LA TIMES: Is youth soccer training to blame for American team failure to make WC?

The main problem is our country's greatest athletes are not playing soccer. Pick any running back in the NFL, or or just about any NBA player and teach them good fundamental soccer from the same age they learned their current sport, and we would be a force to be reckoned with, if not the absolute #1 team in the world.

Ok....so why are non of the best players in the World built like running backs?
 
A uniformed curriculum is one piece that is necessary.

Why? Nothing produces more vanilla players than a uniform curriculum. If it was as simple as a curriculum every country would succeed. If anything that’s the problem with USSDA thousands of kids playing the same mundane way
 
Ok....so why are non of the best players in the World built like running backs?
If he grew up in the United States, Ronaldo would've been put on a weight training program starting in high school and would've been playing wide receiver and linebacker. He would've continued with that weight training program in college and played receiver or safety. He would be lot thicker than he is now with the training regimen.

Messi, if he grew up in the US, would've also been on a weight training program from high school onwards. He would've played tailback in high school, and would've been converted to slot receiver in college(think Cole Beasley from the Cowboys). He'd also be a lot thicker.
 
Our youth program is the same for both the girls and boys right? Our women's national team is considered the best in the world. Our men's national team is not competing at the highest level because men's soccer does not attract the most talented athletes like most other countries. Isn't that the difference? Imagine LeBron James, Amari Cooper, Russell Westbrook, Stephan Curry, Russel Wilson on the pitch. I suspect there are basketball forums in other countries lamenting about how their national basketball teams don't compare to the US because their youth programs are lacking.
 
Messi, if he grew up in the US, would've also been on a weight training program from high school onwards. He would've played tailback in high school, and would've been converted to slot receiver in college(think Cole Beasley from the Cowboys). He'd also be a lot thicker.

Not true.....he would have been dismissed as too small and not a good enough athlete....probably would have received the same critique for soccer too.
 
Why? Nothing produces more vanilla players than a uniform curriculum. If it was as simple as a curriculum every country would succeed. If anything that’s the problem with USSDA thousands of kids playing the same mundane way
Well tell that France and Germany. They have a uniformed curriculum and it works.
 
Our youth program is the same for both the girls and boys right? Our women's national team is considered the best in the world. Our men's national team is not competing at the highest level because men's soccer does not attract the most talented athletes like most other countries. Isn't that the difference? Imagine LeBron James, Amari Cooper, Russell Westbrook, Stephan Curry, Russel Wilson on the pitch. I suspect there are basketball forums in other countries lamenting about how their national basketball teams don't compare to the US because their youth programs are lacking.
 
Well tell that France and Germany. They have a uniformed curriculum and it works.

Did Zidane follow that curriculum? Henry when he was playing in the streets? Ozil? Curriculum creates standards, which you can give value to. but if we were given the same “French” or “German” curriculum we would not win the World Cup that’s neither the issue or solution
 
Not true.....he would have been dismissed as too small and not a good enough athlete....probably would have received the same critique for soccer too.
Huh?

Cole Beasley is 5'7 -5'8, 175 lbs, and the best slot receiver in the NFL. Messi is 5'7, 155 lbs(while never being on a football weight program), fast, and quicker than shit, just like all slot receivers in the NFL.

Ronaldo is 6'2, 185 lbs without a football weight program, and faster than shit. The perfect size for an NFL receiver or safety. Outside linebacker if he bulked up enough.

Have you ever seen how small many high school football players are?
 
Huh?

Cole Beasley is 5'7 -5'8, 175 lbs, and the best slot receiver in the NFL. Messi is 5'7, 155 lbs(while never being on a football weight program), fast, and quicker than shit, just like all slot receivers in the NFL.

Ronaldo is 6'2, 185 lbs without football weight program, and faster than shit. The perfect size for an NFL receiver or safety. Outside linebacker if he bulked up enough.

Messi was on growth hormones from the age of 11/12
 
Did Zidane follow that curriculum? Henry when he was playing in the streets? Ozil? Curriculum creates standards, which you can give value to. but if we were given the same “French” or “German” curriculum we would not win the World Cup that’s neither the issue or solution
No to Zidane and Henry. But they changed because they too failed like the US. And now how an entire team of the most talented players in the world who did learn under the curriculum. Ozil is a yes. I did not say use the French or German curriculum, just to have one. Hopefully one that fits.
 
Our main problem? Not even close. This a massive over-simplification. Iceland, a country with a population of 332k, qualified in Europe. The US, a country with a population of 323M, failed to qualify in CONCACAF. This has very little do to with the “best” athletes picking other sports. It has to do with the lack of a soccer culture and identity in this country. It has to do with the poor identification and development of talent in this country. There are so many shortfalls in the system, from culture to league structure. Not enough time to get neck deep here, but you should know that you are way off base.

Iceland also won the World Championships in handball. 332K against 7.5 billion in the world. Lack of soccer culture is exactly what Mr. Mac is referring to. Identification is not even a subject in countries where soccer is a mainstream sport.
 
Huh?

Cole Beasley is 5'7 -5'8, 175 lbs, and the best slot receiver in the NFL. Messi is 5'7, 155 lbs(while never being on a football weight program), fast, and quicker than shit, just like all slot receivers in the NFL.

Ronaldo is 6'2, 185 lbs without a football weight program, and faster than shit. The perfect size for an NFL receiver or safety. Outside linebacker if he bulked up enough.

Have you ever seen how small many high school football players are?


And both would have played football here is the US and laughed at soccer.
 
Our youth program is the same for both the girls and boys right? Our women's national team is considered the best in the world. Our men's national team is not competing at the highest level because men's soccer does not attract the most talented athletes like most other countries. Isn't that the difference? Imagine LeBron James, Amari Cooper, Russell Westbrook, Stephan Curry, Russel Wilson on the pitch. I suspect there are basketball forums in other countries lamenting about how their national basketball teams don't compare to the US because their youth programs are lacking.
It wouldn't matter if you had all those athletes playing soccer. They still wouldn't be able to compete against the little Iniestas, Xavis, Messis etc. from around the world. Size and athleticism is not a factor, the environment is. U.S. just doesn't have it in which to produce such talent.
 
Our main problem? Not even close. This a massive over-simplification. Iceland, a country with a population of 332k, qualified in Europe. The US, a country with a population of 323M, failed to qualify in CONCACAF. This has very little do to with the “best” athletes picking other sports. It has to do with the lack of a soccer culture and identity in this country. It has to do with the poor identification and development of talent in this country. There are so many shortfalls in the system, from culture to league structure. Not enough time to get neck deep here, but you should know that you are way off base.
That's basically the same argument. Thanks. I agree there is no soccer culture here for our boys..hence the best athletes aren't playing because it doesn't interest/excite/motivate/whatever adjective fits. Yes it's over simplifying it, but I have zero interest in expanding on the who, what, when where or why when it's not going to change.
 
Our main problem? Not even close. This a massive over-simplification. Iceland, a country with a population of 332k, qualified in Europe. The US, a country with a population of 323M, failed to qualify in CONCACAF. This has very little do to with the “best” athletes picking other sports. It has to do with the lack of a soccer culture and identity in this country. It has to do with the poor identification and development of talent in this country. There are so many shortfalls in the system, from culture to league structure. Not enough time to get neck deep here, but you should know that you are way off base.

That's basically the same argument. Thanks. I agree there is no soccer culture here for our boys..hence the best athletes aren't playing because it doesn't interest/excite/motivate/whatever adjective fits. Yes it's over simplifying it, but I have zero interest in expanding on the who, what, when where or why when it's not going to change.
 
Why would they?
Because football and basketball are much better investments from both a scholarship and professional pay scale. Soccer is one of the worst investments for boys. Let's look at the NCAA-I to see how this works:

NCAA-I / Men
Football: 254 teams at 85 scholarships = 21,590 scholarships for 1.08M HS football players or 2% chance. Average NFL pay = $1.9 million.
Basketball: 351 teams at 13 scholarships = 4,563 scholarships for 550k HS basketball players or .08% chance (almost 1%). Average NBA pay = $5.15 million.
Soccer: 205 teams at 9.9 scholarships = 2,029.5 scholarships for 450k HS soccer players or .04% chance (less than 1/2 percent) Average MLS pay = $226k

Realistically, scholarships are only available for the top 5% of athletes, so normalizing the data for just the top 5%, it looks like this:

NFL: 54k players chasing 21k scholarships (40%)
NBA: 27.5k players chasing 4.5k scholarships (16%)
Soccer: 22.5k players chasing 2k scholarships (8%).

Soccer in the US = superbad investment for young athletes that can choose their sport and then once you get to the pinnacle of the profession, expect to be one of the lowest paid professional athletes.
 
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