For the soccer/World Cup lovers....

[Coach34]

@ClayTravisBGID

For best athletes play other sports guy, Belgium has 5.5 million men. We have 160 million men. We have more soccer players than they do.

[DudyDawg]

The problem isn't being less athletic it's being less technically skilled. Anyone w soccer knowledge on here can see that

[smootness]

Absolutely we do. But they have a better developmental program and send guys to top leagues more regularly. We have lagged behind the rest of the world in our youth program, but we are now catching up.

The next big hurdle we need to jump over is the stigma that Americans carry that sometimes causes us to not get the same looks by the top European leagues. Once we have a few guys really become big-time players over there, it will help us break through in a big way. Julian Green and Gedion Zelalem could be the first of a wave of guys to do it.

I'm sure you meant for this post to somehow bash soccer, or at least our place in it, but in reality, we're a sleeping power. The more and more soccer catches on, and the more we catch up to the world in our developmental programs, the more we're going to start producing some serious talent.

[Dawg61]

China has 7x more men than USA and they suck at soccer

[smootness]

China has 7x more men than USA and they suck at soccer

Because they don't care about it. If they ever do, watch out.

[Dawg61]

Because they don't care about it. If they ever do, watch out.

Yea not worried

[Homedawg]

Yea not worried

Careful- people said that about them and golf and now they control the LPGA tour. At least far eastern of some shape form or fashion. And before it's over they will be good in men's golf too. Not saying they will take over golf or soccer, just that they improve at rapid paces when they put their energy into something.

[DudyDawg]

Think that's a bit different. The Chinese don't breed elite athletes as far as speed, size, strength go.

That goes for most of the Far East. South Korea was easily the least athletic team in the WC followed by Japan

[CJDAWG85]

I went to St. Joe in Madison and we had 300 students 7-12. We were the #1 team in the state ahead of all of the big 6A schools with thousands of students. Yeah that tweet and statement don't mean shit.

[Coach34]

I went to St. Joe in Madison and we had 300 students 7-12. We were the #1 team in the state ahead of all of the big 6A schools with thousands of students. Yeah that tweet and statement don't mean shit.

Little ol Hickory High once won the Indiana HS state championship- doesn't mean it should happen

[smootness]

Little ol Hickory High once won the Indiana HS state championship- doesn't mean it should happen

You have no idea how any of this works.

Let me ask you this - why is the Dominican Republic better at baseball than India?

[curmudgeon]

All the soccer people can go crawl back in their hole for four more years, but don't act like all of America was behind you. 30% of America cares about stupid crap like Big Brother and American Idol too.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/poll-w...rticle/2550374

[CJDAWG85]

We were the #1 team in the state for 4 years.

[hacker]

All the soccer people can go crawl back in their hole for four more years, but don't act like all of America was behind you. 30% of America cares about stupid crap like Big Brother and American Idol too.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/poll-w...rticle/2550374

Only 100 million of us.

[Coach34]

You have no idea how any of this works.

Let me ask you this - why is the Dominican Republic better at baseball than India?

well, as a whole the Dominican produces a better caliber athlete than India. And you have more Dominicans growing up playing beisball- just like you have more American soccer players than Belgium soccer players

[MadDawg]

You have no idea how any of this works.

Let me ask you this - why is the Dominican Republic better at baseball than India?

Has coach showed you his pictures on his wall? How about the 15 minutes it took him to get a discount on his car insurance?

[HereComesTheSpiral]

You have no idea how any of this works.

Let me ask you this - why is the Dominican Republic better at baseball than India?

You know he stayed at a Holiday Inn last night**

[Johnson85]

I went to St. Joe in Madison and we had 300 students 7-12. We were the #1 team in the state ahead of all of the big 6A schools with thousands of students. Yeah that tweet and statement don't mean shit.

So a private school not restricted to taking students from a particular area was able to be much better than their size would suggest. I wonder what could cause that?

Also, I am assuming you are talking about soccer? In which case they were #1 in a sport that tends to be played by much more affluent people in the U.S., and where practice time and coaching is as important as natural athletic ability.

[Coach34]

So a private school not restricted to taking students from a particular area was able to be much better than their size would suggest. I wonder what could cause that?

Also, I am assuming you are talking about soccer? In which case they were #1 in a sport that tends to be played by much more affluent people in the U.S., and where practice time and coaching is as important as natural athletic ability.

excellent post

[Maroonthirteen]

Good Youth soccer in the US is paying a licensed coached about 1,000 per year plus game and travel expenses. Also, good soccer is nonexistant in rural America still. So, while we may have a large population. The type Soccer training an athlete needs to be a world class player isn't available to 1/2 of the population.

In MS for example, outside Jackson and the coast (Desoto county players go to Memphis....so no clubs in DC) good soccer is difficult to find. I am talking about the type soccer clubs that can take a Dempsey and train him into a player. Tupelo, Oxford and Starkville have decent teams. But the other small towns that do have soccer......it is very bad. Bad coaching, players are not taught ball skills.....imagine a baseball league where the players can't catch or throw accurately or hit. You could have the best athlete in the country in Potts Camp but he/she will never play soccer without traveling to Memphis and coming up with $1,000 plus expenses. Anyway......that is the deal in the US. Big cities, you have good programs but they are available to the select few that can afford it.

From what I understand, in Europe, you have professional teams that have youth academies. I don't know how much they charge kids, if anything, but I know for sure.......here in the US........you got to pay a lot to play. Hell, even our Olympic Development Program is ridiculous expensive for a player to tryout and attend training.


Good article written 4 years ago and could have been republished today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/ma...anted=all&_r=0