
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Alexi Lalas: "stop vilifying pay-to-play youth soccer"
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:30 am
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:30 am
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Youth soccer (youth sports) is a competitive market with businesses selling a product that obviously customers are willing to pay for. I’d love if soccer was free to all. But who is going to pay for all this free soccer?
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15
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:34 am to Ingeniero
Will someone think of the poor private equity partner who needs a new boat from his youth sports investments?!
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:39 am to Ingeniero
This dude has certainly decided to tank any kind of positive image he may have had during this WC.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:42 am to Ingeniero
Wynalda response queueing up
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:42 am to Ingeniero
"Worst guy you know goes back to making terrible points"
Edit: Alexi Lalas not you
Edit: Alexi Lalas not you
This post was edited on 7/8/26 at 8:43 am
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:51 am to Ingeniero
Damn. I was hoping to get Jaxxtyn and Braydyn into soccer. Travel ball is getting too expensive.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 8:57 am to Ingeniero
That's the problem with a hot take merchant like Lalas, he says shite he knows is verifiably dumb to get the clicks.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:10 am to lionward2014
Horrible takes = engagement. Engagement = tv contracts. Tv contracts = how he feeds his family. Engagement farming doesn't have to be seeking good engagement, especially if any engagement can be lucrative for the merchant. His takes aren't weird, what's weird are the guys on here who do it with no incentive, unless it's Chicken increasing the engagement for AD revenue sales.... 
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:12 am to Ingeniero
What doesn’t help the United States is its size. It’s not like England where you only need to travel 15 minutes to find high quality teams. shite, you don’t even need to travel that far.
In America, if you want to find the best competition, chances are you’re going to have to travel a good distance. Gas, hotels, food. It adds up a good bit.
In America, if you want to find the best competition, chances are you’re going to have to travel a good distance. Gas, hotels, food. It adds up a good bit.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:19 am to Ingeniero
Why is soccer the only target of the "pay to play" crowd? Basbeall and basketball started it and dont even begin to add up the costs of golf.
Pay to Play has not diminshed the product this country has put out for either baseball, football or basketball so why is it so bad for soccer?
It's very simple, until recently, Soccer, was not a popular youth sport in the united states. In 2000, there were an estimated 3.75mm youth registration. In 2026, that number was 4.3mm. In contrast,
Football 4mm in 2000 and 3.75mm in 2026.
Baseball 4.75mm in 2000 and 6.05mm in 2026.
Basketaball 7.33 mm in 2000 and 7.2mm in 2026.
By pure participation numbers, compared to 2000, soccer in now 3rd on the list, surpassing football, but unlike football and basketball, youth soccer numbers are on the rise.
It's going to take time. We are 100+ years behind the rest of the world, but we are rising fast.
Pay to Play has not diminshed the product this country has put out for either baseball, football or basketball so why is it so bad for soccer?
It's very simple, until recently, Soccer, was not a popular youth sport in the united states. In 2000, there were an estimated 3.75mm youth registration. In 2026, that number was 4.3mm. In contrast,
Football 4mm in 2000 and 3.75mm in 2026.
Baseball 4.75mm in 2000 and 6.05mm in 2026.
Basketaball 7.33 mm in 2000 and 7.2mm in 2026.
By pure participation numbers, compared to 2000, soccer in now 3rd on the list, surpassing football, but unlike football and basketball, youth soccer numbers are on the rise.
It's going to take time. We are 100+ years behind the rest of the world, but we are rising fast.
This post was edited on 7/8/26 at 9:22 am
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:20 am to Ingeniero
I dislike the message but at his core he is right, its on parents.
Parents with money like having their kids on exclusive teams and gatekeeping their spots. And honestly many parents don't care about practice or skills development (or they hire private coaching to work on that), they want to watch their kids play as many games as possible, and don't mind spending money to do it.
Is it accessible, not really. Is it the best way to develop future national-team level talents, hell no. Is it making money for people, apparently so.
Parents with money like having their kids on exclusive teams and gatekeeping their spots. And honestly many parents don't care about practice or skills development (or they hire private coaching to work on that), they want to watch their kids play as many games as possible, and don't mind spending money to do it.
Is it accessible, not really. Is it the best way to develop future national-team level talents, hell no. Is it making money for people, apparently so.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:27 am to SabiDojo
quote:
In America, if you want to find the best competition, chances are you’re going to have to travel a good distance. Gas, hotels, food. It adds up a good bit.
Yup this is the unfortunate reality that a lot of Europeans struggle to understand. It just doesn't work the same way over here & never will.
I think that focusing the academies on the cities & dense urban areas is the best we can do, and, as big as our cities are, probably good enough to get all the results we're asking for.
I'm a classical/theatre musician, for years you've just been SOL for gigs unless you move to a big city. Nobody bats an eye & America still produces many of the world's greatest performers. This is what we can create by building up the MLS academies.
I hate to say screw the country folk (as one myself) but unless Rich Uncle Pennybags wants to plow some dollars into the system we will continue to get the short end of the stick.
This post was edited on 7/8/26 at 9:28 am
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:32 am to SippyCup
Pay to play with soccer as it is in baseball is more for the parents to do something on the weekends than it is for developing and identifying real talent.
Have you ever been on a travel ball weekend? The parents look forward to it more than the kids. They are spending money to socialize
Have you ever been on a travel ball weekend? The parents look forward to it more than the kids. They are spending money to socialize
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:38 am to Ingeniero
Another misdirection to blame capitalism or for-profit-anything, and no mention at all of how most 17-20 year old men completely quit soccer because colleges only field womens' teams as a way to get under Title IX requirements
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:40 am to Ingeniero
Wonder which company Alexi is being offered part ownership of...
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:42 am to SabiDojo
The federation needs to be decentalized.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:46 am to Bigdawgb
Maybe get public schools involved? This can help with rural area situation.
Does travel soccer help develop skills?
Does travel soccer help develop skills?
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:48 am to jmcwhrter
quote:
Another misdirection to blame capitalism or for-profit-anything, and no mention at all of how most 17-20 year old men completely quit soccer because colleges only field womens' teams as a way to get under Title IX requirements
It’s a good thing for this country’s soccer development that there is less and less focus on men’s college soccer
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:50 am to Broski
Ncaa soccer refuse to be part of the solution, hence growing irrelevance.
Posted on 7/8/26 at 9:50 am to RollTide4Ever
quote:
Does travel soccer help develop skills?
Not really, but not because it’s “travel soccer” but because a lot of these teams are just rec dads coaching.
Our development starts with having legit coaches training kids at the U8 level
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