There is one crucial point that you can not understand law. You do not have children I believe. Correct me if I am wrong. Until you put your kids to a “pay to play” soccer club or baseball pay to play club you won’t comprehend or even have a clue of why soccer is not attracting the best athletes or is not the number sport in America. That brings me to the broader discussion about soccer culture in the United States.
One of the biggest obstacles is the entrenched pay-to-play system. I am not aware of another major football nation where this model is so widespread. In many parts of the United States, families pay anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 per season just for a standard club team. Compare that with basketball, baseball, or football. While those sports certainly have travel and club programs, they also have strong school-based pathways that are accessible to many more children. I would be interested to hear from coaches in those sports about what families actually pay.
The reality is that soccer’s financial barriers exclude many talented kids before they ever have a chance to develop. The irony is that soccer became the world’s game because it has always been one of the most accessible sports. In much of the world, children play for little or no cost. In some countries, it is completely free. Talent—not a family’s financial situation—is supposed to determine who gets the opportunity.
In the United States, soccer is too often viewed as a privileged sport because of these costs. That limits the player pool from the very beginning.
There is also a fundamental difference in how young players develop. In the United States, youth sports revolve around middle school, high school, and college calendars. Elsewhere, players represent their local city/municipality clubs and communities—not their schools. A city may have only one grass field, yet hundreds of children of different ages use it every day. If a player is good enough, they move up to train and compete with older players. That constant challenge accelerates development, and it does so at little or no cost.
When I was growing up, we wore hand-me-down jerseys from the older age group. Nobody expected a brand-new uniform every season. Today, families are asked to pay thousands of dollars in fees, buy new uniforms every year, travel constantly, and commit to nine- or ten-month seasons. Anyone with children in youth soccer knows how expensive that has become. It is a racket.
If we are serious about closing the gap with the world’s best, we have to look beyond tactics and coaching. We need to address the structure of youth soccer itself. Until the game becomes more accessible to every child, regardless of income or background, we will continue to limit our own potential long before players ever reach the national team.
T-Moar you brought an X post. It is partially true and also false. Again, soccer club teams are an industry here. It is first and foremost about pay to play. These club team players have never signed a contract or an apprentice contract. So they are due NOTHING. MLS teams have academy teams now and yes they get transfer money when these players are transferred/traded to a new club if they have signed an apprentice or pro contract.
The one U.S. sport that has dominated the world is…Track and field. It just happens to have the second most high school athletes participants. You are a 16 years old phenom? You will have multiple University offers or you will turn pro at 18. Noah Lyles never went to college but he is a global super star. Track and field might be the U.S. sport that benefits the most from its current structure.
About our game against Belgium:
In my opinion, and as a coach, the way we played and our lack of fighting spirit are 100% on the coaching staff.
Belgium is a superior team, both technically and tactically. We knew that, and they knew it too. But football has never been decided on talent alone. Playing in front of your home supporters—among the best fans anywhere in the world—should inspire you to raise your level, embrace the challenge, and leave everything on the field. Instead, we did the exact opposite.
One of the best pieces of advice a coach can give a player is simple: Play your heart out with no regrets. The worst feeling in sport—and in life—is looking back knowing you had more to give.
Within the first 90 seconds, our body language suggested we were not ready for the occasion. That is where the head coach has to recognize the signs and remind the players to embrace the moment rather than fear it. I would even go one step further: I guarantee our players displayed questionable body language in the locker room before kickoff. That is precisely when the coaching staff must intervene, settle the group, and prepare them mentally for the challenge ahead.
In sport, as in life, adversity is unavoidable. You either confront it or you shrink from it. History is full of teams, in football and every other sport, that have exceeded expectations through belief, courage, resilience, and collective determination. That is why we love sport.
Soccer is no different. On any given day, a so-called minnow can produce one of the greatest upsets because they refuse to accept the script. They compete with courage, intensity, and the conviction that anything is possible. Most importantly, they leave everything on the field.
Unfortunately, we failed to show those qualities. That responsibility starts with the coaching staff. We have to own it, learn from it, and ensure it never happens again. In previous matches we showed that we could press aggressively and play with a knife between our teeth. Against Belgium, we abandoned that identity.
