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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]our population is almost 10x that of most European countries that are soccer powerhouses.  So if they have 1 mega-star (Messi, Mbappe, Klose, Ronaldo, Bellingham, Haaland etc.) per 30M people, the law of averages would mean that we should have 10 mega-stars, i don't think our best player(s) crack the top 100 in the world right now.

So something is severely broken in the transition between youth and men's soccer in the US.[/quote]

The problem starts at grass-youth soccer. 
Coaches not knowledgeable or properly certified or doing ongoing education in youth development.
Parents not knowledgeable, don't really care, didn't come from soccer culture.
K[b]ids don't know what they don't know.[/b]
Terms like 'elite' acceptedly misused and abused
Parents with money and corporate influence but dunce to high level soccer calling the shots 
Clubs happily accepting mediocre as long as the right pockets get lined. Repeat for the next batch

By the time physicality is no longer an advantage and tactics/philosophies get complicated, the gap widens between us and elsewhere.
One or two diamonds will always make it out of the coal-mine

[/quote]

The lack of soccer culture really is a huge issue. many kids don't watch professional soccer to see how it's supposed to be done, or the level of creativity brought to the game by elite players. The lack field awareness and game IQ because they've not seen it done or have no one to emulate. I'd compare it to a chef who specializes in French cuisine and cooks straight from a cookbook but has never lived in or immersed himself in the culture to taste/grow up with the food. Sure, you can follow the recipe and the steps but there'd be a level of authenticity missing. That's US soccer. It's textbook, boring and lacks panache. [/quote]

I've heard Tom Byer, an American who has been working for decades in Japan to promote and develop soccer there, talk about his philosophy of "soccer begins at home" and how Japan, a country without a soccer culture, has succeeded in developing technically proficient competitive players on both the men's and women's sides. His perspective is interesting, but the main takeaway is that kids need to develop technical skills from a young age outside of competitive situations. American soccer, which prioritizes speed and strength and focuses on competition and outcomes, devalues technical development and skill acquisition that should be prioritized in young players.

[url]https://www.socceramerica.com/tom-byer-on-the-intriguing-comparisons-between-us/[/url]

[/quote]

I agree that the technical development is truly lacking. Most coaches think speed will make up for what a player lacks in footskills which is a fundamentally flawed way of thinking. But Japan will only get so far with that focus. Don't get me wrong, I think Japan has come a long way but they won't measure up to the caliber of a country like BRA, ARG, FRA, ENG or similar using that oh so Japanese mentality. [/quote]

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