a'murica!!!!

Aka...Ameeeerca

The differences between baseball, basketball, American football and soccer in the USA (when compared to the rest of the world) include soccer not being the most popular professional sport, professional soccer teams not making enough money to support youth soccer clubs, a majority of the parents of youth soccer players not growing up playing soccer, there not being a sufficient number of qualified volunteers to serve as soccer coaches and trainers and our citizens not wishing for their tax dollars to be used for any significant support of youth soccer.

You say the beautiful game has been exploited and abused to make money. I say youth soccer clubs in the USA do not make money and those youth soccer clubs do not have enough volunteers for coaching, training and administration and there are not enough sponsors for youth soccer clubs to avoid charging significant dues and fees to pay for DOCs, coaches, trainers, administrators, referees, tournament fees, field space, field lighting, field space maintenance, goals, nets, field lining equipment, field lining paint, uniforms, concession stands, concession stand equipment, communication equipment, websites, accounting, tax return preparation, insurance, governing body affiliation, governing body player registration, league affiliations, etc, etc, etc.

Merely complaining about it does not resolve your issue with youth soccer. Please provide us with a cogent plan by which youth soccer in the USA can become less expensive for players. There are already many of us who have volunteered our time as youth soccer club board members, paid the dues of less fortunate players and made every effort to cut the cost of youth soccer. Please become a part of the solution.

Nicely put! Less complainin' and more action!

how about we go back and play rec?? The cost would go down tremendously; why are all these kids playing COMPETETIVE SPORTS? TO MAKE MOM AND DAD PROUD? The solution is farther away then we think, parents are the big problem. How many times we here; my 8 yo wants to be a professional soccer player and I will do everything in my power to help him get there. Really? the kid is still craping his pants....hahahahahah...stop the madness!!!

But kids want to train 4 nights a week! It makes parents feel good to call their rec program COMPETITIVE. It gives coaches more money and satisfaction. The traveling part is not always fun so add more Local rec games and local rec tournaments but call them Competitive and they will come.

Soccer is the second most popular sport among 12-24 year old people in the USA. Patience will pay off. Soccer will be fine.

I agree that there are too many players on competitive rather than recreational teams. However, most youth soccer clubs do have far less expensive recreational programs for players who do not wish to or shouldn't be involved in competitive soccer. Nonetheless, there are talented players who wish to and should play at higher and higher competitive levels and those players need to have qualified and professional coaching and training.

How do you measure talent? In most countries by U12 the soccer guys will tell you to go play baseball because soccer is not for you...here we keep taking their money!!!

There are competitive levels and elite competitive. I think most parents and players are realistic about kid's soccer future. Let them play at the competitive level they can achieve. It's America.

Big bang was supposed to happen 40 years ago with NASL. Pele, Beckenbauer, Best... I think this is more real, but slower too. You really won't see real benefits for another 20 years. We're still way behind.

I understand but if we are looking to compete at the highest level we must not muddy the waters with kids that will never became truly elite. This is not a personal attack but this is what I have experience the last 10 years in this so call competitive soccer!! Look at the USMNT; the coach had to go outside of the country to field the USA squad why, because he knows our system sucks.

I agree, most kids should just play rec soccer and there is nothing wrong with that. Competitive is for the kids that have drive as much as anything. I think parents think if they pay enough at a club their kid will develop into a great soccer player. American parents have not been getting a good return on that investment. Has this not taught us anything?

Numerous threads have debated whether the players who start the most athletic end up the most athletic. Most do agree players need purposeful engagement at or above "their" level of play to develop, whether it be rec or elite. When clubs come together more elite players can come together for a higher team training environment. Not every player can be a Mia or Donovan, however a player's potential is unknowable given years of hard work and dedication. Let's stop believing some kids muddy the waters or American soccer will not rise.