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World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

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RaceBoarder said:
The guys that are playing during the 4-game stretch here are basically who we will have to start World Cup Qualifying this Fall. So this is basically who we got.
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There are players not on this roster that we’ll see at the Gold Cup that will be available, like Dike and some of the younger MLS guys, plus an injured player like Jordan Morris.
 
Kepler said:
I would have thought that a huge population base would mean we'd tend to have more steady trend lines.

Though I suppose if you take the subset of Americans who pursue soccer that population may only be as large as a European country.

Is it the competition of football that kills American soccer development? If football were made illegal tomorrow, would US soccer go to the Moon 10-20 years later?
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That’s part of it, though population isn’t everything. China absolutely loves soccer and they haven’t done anything relevant. Coaching is a big factor and we’ve struggled with that for years, though it has gotten significantly better lately.

Though, like I said, even the big countries have peaks and valleys. Look at Brazil’s struggles right now, Italy and the Netherlands as well.
 
Kepler said:
I would have thought that a huge population base would mean we'd tend to have more steady trend lines.

Though I suppose if you take the subset of Americans who pursue soccer that population may only be as large as a European country.

Is it the competition of football that kills American soccer development? If football were made illegal tomorrow, would US soccer go to the Moon 10-20 years later?
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Follow the money. Soccer development will only improve when there is more money to be made, starting at the MLS level and all the way down to youth development leagues. More money means better coaching, more academies, AND a wider pool of talent thinking they’re going to be the next Messi (one in a billion of them will be right!). Money comes from spectator demand, both in attendance, but more importantly on TV. Your hypothetical football ban would only matter if Bubba from Alabama and Jethro from Kansas convert to be soccer fans, rather than switching over to squeakball, 9 guys watching grass grow ball, NASCAR, bass fishing, or hockey (but let’s be serious).
 
They have to start the virtuous cycle:

Winning --> Popularity --> Money --> Development --> Winning

I am hopeful the US women's success drives a greater popularity among boys and so we kind of sneak into the cycle via the soft target of women's competition. Both because women have far fewer options athletically professionally, and because women's sports are so shallow globally the US can just flat out buy championships and gold medals the way we do in track, gymnastics, and figure skating.
 
Jimjamesak said:
Actually, this is coming more from the Liga MX side (which is Mexico’s top league).

Though I have no idea why MLS would want any part of this…
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They want access to a market that cares about soccer and they want to be associated with a real league rather than a company scrip scheme?

Having a continent-wide league would, in all honesty, be sweet. I have no idea if it would be good for the USMNT, but it would be great American soccer writ large.
 
Kepler said:
They want access to a market that cares about soccer and they want to be associated with a real league rather than a company scrip scheme?
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Haha, do you have any idea how the Mexican league is run? Corrupt and shady are its most positive attributes.

Club America is like if the Cowboys were owned by Fox. And the only games on broadcast TV were Cowboys games. And those stories of the league and referees helping the Cowboys were actually true.

And that’s not even getting into the whole “relegated teams buying the rights to promoted teams to stay up” thing.
 
Jimjamesak said:
Haha, do you have any idea how the Mexican league is run? Corrupt and shady are its most positive attributes.
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I assume it makes MLB look like The Hague.

That's a good place to start, though. The guy with the gold makes the rules, so a merger could actually bring a semblance of the rule of law to Mexican soccer.
 
JF_Gophers said:
The US market cares about soccer. Just generally not MLS.

On that note, Euro 2020 is kicking off this weekend!
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Not necessarily, MLS is neck and neck with the EPL outside of a few Big Six matchups. Serie A, Bundesliga, and La Liga have poor numbers (outside of El Classico).

And Liga MX absolutely dwarfs everybody including the EPL. Mexican soccer in general, club and national team, is the undisputed king in the US.
 
Yeah, definitely very scary. Sounds like the players have spoken to him and they’re planning to restart the match.
 
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