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To be honest, I think there is a concern in the rest of the world that, if the USA really adopted soccer, then our financial muscle would allow us to dominate the game to the detriment of the rest of the world.
Which, of course, is what the big countries in Europe have been doing to the detriment of the smaller countries.
I dont think money is what would lead us to dominate the game. I think it is our population. The more people you have, the better chance you have at producing more talent.
Tomorrow the US team is taking on a country that has a population the size of the Kansas City metro area. We should be able to hammer a team from that country.
Something else is that other countries develope their players by signing them at 12-13 years old and having them move into their academies. They get their regular school lessons and then the rest of the days are soccer, all day everyday. By the time those players are 18, they have put in more hours playing the game than most of our guys will have when they retire. We do not have that system in place. The MLS teams do have academies but not to the point where the players actually come and live with the team. I am not sure we will ever have that.
I dont think money is what would lead us to dominate the game. I think it is our population. The more people you have, the better chance you have at producing more talent.
Tomorrow the US team is taking on a country that has a population the size of the Kansas City metro area. We should be able to hammer a team from that country.
Something else is that other countries develope their players by signing them at 12-13 years old and having them move into their academies. They get their regular school lessons and then the rest of the days are soccer, all day everyday. By the time those players are 18, they have put in more hours playing the game than most of our guys will have when they retire. We do not have that system in place. The MLS teams do have academies but not to the point where the players actually come and live with the team. I am not sure we will ever have that.
Good point on the academies. I would add that the college system if applied to soccer would also handicap US teams.
To be honest I really don't think the rest of the world has a problem with the US team at all! I actually think there's pretty good will towards the US team, and certainly respect. I think if there is any problem its probably a contradictory mix of actually wanting the US to do pretty well while having a kind of worry that if the US does too well in a world cup that Americans in general will be ungracious and unbearable with it*
You're serious? The US players get batteries, bags of urine, rocks, and other things launched at them whenever they go places. They have bodyguards when traveling out of the country.
Not to mention all the anti-US signs like "Yanks Go Home" or "Down the with Yanks"
We are one of the least popular national teams on the planet.
You're serious? The US players get batteries, bags of urine, rocks, and other things launched at them whenever they go places. They have bodyguards when traveling out of the country.
Not to mention all the anti-US signs like "Yanks Go Home" or "Down the with Yanks"
We are one of the least popular national teams on the planet.
That happens with every team. The fan culture of association football is pretty volatile to say the least.
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