USA women soccer lost to Mexico

[Guest]

It’s a popular opinion these days to trash the American youth soccer system. And granted, there are problems with the pay-to-play model. But the fact remains that six of the 11 starters for Mexico last night were American born, pay-to-play club kids were spent time at US colleges. Mayra Pelayo-Bernal, she of the second half banger, is U of Florida grad who was in and out of the USYNT at U15. So all things considered, why is Mexico getting better results from our castoffs?

I believe last nights match with all the veteran players was to see what they had left to give the National team. Other than in goal every player showed there best days are behind them. A player like Horan needs to step it up and show she can be effective or she risks coming in off the bench. After the WC players like Smith and Rodman need to show that they are not just very athletic but can also play soccer. So far neither have impressed. We shall see what the coaches think about these veterans for the next match. These veterans have been taking away opportunities for younger, hungry players who want to impress. These veterans showed their tank is running on fumes. Gotham signed all these veterans lets see how that works out.

[Guest]

No Club followed those guidelines. The DA clubs did not try to develop players. They only cared about beating ECNL. That was there focused. I know I was part of the DA side during meetings. National team would not take ECNL players into their pool for national camp. Eventually they had to but after years of not taking ECNL players hurt USA as a whole. Which we are seeing now. We are a few years of way of getting back to top due to DA mishaps

Our Club absolutely did. We played the alignment they wanted, the style they wanted, and suffered some bad breaks early on as a result. USSF was around watching training sessions and were present during the Showcases. I have a friend who is a women's D1 coach, and he tried to avoid DA players not due to talent, due to style. The DA game was slower, built on passing (in short, internationally) and it didn't translate well into a frenetic, college-paced game

Can't possibly blame DA, they were a blip on the radar. This slide started well before their short stint, and remains today. We don't train players, we train athletes.

[Guest]

Ryan Tetro should be head coach

[Guest]

It really isnt so much about leagues, but about the rules we have in place and the types of players who get pushed through our systems and all the cronyism that goes on. Take a look at the YNT rosters and where they all come from and ask yourself, are these the absolute best players we have? Is there not a lot of shenanigans going on with who gets brought to the NTCs and pushed forward? How is it that a single club team can have 1/3rd of the YNT roster all on their team, in a country that has 200 clubs between GA/ECNL they really had 7-8 kids from one team on our YNT at U16-17?

It is a system driven by W's and L's and clubs getting credit for college placements and the fact that the college game simply does not translate to how things work at pro & international level. Its been said for years that the sub rules were a problem due to the influence it has on game play and rosters and it seems NCAA is actually make a modest change, so maybe thats one small step in teh right direction.

[Guest]

It really isnt so much about leagues, but about the rules we have in place and the types of players who get pushed through our systems and all the cronyism that goes on. Take a look at the YNT rosters and where they all come from and ask yourself, are these the absolute best players we have? Is there not a lot of shenanigans going on with who gets brought to the NTCs and pushed forward? How is it that a single club team can have 1/3rd of the YNT roster all on their team, in a country that has 200 clubs between GA/ECNL they really had 7-8 kids from one team on our YNT at U16-17?

It is a system driven by W's and L's and clubs getting credit for college placements and the fact that the college game simply does not translate to how things work at pro & international level. Its been said for years that the sub rules were a problem due to the influence it has on game play and rosters and it seems NCAA is actually make a modest change, so maybe thats one small step in teh right direction.

Re: The subbing rules. That is by far the biggest impact on the game and the biggest differentiator when DA started to gain entry. Learning to pace yourself and letting the ball do the work vs. run and sub off is just different. Conversely, if you were on a team and didn't play much (or at all sometimes), it's a fruitless exercise. Where DA failed was trying to appease both factors: everyone plays and everyone gets a chance, which is better for development; vs. as I just mentioned, targeting players to succeed internationally. As a carrot, they still pushed for college placements and showcases were well represented. However, the two initiatives competed against each other.

US is in a tough spot: So many players from such various geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds with the goal to play in college, not the NT, for most. How to train players to succeed internationally while in an environment that is counter to that won't be easy.

[Guest]

personally the DA is what ruined everything. They tried to intervene and say follow these guidelines. Those guidelines did not work and you see those players during those years are the ones coming up now.

The DA didn't ruin anything, the ECNL and college soccer did. The ECNL's win now mentality and college soccer's unlimited substitutions has gutted any reason for clubs to care about skill level. Girls just chase the ball all game trying to cause turnovers. Why not? it's been shown to be successful at both club and college levels. Unfortunately it doesn't work on the international stage and there is nothing the US can do. By the time the NT gets them they are soooo far behind and no amount of training can turn them into successful skill players.

[Guest]

Unfortunetly development needs to change at the youth level for our national team to get back to the top.