USMNT 2025

[CuseCPT]

I don't buy that the current political climate has anything to do with this. US Soccer is a dumpster fire right now. I think the focus on dual citizen players with at best a tenuous connection to the country and a decade of pay to play youth development have come home to roost.

 

[OrangeTarheel]

Just wanted to register my disappointment as well - I was able to accept that we were behind the rest of the world in the 1990s when I first started watching the USMT. But after 30 years I am left to wonder how this has been so mismanaged. With so many youth soccer programs how do we not have better home grown talent?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Just wanted to register my disappointment as well - I was able to accept that we were behind the rest of the world in the 1990s when I first started watching the USMT. But after 30 years I am left to wonder how this has been so mismanaged. With so many youth soccer programs how do we not have better home grown talent?

Imagine if poor HS aged athletes had to pay several thousands dollars a season to play in EYBL or other AAU ball. That's our "soccer development". It's for rich kids.

 

[cusefan88]

Just wanted to register my disappointment as well - I was able to accept that we were behind the rest of the world in the 1990s when I first started watching the USMT. But after 30 years I am left to wonder how this has been so mismanaged. With so many youth soccer programs how do we not have better home grown talent?

Poor youth coaching focusing on "winning" vs development. Expensive sport geared towards suburban people while ignoring the Latino market and urban youth which is large and passionate.

MLS clubs and rules deserve blame as well. Very few of the clubs take it seriously.

LA Galaxy should have a conveyer belt of talent like PSG, Chelsea, etc.

 

[OrangeTarheel]

Imagine if poor HS aged athletes had to pay several thousands dollars a season to play in EYBL or other AAU ball. That's our "soccer development". It's for rich kids.

I’ve seen that but didn’t realize it is pervasive. I take it we don’t have any leagues organized by our national soccer organization?

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Keeping this neutral but I don’t think it’s off base to say that the state of the country and how much division there is doesn’t lend itself to loads of pride at the moment as there is more conflict and anger floating around than much else. Especially when you consider we have numerous dual nationals to go with. Obviously there’s much larger issues with the team and program but the state of things doesn’t help the cause.

I don't agree with the first part of this. Tons of national pride at the Olympics last year.

I will say that I could see that with the dual nationals. Playing for a national team sounds really appealing until you are making transatlantic flights across multiple time zones for meaningless games multiple times a year. I remember that the commitments of both Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler waned over time.

As far as our own native-born players go, players playing for higher level clubs are playing a lot of games.

Pulisic played over 3600 minutes across 50 games both in 23/24 and last season. With his injury history, I don't blame him for wanting to rest his body and recover.

I don't have a problem with it. He has been fully committed to the national team since day 1.

 

[Orangezoo]

I don't agree with the first part of this. Tons of national pride at the Olympics last year.

I will say that I could see that with the dual nationals. Playing for a national team sounds really appealing until you are making transatlantic flights across multiple time zones for meaningless games multiple times a year. I remember that the commitments of both Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler waned over time.

As far as our own players go, players playing for higher level clubs are playing a lot of games.

Pulisic played over 3600 minutes across 50 games both in 23/24 and last season. With his injury history, I don't blame him for wanting to rest his body and recover.

I think it’s fair to say that things have quite a different feel right now than they did even a year ago but point taken.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Imagine if poor HS aged athletes had to pay several thousands dollars a season to play in EYBL or other AAU ball. That's our "soccer development". It's for rich kids.

The MLS Academies do not cost anything. But there are only 29 of them. And they don't have the financial wherewithal to scout nationwide.

The rest of the "Academy" world is pay-for-play by for-profit soccer clubs.

They will typically have multiple teams where the kids on the B, C, D etc. teams subsidize a small number of scholarship players on the A team.

Since they are funded by the parents, and parents want to win above all else, there is a lot of pressure to win - or parents will pull their kids and go elsewhere. This definitely hinders development.

In addition, everything in the US is organized from a very young age. You simply don't see kids playing pick-up games in the streets. Organization does not foster flair and creativity. That is learned in the street.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Head to the OT board if you want to discuss the blame game and point fingers.

I reported his post as political so, hopefully, it gets deleted but, seriously MODS, time to take a hardline with any a$$hole on this board who cannot keep his/her political opinions to themselves or limit them to the OT board. It has been made abundantly clear over and over again that this is not allowed.

Tuttle or "Murph" needs a long vacation from this place.

He is far from the only one and you get it from both sides but I, for one, am sick and tired of threads being ransacked and ruined by both left and right who cannot keep their big mouths shut.

Start with him and get him the "PH" outta here.

Maybe then others will think twice about it.

And, if not, get them the "PH" outta here also.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I literally do not understand what has happened to this team.

Yeah, I honestly don't either.

Injuries have hurt. We really need everybody to compete at a decent level but the performances are so far below the talent level.

 

[cusefan88]

If you want creative players and thinkers, all youth programs should have unstructured time every week. Whether that is outdoor small side games or indoor etc. something to just try stuff without a coach.

 

[Orangezoo]

The MLS Academies do not cost anything. But there are only 29 of them. And they don't have the financial wherewithal to scout nationwide.

The rest of the "Academy" world is pay-for-play by for-profit soccer clubs.

They will typically have multiple teams where the kids on the B, C, D etc. teams subsidize a small number of scholarship players on the A team.

Since they are funded by the parents, and parents want to win above all else, there is a lot of pressure to win - or parents will pull their kids and go elsewhere. This definitely hinders development.

In addition, everything in the US is organized from a very young age. You simply don't see kids playing pick-up games in the streets. Organization does not foster flair and creativity. That is learned in the street.

I’m having a really difficult time gathering what Poch is trying to do with the team and US Soccer as a whole. There is no vision at this point and now no sign we can do anything well under his supervision. We have much bigger talent pool now but it feels like we went back 30 yrs.

Maybe it’s commitment maybe it’s a mismatch of coach and program… either way troubling.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

If you want creative players and thinkers, all youth programs should have unstructured time every week. Whether that is outdoor small side games or indoor etc. something to just try stuff without a coach.

Agreed.

Just to make it a tad personal, I coached my son's club team, which was also the majority of the kids on the his high school's soccer team from the time they started until they graduated high school.

The biggest leap, by far, any of them made as players, and they made as a a team, was during COVID.

There were no jobs and nothing to do.

So they would go to a field everyday and just play pick up for hours at a time.

No coaches. Just unstructured, unsupervised play. They did this for months.

The difference in many of them as players the next season was night and day.

 

[cusefan88]

Agreed.

Just to make it a tad personal, I coached my son's club team, which was also the majority of the kids on the his high school's soccer team from the time they started until they graduated high school.

The biggest leap, by far, any of them made as players, and they made as a a team, was during COVID.

There were no jobs and nothing to do.

So they would go to a field everyday and just play pick up for hours at a time.

No coaches. Just unstructured, unsupervised play. They did this for months.

The difference in many of them as players the next season was night and day.

I was a very average varsity player in HS and I would say the best teammates I had all played indoor in the winter. Best touch, best skills, quickest moves.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I was a very average varsity player in HS and I would say the best teammates I had all played indoor in the winter. Best touch, best skills, quickest moves.

Nothing like tight spaces - indoor, futsal - to make one a better player...

 

[IthacaMatt]

I’ve seen that but didn’t realize it is pervasive. I take it we don’t have any leagues organized by our national soccer organization?

MLS is trying to address it, and clubs can award scholarships to their academies. But the average cost is from several thousand dollars per year to $28K per year for residency programs, sort of like IMG in hoops.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Yeah, I honestly don't either.

Injuries have hurt. We really need everybody to compete at a decent level but the performances are so far below the talent level.

These guys all really need a kick in the butt. Their effort is abysmal.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Agreed.

Just to make it a tad personal, I coached my son's club team, which was also the majority of the kids on the his high school's soccer team from the time they started until they graduated high school.

The biggest leap, by far, any of them made as players, and they made as a a team, was during COVID.

There were no jobs and nothing to do.

So they would go to a field everyday and just play pick up for hours at a time.

No coaches. Just unstructured, unsupervised play. They did this for months.

The difference in many of them as players the next season was night and day.

There was a time in my middle school and early high school years that I really wanted to be a point guard. I dribbled literally for hours a day, both hands, fast touch drills, played pick up all over the south side of the city, all day long in the summer. That's how someone gets good at something; relentless practice. Borderline obsession.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The MLS Academies do not cost anything. But there are only 29 of them. And they don't have the financial wherewithal to scout nationwide.

The rest of the "Academy" world is pay-for-play by for-profit soccer clubs.

I know you're closer to this than me, but MLS academies are not free-for-all. The only people who go for free are scholarship awardees. Others pay thousands of dollars to be there.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I know you're closer to this than me, but MLS academies are not free-for-all. The only people who go for free are scholarship awardees. Others pay thousands of dollars to be there.

My understanding is they are free for all.

I'll ask.

One of my son's friends was in the Red Bulls Academy for a number of years and another one played for NYCFC's Academy.

 

[IthacaMatt]

My understanding is they are free for all.

I'll ask.

One of my son's friends was in the Red Bulls Academy for a number of years and another one played for NYCFC's Academy.

You're right - the Academies are free to those who are selected. But the youth programs are not.

 

[SUfanNC]

You're right - the Academies are free to those who are selected. But the youth programs are not.

They are typically selected from youth academies which are pay to play. Th n it’s free as long as you are there. In some cases a week.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don't buy that the current political climate has anything to do with this. US Soccer is a dumpster fire right now. I think the focus on dual citizen players with at best a tenuous connection to the country and a decade of pay to play youth development have come home to roost.

Not a fan of Poch talking to the media about how Pulisic can't choose which games to play in. When players play 50 games a year, they need a rest.

 

[Biaxtar]

3-0 start is solid.

 

[upperdeck]

goals are nice, but still the sloppy work on the back end vs an avg team