Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:42     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by scien
A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


And the prior poster was off by 2 inches. It's isn't 5'8 but 5'10.


Hilarious to see folks argue against the data with their opinions

The USA may be different in some aspects of scouting and youth development, but we sure aren't different in height selection


spoken like someone that has never seen how youth players are selected in South America and Europe...


How so exactly?
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:40     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


Relative Age Effect selection bias in youth sports giving preference to early developers is global.
Otherwise European countries wouldn't have programs to address.

Its neither exclusive to America or to soccer.

The data you hate proves no country or top division clubs are selecting small players or average size players. Just a couple below average size players here and there.


When did 5'10 become tall?? The average size of a pro footballer is 5'10.


This all started with the short player advocate claiming the international average for soccer players at top levels is 5'8"

The goalposts started moving after people showed that to be utter nonsense

Now we at 5'10" and 6ft is for some reason also in the mix haha
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:40     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


And the prior poster was off by 2 inches. It's isn't 5'8 but 5'10.


Hilarious to see folks argue against the data with their opinions

The USA may be different in some aspects of scouting and youth development, but we sure aren't different in height selection


The US is sh#t at all of it so it doesn't really matter now does it...
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:39     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by scien
A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


And the prior poster was off by 2 inches. It's isn't 5'8 but 5'10.


Hilarious to see folks argue against the data with their opinions

The USA may be different in some aspects of scouting and youth development, but we sure aren't different in height selection


spoken like someone that has never seen how youth players are selected in South America and Europe...
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:37     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


And the prior poster was off by 2 inches. It's isn't 5'8 but 5'10.


Hilarious to see folks argue against the data with their opinions

The USA may be different in some aspects of scouting and youth development, but we sure aren't different in height selection
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:37     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


Relative Age Effect selection bias in youth sports giving preference to early developers is global.
Otherwise European countries wouldn't have programs to address.

Its neither exclusive to America or to soccer.

The data you hate proves no country or top division clubs are selecting small players or average size players. Just a couple below average size players here and there.


When did 5'10 become tall?? The average size of a pro footballer is 5'10.
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:32     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


And the prior poster was off by 2 inches. It's isn't 5'8 but 5'10.
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:21     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.


Relative Age Effect selection bias in youth sports giving preference to early developers is global.
Otherwise European countries wouldn't have programs to address.

Its neither exclusive to America or to soccer.

The data you hate proves no country or top division clubs are selecting small players or average size players. Just a couple below average size players here and there.
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:13     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


I agree. It has everything to do with the fact that we don't know how to teach young players how to actually play the game and give them the requisite fundamentals to be a top player (not cones but fundamentals focused on ball retention under pressure). Why most top players leave the US. Because we don't have this expertise or ability to teach at the youth ages we have a selection bias for size and speed in the youth pools (because that is what can win at younger ages when you don't have amazing skills) and this often times trumps technical ability. This selection bias starts to fade toward the men's team because at that point, most of the players aren't coming from the US, they are coming from overseas clubs. But the selection bias is a very real thing in the US youth pool and if you say anything otherwise, you absolutely don't know what you're talking about. Period. Full stop.
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 08:00     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.


We must mean every country
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 07:29     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.


They are short and have a short player at home. Paranoid, insecure and obsessed with height, which they can't control.

If we switched to swimming, he would say the US alone doesn't pick swimmers with short arms
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 06:55     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.

I know that’s the narrative you like but it’s simply not supported by facts. US is middle of the pack. Avg height ranked 16th out of 32 teams in 2022 world cup. France, Belgium, England, Germany, Portugal all were taller.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-world-cup/news/fifa-world-cup-tallest-who-is-the-shortest-tallest-player-teams-in-the-qatar-2022-wc-soccer/article66150384.ece

We are not selecting taller players than other countries. The problems with developing soccer players in the US has nothing to do with height. If we took smaller players the team would still struggle.
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 02:43     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The data on height in soccer is not as clear cut as saying Pele and Messi were great and short, therefore it’s better to be short. There are plenty of exceptions the other way too and it also matters the positions. Reynaldo is not short. Center backs tend to be taller than midfielders. There are specializations by position where height can give an advantage. In Germany players are taller, even taller than US teams, and they manage to develop players and have successful teams.

Here is some actual data so you aren’t just arguing your feelings and using outliers to make generalizations
https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost444


It's Ronaldo. But that's ok.

Agree re position specific height requirements. Goalie and center tr backs are tall. Midfielders shorter. Bottom line is that there is a point where height becomes a problem in soccer because it has a negative impact on your coordination and ability to move quickly. Power is more important that size in football.


The majority of professional players(like 75-85%) in the major leagues are above the average height vs country of origin.

The average height of Premier League players is around 182-183 cm(6’) which is down from 2011. The average height for men in England is 5'9" (175.3 cm). Average height of EPL midfielder 178 cm(5’10”).

La Liga average height 181.8 cm (5 feet 11.6 inches). The average height for Spanish men is about 175 cm (5 feet 9 inches). Average height of a La Liga midfielder 179.7(5’10.7”).

The average height of a Bundesliga player is 184.6 centimeters (approximately 6 feet 0.6 inches). The average height for men in Germany is around 178.1 cm (5 feet 10 inches).

For field players the roster usually breaks downs as follows . 5’8” and below 5-10%(but 90% in this group will be 5’8”), 5’9”-5’10” 40-50%(the majority being 5’10”) and 5’11 and above 35-45%. The players below average height(5’9”) are usually 25-30% of the field players with most being 5’9”.




Great data. Most players under 6 feet. Which is the marker for being tall.
Anonymous
Post 08/13/2025 02:37     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reality backed by science

A very small percentage of academy players past U16 make it to professional division 1 teams

Very few players short in stature will make it from those very few

Several sports are probably the same


Spoken like a true American that knows squat about the sport. The best players ever to lace them up were the smallest in the pitch. Pele, Maradona, Messi and others like Modric, Iniesta, Xavi all 5'8 or under. And there is a reason for that. Low center of gravity allows you to change direction faster while.maintaining good balance.. For a midfielder this is key.

Your point about size is why the US will always be sh#t at the sport when it comes to international level. And why Spain will always be very good.


Four players on the Spain national team currently are 5'8" or shorter

Only four

https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/squad/_/id/164/spain


The majority of players are under 6 feet. Which is generally accepted as the threshold for being tall for an adult male.


So the goalposts shifted from 5'8" to 6ft after the data showed a 5'8" average to be manure?


It doesn't really matter either way. The point made is the same. .the average size of a pro footballer is not massive


No one anywhere ever said pro football players were massive

You said the average height was 5'8"
The evidence proved you wrong

Accept acknowledge and move on

He also keeps using Spain as the example which is known to have shorter teams. That's fine, it's the style they play. But Germany is known to have taller teams and they play a different style than Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if the average height of the German national team is more than the American team. The point being height is not a defining reason why any country has good or bad teams.


Great point. But it is one of the main criteria we use for our national teams. Youth or men's.
Anonymous
Post 08/12/2025 11:18     Subject: CONCACAF U-15 Boys Championship

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The data on height in soccer is not as clear cut as saying Pele and Messi were great and short, therefore it’s better to be short. There are plenty of exceptions the other way too and it also matters the positions. Reynaldo is not short. Center backs tend to be taller than midfielders. There are specializations by position where height can give an advantage. In Germany players are taller, even taller than US teams, and they manage to develop players and have successful teams.

Here is some actual data so you aren’t just arguing your feelings and using outliers to make generalizations
https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost444


It's Ronaldo. But that's ok.

Agree re position specific height requirements. Goalie and center tr backs are tall. Midfielders shorter. Bottom line is that there is a point where height becomes a problem in soccer because it has a negative impact on your coordination and ability to move quickly. Power is more important that size in football.


The majority of professional players(like 75-85%) in the major leagues are above the average height vs country of origin.

The average height of Premier League players is around 182-183 cm(6’) which is down from 2011. The average height for men in England is 5'9" (175.3 cm). Average height of EPL midfielder 178 cm(5’10”).

La Liga average height 181.8 cm (5 feet 11.6 inches). The average height for Spanish men is about 175 cm (5 feet 9 inches). Average height of a La Liga midfielder 179.7(5’10.7”).

The average height of a Bundesliga player is 184.6 centimeters (approximately 6 feet 0.6 inches). The average height for men in Germany is around 178.1 cm (5 feet 10 inches).

For field players the roster usually breaks downs as follows . 5’8” and below 5-10%(but 90% in this group will be 5’8”), 5’9”-5’10” 40-50%(the majority being 5’10”) and 5’11 and above 35-45%. The players below average height(5’9”) are usually 25-30% of the field players with most being 5’9”.