What Must Change With USA Youth Soccer Culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆[/quote

The constant need for validation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything comes from the culture but unfortunately culture is not something you can just change the way you want. It evolves organically. US does not have a strong soccer culture like in other parts of the world, especially on the mens side. It's not a numbers thing, it's a fabric of society thing. All the points people are making stem from having a soccer culture. More money coming in brings incentives for better quality coaching, better quality players, better systems, and so on. How do we make the US have a strong soccer culture? Good luck with that one.

We have a strong soccer culture.
It's just a bad soccer culture.

A lot of our soccer culture is an attempt to replicate or Frankenstein football, basketball, baseball, hockey cultures.
Can't work. Won't work. Doesn't work.

How many people in DCUM can tell stories of playing pickup and unofficial community soccer almost every day of their young lives with friends?

How many people with kids playing soccer in the DMV can name the DC United starting lineup?
Can the kids in the DMV playing soccer name the DCU starting lineup?

No.

Because we don't have the right soccer culture to be top tier.

The girls can name the Spirit starting lineup.

No they can’t. They know Trinity. That’s it.

Wrong. Have you been to a Spirit match? They not only know the lineup, they've met them and gotten selfies and autographs from them afterwards.

Love the Spirit, been to many games and my girls have done multiple on field experiences.

Do they know the line up? No.

Also - they change the line up /roster often (tell me you don’t know anything about soccer without telling me you don’t anything about soccer).

Uh, my kid (and her friends) could tell you who's injured, besides Rodman, and not playing tonight against AC. So yes, people do in fact know the lineup. And even that it's not static! But thank you for the condescension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆

Yep, we have been steadily moving away from playing with and in front of friends, supposedly because it's necessary to be elite, even for kids who will never be elite. We're alienating, in combination with ever-increasing prices in pay-to-play leagues, the people who would support the culture. It's like we took a sport that could have become football and instead decided it would be better to be more like badminton, squash, and rowing - a sport done in obscurity by rich kids in front of their parents to compete for college scholarships/admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆

Yep, we have been steadily moving away from playing with and in front of friends, supposedly because it's necessary to be elite, even for kids who will never be elite. We're alienating, in combination with ever-increasing prices in pay-to-play leagues, the people who would support the culture. It's like we took a sport that could have become football and instead decided it would be better to be more like badminton, squash, and rowing - a sport done in obscurity by rich kids in front of their parents to compete for college scholarships/admission.

This also happened to baseball, which which was football before football. Look at all the hand-wringing over youth fans being priced out of watching an MLB game or the many "travel is killing Little League" articles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think soccer needs to be more of a family gathering activity here. When we go overseas entire families watch games and then hang out at the pub next to the soccer field after. Fields are near the center of town. It's an integral part of their social life and healthy lifestyle.

The family gathering dynamic exists here but for NFL and college football. I don't see how that changes to soccer.

They can start having stores near soccer fields which are also used for other sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆

Yep, we have been steadily moving away from playing with and in front of friends, supposedly because it's necessary to be elite, even for kids who will never be elite. We're alienating, in combination with ever-increasing prices in pay-to-play leagues, the people who would support the culture. It's like we took a sport that could have become football and instead decided it would be better to be more like badminton, squash, and rowing - a sport done in obscurity by rich kids in front of their parents to compete for college scholarships/admission.

Since all soccer playing countries have (true) elite and grassroots.

Elite level playing isn't a culture liability.

Our problem in regards to that is false elite chasing and status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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

This is BS. Kid who wants to go pro also wants to be fire fighter, police, Navy SEAL. 15 is whent hey grow up and see that soccer is not right for them. Also 15 is when they see college as their future. Only a very very few should be thinking pro.

[Anonymous]

I also find that the constant moving between Club teams creates a terrible team environment. Everyone is out for themselves and making varsity, then playing on college.

No one plays for their team anymore, it’s all about themselves. That’s disheartening and not fun to watch. Parents are the worst, trash talking other kids and snow plowing their kid into teams and into starting positions. Very self centered.

If we could start anywhere, it would be with creating teams that stay together, win or lose together - not those that are looking out only for the individual players. Also that’s not how you win games.

[Anonymous]

Why would we want to change anything? What is wrong? There is no interest in creating more soccer in the US. Interest level is now is as good as it will get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also find that the constant moving between Club teams creates a terrible team environment. Everyone is out for themselves and making varsity, then playing on college.

No one plays for their team anymore, it’s all about themselves. That’s disheartening and not fun to watch. Parents are the worst, trash talking other kids and snow plowing their kid into teams and into starting positions. Very self centered.

If we could start anywhere, it would be with creating teams that stay together, win or lose together - not those that are looking out only for the individual players. Also that’s not how you win games.

There is no team without I. What is in it for the player to do what you suggest? Why would someone do that? Same in basketball, baseball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was blown away by the intensity at the school my kid goes to when they added football. The soccer team plays in front of a handful of parents and 1-2 kids, the football team gets a crowd. They even got a cheerleading squad for them.

Even my soccer kid talks about wanting to go to football games!

Welcome to the real world outside the soccer bubble. And the DMV is not even a big football area. There are high school football games in Texas with 10-20k people at the games. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania high school football is huge. MLS would love to have that kind of attendance and passion.

Yep. Football is the revenue sport. Even at our high school they are selling our home games.

Soccer is getting families and a couple of girl friends/boyfriends.

Getting back to the original point of this post...everyone recognizes the "problem" with USA youth soccer culture is that it doesn't exist. Other sports have it but not soccer. I have yet to hear any real ideas about how to change that. Maybe we should just accept what it is and move on.

Soccer culture exists in small pockets of groups who come from true soccer cultures
It is unfortunately spread out and dotted around this big country
Many of the people from true soccer cultures are marginalized from expensive pay-to-play US soccer, so their influence to the non soccer culture people isn't happening.

Most of DCUM rejects any of what it takes to be a true soccer culture, because they are focused on the winning, the superficial, the labels and keeping up with the Jones's.
Microcosm of our society.

We are literally arguing about which kid's league is better than the other 😂😆

Yep, we have been steadily moving away from playing with and in front of friends, supposedly because it's necessary to be elite, even for kids who will never be elite. We're alienating, in combination with ever-increasing prices in pay-to-play leagues, the people who would support the culture. It's like we took a sport that could have become football and instead decided it would be better to be more like badminton, squash, and rowing - a sport done in obscurity by rich kids in front of their parents to compete for college scholarships/admission.

This +1,000

When I have seen our varsity teams play, it’s like 11 individuals all out for themselves. Very little unselfish play. And just not fun to watch.

[Anonymous]

Maybe start with -- why do kids play soccer? Organized soccer. What drives them? When you answer that question I think you unlock soccer culture.