Can US mens soccer be saved?

[eli77]

What a lousy showing for the us team but Panama is kicking but.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Here is the main problem with US soccer.

The vast majority of the US's best athletes do not grow up wanting to be soccer players while in almost every other country where they have traditionally been great at soccer, they do.

In fact, soccer isn't likely even 2nd or 3rd...it's probably like 5th or 6th.

Football is number one by a country mile. Then basketball, then baseball and probably even hockey and lacrosse are even more popular.

So the issue isn't whether it can be saved, the issue is whether they can start getting enough of the top athletes to play soccer instead of the other sports they are playing.

Until that happens, nothing else really matters.

If they did manage to do that then the US would absolutely dominate.

 

[Reincarnated]

The vast majority of the US's best athletes do not grow up wanting to be soccer players while in almost every other country where they have traditionally been great at soccer, they do.

In fact, soccer isn't likely even 2nd or 3rd...it's probably like 5th or 6th.

This is 100% correct.

We have a very unique sports ecosystem here where many sports are very popular and commercially viable on a national scale. A lot of other countries may only have 1-2 commercially viable sports league, and soccer is usually one of them.

I think another point is that a lot of the best really young talent in Europe and South America are basically playing and training in a structured club setting from the age of like 12. Although we have youth clubs, the infrastructure and financial incentive is nothing like in those places. Messi was affiliated with a legitimate Argentine club at the age of 6, and with Barcelona by the age of 13. He's not the only example, this is somewhat common.

 

[eli77]

What a let down seriously.