What Must Change With USA Youth Soccer Culture

[Anonymous]

As a person who grew up in Europe I totally agree with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2jKsYlSzI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a person who grew up in Europe I totally agree with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2jKsYlSzI

And if you grew up in Europe you would know you're not making equal comparisons. Soccer is probably the top sport there, it isn't here, doesn't even surpass NHL here.

[Anonymous]

not at youth level, especially in DC. I know only a few kids who do hockey and A LOT who do soccer. MD + VA have around 15m people. it is more than average country in Europe. I do not think more kids in Croatia, Denmark do competitive soccer than in MD+VA. But quality of coaching and soccer is very different. i can see lots of love to soccer especially in younger generation, but I cannot see culture and I cannot see that someone is trying to improve it.

[Anonymous]

Well at least you spotted the difference. The culture of soccer isn't here like it is in Europe. Soccer culture here = getting to college, not love of community or love of team etc.

[Anonymous]

ask any kid before 15 and they tell you they want to be pro. at 15 they understand reality and how their talent have been wasted by clubs(poor training quality and money grab culture) and agree for college. this can be changed

[Anonymous]

I think what helps kids the most is when parents get on anonymous forums and spell out the league results between two clubs at various age groups over an ECNL weekend. That really gets everyone motivated to succeed.

[Anonymous]

The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:not at youth level, especially in DC. I know only a few kids who do hockey and A LOT who do soccer. MD + VA have around 15m people. it is more than average country in Europe. I do not think more kids in Croatia, Denmark do competitive soccer than in MD+VA. But quality of coaching and soccer is very different. i can see lots of love to soccer especially in younger generation, but I cannot see culture and I cannot see that someone is trying to improve it.

How many of those who play it watch it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

The goal of that slow burn is to sell a player to another club. The US gets lots of things wrong, but at least our kids aren't binding themselves to clubs in a way to allows the club to control their rights. We also value participation over a focus on the elite. Our incentives are different, but don't pretend European clubs care about what is best for kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

The goal of that slow burn is to sell a player to another club. The US gets lots of things wrong, but at least our kids aren't binding themselves to clubs in a way to allows the club to control their rights. We also value participation over a focus on the elite. Our incentives are different, but don't pretend European clubs care about what is best for kids

They are certainly about developing better soccer players. And yes...the top academies in Europe are openly trying to develop players to make their 1st team as a pro or sell them at a later date. I don't see how that negates that they are still trying to develop players in a proper way. The point is we aren't...we are just trying to win so the club can get bigger. Those aren't the same things. We don't really get anything right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

The goal of that slow burn is to sell a player to another club. The US gets lots of things wrong, but at least our kids aren't binding themselves to clubs in a way to allows the club to control their rights. We also value participation over a focus on the elite. Our incentives are different, but don't pretend European clubs care about what is best for kids

And we would be hella lucky for our kids to be so good that a European club wanted to lock them down with a contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

The goal of that slow burn is to sell a player to another club. The US gets lots of things wrong, but at least our kids aren't binding themselves to clubs in a way to allows the club to control their rights. We also value participation over a focus on the elite. Our incentives are different, but don't pretend European clubs care about what is best for kids

They are certainly about developing better soccer players. And yes...the top academies in Europe are openly trying to develop players to make their 1st team as a pro or sell them at a later date. I don't see how that negates that they are still trying to develop players in a proper way. The point is we aren't...we are just trying to win so the club can get bigger. Those aren't the same things. We don't really get anything right.

That's the difference. European clubs want quality and will cull their teams every year because kids without potential are not worth wasting resources. Pay to play lets more kids, including those who don't have a hope of playing in college let alone pro. If you care about producing professional players, Europe is better. If you don't and you just want your kid to enjoy playing, the US is better. I'd be willing to bet that most people would prefer their kid be allowed to continue playing even if it means the national team can't be as talented as it would be under a European system because most people, even those with kids in ECNL or MLSnext, do not actually care about professional soccer or the national teams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

The goal of that slow burn is to sell a player to another club. The US gets lots of things wrong, but at least our kids aren't binding themselves to clubs in a way to allows the club to control their rights. We also value participation over a focus on the elite. Our incentives are different, but don't pretend European clubs care about what is best for kids

They are certainly about developing better soccer players. And yes...the top academies in Europe are openly trying to develop players to make their 1st team as a pro or sell them at a later date. I don't see how that negates that they are still trying to develop players in a proper way. The point is we aren't...we are just trying to win so the club can get bigger. Those aren't the same things. We don't really get anything right.

That's the difference. European clubs want quality and will cull their teams every year because kids without potential are not worth wasting resources. Pay to play lets more kids, including those who don't have a hope of playing in college let alone pro. If you care about producing professional players, Europe is better. If you don't and you just want your kid to enjoy playing, the US is better. I'd be willing to bet that most people would prefer their kid be allowed to continue playing even if it means the national team can't be as talented as it would be under a European system because most people, even those with kids in ECNL or MLSnext, do not actually care about professional soccer or the national teams

Agreed - and as soccer becomes more popular and the money increases I'd expect more success in identifying top players and putting those very very few kids onto pro pathways with college as a fallback if/when they washout. Where I live the MLS team is relatively new and they are active scouting kids in the region and providing extra opportunities early on and then bringing in batches of kids for longer periods when they are older. None of that existed a handful of years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem (that won't be fixed) is that youth soccer is a huge business with lots of money to be made. So, the focus is on winning. Not the slow-burn developmental process that they embrace in Europe. No, we can't waste time doing small-sided games and 5v5 matches to build our soccer IQ...we need to scrimmage ASAP because we have super important tournaments coming up!

It's all to build the profile of the club and never about the players. Win tournaments now! Because money is there to be made. Its only and always about the money here. So you gotta find a way to deal with the system and make it work in your advantage...focus on what you can control.

The goal of that slow burn is to sell a player to another club. The US gets lots of things wrong, but at least our kids aren't binding themselves to clubs in a way to allows the club to control their rights. We also value participation over a focus on the elite. Our incentives are different, but don't pretend European clubs care about what is best for kids

They are certainly about developing better soccer players. And yes...the top academies in Europe are openly trying to develop players to make their 1st team as a pro or sell them at a later date. I don't see how that negates that they are still trying to develop players in a proper way. The point is we aren't...we are just trying to win so the club can get bigger. Those aren't the same things. We don't really get anything right.

That's the difference. European clubs want quality and will cull their teams every year because kids without potential are not worth wasting resources. Pay to play lets more kids, including those who don't have a hope of playing in college let alone pro. If you care about producing professional players, Europe is better. If you don't and you just want your kid to enjoy playing, the US is better. I'd be willing to bet that most people would prefer their kid be allowed to continue playing even if it means the national team can't be as talented as it would be under a European system because most people, even those with kids in ECNL or MLSnext, do not actually care about professional soccer or the national teams

This is uninformed...by a lot. I don't think you understand how many teams exist in Europe at the youth and adult level. You are talking about the top academies only like that's it. They have so many more options for kids at all levels in Europe than here for cheaper, less travel, better development, and better competition. I lived in the UK for a long time and this isn't "trust me bro". We are not doing anything better in the US when it comes to soccer...and we are paying so much money for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:not at youth level, especially in DC. I know only a few kids who do hockey and A LOT who do soccer. MD + VA have around 15m people. it is more than average country in Europe. I do not think more kids in Croatia, Denmark do competitive soccer than in MD+VA. But quality of coaching and soccer is very different. i can see lots of love to soccer especially in younger generation, but I cannot see culture and I cannot see that someone is trying to improve it.

Don't know why people love bringing up quantity when the issue is quality