The Hidden Problem Killing U.S. Soccer: Are Tournaments to Blame?

[Anonymous]

"Bigger clubs will make $1M, $2M of a weekend" USA parents are suckers for soccer. Watch the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-py_k-kRVw

[Anonymous]

Its against the rules of this forum to just post a link without any elaboration

[Anonymous]

OP - Eric Wynalda makes an excellent point about what is ruining soccer in our country. In this video he explains it all. You have to see it to understand that soccer is a billion dollar business and we will never produce top soccer players.

[Anonymous]

Are you not able to summarize his point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Bigger clubs will make $1M, $2M of a weekend" USA parents are suckers for soccer. Watch the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-py_k-kRVw

I think he's conflating a tournament problem with an excessive travel problem. His problems with tournaments (too many games over a couple days, and stay-to-play money grabs) are more a result of players traveling too far for the tournament. Kids have fun playing tournaments.

Club v Club is killing our soccer. In theory it allows clubs to care more about long term development than winning. In reality it just means clubs care a lot about winning until they get into the right league, which is their golden ticket. After they're in the right league, everyone has to travel too much, because they are passing by other similar-caliber teams from different Club v Club leagues. Parents accept this inefficient fracturing and pointless, excessive travel because their pocket book can afford it and their ego demands it. Upstart clubs with potentially great coaches can't break into the system. All they can do is coach u-littles and hope for enough success that a mega-club will buy them or merge with them.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the tournaments take away from the focus of a regular season game. But I disagree that this is what is ruining youth soccer.

The pursuit of MLSN/ECNL/GA is a good thing. But there are too many of them to where it is too accessible for many kids simply by changing clubs. This takes away from the elite status of those highest tiers. Because it is so accessible to so many, it is more disappointing to both the player and the parent when a kid does not make it onto one of those teams. This is why so many kids quit soccer altogether.

[Anonymous]

Is club soccer a "rich kid sport" in any country except here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is club soccer a "rich kid sport" in any country except here?

What club sport isn’t?

[Anonymous]

All of these arguments end up at the same place. Soccer in the US is the way it is because it's just not very popular compared with other mainstream sports. Every single one of the so called "problems" also exist in the popular sports but aren't "ruining" them. Excessive travel? Check. Big revenue tournaments? Check. As long as soccer doesn't generate the kind of revenue that football, baseball, basketball do, these dynamics will remain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of these arguments end up at the same place. Soccer in the US is the way it is because it's just not very popular compared with other mainstream sports. Every single one of the so called "problems" also exist in the popular sports but aren't "ruining" them. Excessive travel? Check. Big revenue tournaments? Check. As long as soccer doesn't generate the kind of revenue that football, baseball, basketball do, these dynamics will remain.

Excellent response, I agree completely.

[Anonymous]

Tournaments that are just showcases have changed soccer maybe not ruined it ... when was the last tournament a U15+ team played in that they played for a championship? These kids are starting these showcase type tournaments as young as u12 and the ones that don't even have a championship is what is changing the landscape of competitiveness. same with pool play. Bracket them up and let the teams feel real pressure in competition again. understanding how to hold a lead late in the game so you can advance, not just end the game in a tie or be ok with a tie because it is pool play. it's not runinig soccer - but it's putting the players in continued less competitive situations. i know it's not all about winning, but winning isn't a bad thing. it teaches players how to deal with stress of a tight game as and how to keep a lead and play wiht a lead or come from behind. i know those same things can happen in a showcase or pool play, but ask your kid the difference ... my DD has told me she loves the competitiveness of that type of tournament over a showcase any day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tournaments that are just showcases have changed soccer maybe not ruined it ... when was the last tournament a U15+ team played in that they played for a championship? These kids are starting these showcase type tournaments as young as u12 and the ones that don't even have a championship is what is changing the landscape of competitiveness. same with pool play. Bracket them up and let the teams feel real pressure in competition again. understanding how to hold a lead late in the game so you can advance, not just end the game in a tie or be ok with a tie because it is pool play. it's not runinig soccer - but it's putting the players in continued less competitive situations. i know it's not all about winning, but winning isn't a bad thing. it teaches players how to deal with stress of a tight game as and how to keep a lead and play wiht a lead or come from behind. i know those same things can happen in a showcase or pool play, but ask your kid the difference ... my DD has told me she loves the competitiveness of that type of tournament over a showcase any day.

I had to backtrack with my own daughter on the "it's about development more than winning" philosophy. Her club liked to say it, and I repeated it to her. But she really seemed to not care about the result, just whether she played well. This led to her playing her position well, but without much creativity, and no one was making good runs out of their position. After she was green-lit to care about the win or loss (I simply told her it's OK to hate losing and to take pride in winning, and that it will motivate her to raise her soccer IQ, which in part is how to problem-solve to win), she looks like such a better player in the span of two months. She makes noticeably better tactical decisions and looks far more fearless. I've come to really believe that the message about development needs to be carefully tailored to let the kids have a competitive fire, especially on the girls side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of these arguments end up at the same place. Soccer in the US is the way it is because it's just not very popular compared with other mainstream sports. Every single one of the so called "problems" also exist in the popular sports but aren't "ruining" them. Excessive travel? Check. Big revenue tournaments? Check. As long as soccer doesn't generate the kind of revenue that football, baseball, basketball do, these dynamics will remain.

There were more kids trying out for soccer at our high school by far than any other sport. It's popular enough. It's just that the rest of the world has no other sport of consequence.

[Anonymous]

The truly athletic kids in the US can make a lot more money playing other sports. So they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of these arguments end up at the same place. Soccer in the US is the way it is because it's just not very popular compared with other mainstream sports. Every single one of the so called "problems" also exist in the popular sports but aren't "ruining" them. Excessive travel? Check. Big revenue tournaments? Check. As long as soccer doesn't generate the kind of revenue that football, baseball, basketball do, these dynamics will remain.

There were more kids trying out for soccer at our high school by far than any other sport. It's popular enough. It's just that the rest of the world has no other sport of consequence.

LOL 😆..
The rest of the world only competes in soccer at the Olympics?