We once had a world class coach who we entrusted to develop and overhaul youth soccer in America. He did things his way. He repeatedly made incredibly unpopular statements that the nose in the air for no god damned good reason American soccer royalty just refused to acknowledge. The truths were irrefutable. The world was sending their soccer players to academies to earn a trade and learn the business of professional soccer. Those who don't cut it are sent back to the world of academia or trade schools. But make no mistake, if you want to be a pro soccer player, you learn it like any other trade here in the good ole USA. Americans don't like that because we use the tightly controlled, over regulated, hyper inflated NCAA system. The players basically play a 2 month schedule. They can earn nothing to help themselves or their families. Even their practice time is severely limited. And for what it is, an academic athletic organization, they are just trying to protect the STUDENT-ATHLETE. The NCAA model is not conducive to producing world class soccer players no more than it is conducive to producing world class plumbers. No one wanted to hear it. Still, he implemented these youth academies with teams across the globe (especially in Europe). He was constantly under the microscope because American soccer snobs didn't like the way he said things (truthfully). They didn't like the way he wanted to do things (the international model) because dad gummit, we are America and we know best. He was still producing decent results with players from an antiquated American soccer system of travel clubs, high school and the NCAA. He was pulling players from a newly born 3rd tier but rising MLS. Americans didn't like using multi-national players (something EVERY country does). Americans didn't like losing to teams like Argentina, despite taking a college club sport level approach to training. He always contended that the journey will be hard, but the fruits of it will pay off. Before the fruits could be realized, they fired him for going down 2 games early in the qualification hex. They cited there wasn't enough positive momentum in the program, but that's only true if you look at the national team that he already told you wasn't very good. Where you need to look is our U17 team (strictly and solely his product) to find that they are among the world's elite. Look no further than 19 year old Christian Pulisic, who is the best player by 10 ******* miles on our national team. Still, the MLS die hards who know jack **** about international football and the traditional American power brokers want more Dempsey, Bradley and some still long for Landon Donovan. Many of said snobs still contend that Donovan is America's finest soccer player. Let me break it down for you this way, he's not and it's not close. Donovan was a 3rd string rarely used sub in Europe and his one year as a 2nd teamer produced middling results. Compare that to Pulisic who is the talk of the Bundesliga and already rumored to be among the hottest prospects in international football alongside guys named Neymar, Messi and Bale. When he's on the field, Pulisic scores or sets up the goals. He doesn't dive. He doesn't whine. He doesn't hold false pretense about himself at all. While the US team walked off the field with their noses in the air or heads hanging down in disgust after losing to Trinidad and Tobago, Pulisic sat on the ground in tears hiding his face in his jersey. He was the lone goal scorer for the US in their calamity. And I am going to say it, he's the only one who truly cares. Oh sure, the others care in that way you hope you win the lottery. Pulisic cares in that way that he knows he personally let his nation down because he couldn't put an entire team on his back and carry them to Moscow at 19 years old... and he almost did it. So what's the answer? For once and for all, fire every god damned body from the President of the Federation to that piece of **** obnoxious, self-righteous retread of a national coach, Arena. Fire the newly hired director of player development. Fire the ball boys. Fire the training staff. Fire everyone. Clean slate. The upcoming American generation of soccer players deserve nothing but the best. Those U17s don't need to be fed into the NCAA system. They need to stay with their academies and play abroad. Sure, a few of them will fall short and wind up in the MLS and it should be viewed as just that, falling short. Guys in the MLS SHOULD have more to prove than someone playing in the Premiership, the Budesliga, Series A etc. On an MLS note, the league as a whole has gotten much better. One reason is that MLS is now loaded with players from all over CONCACAF. The guy who scored the game winning goal for T and T plays for the Seattle Sounders. Costa Rica has seen their level of football raised because their players have gone to the MLS to play for better wages, and in better conditions. Why would we not want the same for our players. If coming to America to train is an upgrade for these teams now headed to Moscow, why would we not want the very best in the world for our players? Last night's game pissed me off more than any sporting event in my lifetime. There's no way that we should ever finish lower than 2nd or 3rd in CONCACAF, and 3rd place would actually be a poor showing. Instead, we're 5th and we're staying home. Also, why do I have to subscribe to the series of Spanish channels if I want to see the Americans play? We have soccer on the television. I can watch an MLS game anytime I want. If the media wants to bitch about our national team, then they can start by making sure every match our national team plays is being broadcast by either a major network, Fox or ESPN. It's like tithing at church so the parish can have a new van for church activities, but all anyone is putting in the basket is a fist full of pennies. We can't buy a van that will take us anywhere in comfort for that. You know what you get for a few hundred fists for of pennies from the congregation? A ******* scooter. A scooter that won't get you to Moscow. This sport deserves more. Parents are investing more when their children are younger. It's time to see Jurgen's vision thru and make sure we finally get what the kids deserve and not what some old blow hards think will work with magic and wishful thinking.
Atta boy Mike, I'm with ya One other thing, Carson and I are both members of the American Outlaws and taking JOCO to Russia is just about all we've talked about for 2 years. I guess we don't need to try and save up for that now. Instead, I'll fall back on the same team that I've pulled for in every World Cup since my childhood. People forget that I am half Irish, and one half