re: Path to Success is Exclusive Academies not a Million Fields

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They try to push everyone to be a Messi and try to focus on individual development over just playing the game. I hear their leadership push all the time “it’s not about winning today it’s about where your kid is at 16,17,18”

That’s great in theory, but no one wants to lose today so the one ball hog that maybe good in 5 years can develop.

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If this mentality reigns, we will never take the step.

We know the way to develop youths in soccer. The French, German, and Dutch systems are elite at this. The British adopted a similar version a little while ago. Part of that is ignoring team results early to focus on individual development. Focusing on team results that young doesn't work. Italy has a similar issue (why they suck now) in focusing on developing youths for their tactical mindset early, and it has destroyed their youth program.

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My daughters team is not that elite, fwiw. It wasn't a brag. She's mid tier right now.

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So is mine but we’re both obviously familiar with all the bullshite labeling these clubs do

In the U.S. you will always lose athletes to football and basketball. Not to mention, our collegiate mens soccer system is pathetic, mostly because a large number of schools use women's soccer to offset football scholarships to be within Title IX requirements.

I don't think it's a surprise that womens' collegiate soccer is pretty strong in the United States, and therefore our womens' national team is pretty strong as well...

If you take all the top players in the world and all the best players at the World Cup, how many of them actually grew up in a top tier youth system?

The youth systems are great. They are elite at developing talent. But they aren't the ONLY solution. Again, you have to have the actual players in the system.

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The guys that push the ball hog mentality are 1 of 2 things:
1.) Guys that never played themselves
2.) Guys that have a huge chip that they never made it

You can play as a team, you can play to win, and you can also develop as a player.

Ronaldo never won a world Cup. Neymar never won a world cup. Teaching this little asshats that its all about them is also not the best thing for development. We can agree to disagree.

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Why would you choose the three most developed successful football players in world history to make your point?

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Why would you choose the three most developed successful football players in world history to make your point?

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Because that is what I hear from these youth development programs all the time. The big names. The big goal scorers. The big dribblers.

I've never heard a basketball coach talk about not passing because they needed to work on dribbling. That's what I liken this to.

You can develop as a ball handler and still be a good passer and team player. Focusing only on individual ball skills is ridiculous.

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Until the top athletes focus on soccer

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I really don't even think that's a requirement. We are a large enough and athletic enough nation that we don't need the best of the best. Like that NCAA commercial says, "99% of college athletes go pro in something other than sports."

Well, if we had the top 10% of that 99% in soccer from the get go, that's a tier 1 soccer nation with a star or two over the crest. It's just math. We don't need the Tyreek Hill's or Julio Jones or Lebron James' choosing soccer to compete with the rest of the world. But if we had the Xavier Carter's, Harold Perkins, and Lebrandon Toefield's we'd be cooking with grease. There are 20 or 30 guys faster than Kylian Mbappe at the draft every year that end up undrafted free agents. Henry said "there's levels to this" and he's right, but there's levels athletically speaking too. There's 100 guys in the NFL right now that would be the fastest player in the premiere league

There is so much genetic talent in the B tier of our big 3 sports that we do not need soccer to become our top sport. We would be so comically better than everyone else that we'd essentially beat the rest of the world into submission enough that the world cup would be dreaded every 4 years

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I really don't even think that's a requirement. We are a large enough and athletic enough nation that we don't need the best of the best. Like that NCAA commercial says, "99% of college athletes go pro in something other than sports." Well, if we had the top 10% of that 99% in soccer from the get go, that's a tier 1 soccer nation with a star or two over the crest. It's just math. We don't need the Tyreek Hill's or Julio Jones or Lebron James' choosing soccer to compete with the rest of the world. But if we had the Xavier Carter's, Harold Perkins, and Lebrandon Toefield's we'd be cooking with grease. There are 20 or 30 guys faster than Kylian Mbappe at the draft every year that end up undrafted free agents. Henry said "there's levels to this" and he's right, but there's levels athletically speaking too. There's 100 guys in the NFL right now that would be the fastest player in the premiere league There is so much genetic talent in the B tier of our big 3 sports that we do not need soccer to become our top sport. We would be so comically better than everyone else that we'd essentially beat the rest of the world into submission enough that the world cup would be dreaded every 4 years

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Stated way better than me and I’ve argued this in other places.

I’d add it would likely be as important IMO to have a good chunk of the 5’6-5’10” 140-165 lb athletic boys give up the dream in football and basketball and focus on soccer earlier.

There are a shitload of smaller, highly athletic males that would be as good or better than our college football player phenotypes in some soccer roles.

People always pump Messi’s measurables but as we both know there are tons of starters on huge clubs across the world that are 5’8 145-55 lbs.