It is way too late when most academies here get involved with the players. There are many problems, but I think it may not cost a lot to make a larger change. I look at smaller countries.
It takes top-down cooperation, and that is not an American trait. If, for say, a region under an academy all started at U4 with specific training and curriculum for all kids that are followed through u11. All teams play the same way, all kids get the same skill development, and travel is reduced, so there are not many wasted resources. There would be a large cohort of kids from that region to select. Each region doing the same would result in multiple cohorts of all positions with the same basic foundation. That makes for a solid pool of players to build a core team.
That is just one side. The culture of parents and reffing in this country is also a problem. We allow too much physicality during the initial learning phase, and kids start with too many bad habits to correct. There is too much emphasis on competition when they are very young, which disrupts their ability to form fundamental skills.
Unfortunately, for the most part, soccer is a country club sport in this country. The people with a culture that come here are priced out, and the selection at the top pulls from both talent that found a way through and kids that have parents with deep pockets.
The list goes on, but reducing travel and taking a skill-based approach that does not force games and competition, starting younger, would go a long way and does not cost much beyond training and buy-in from the coaches in the region.
It's not going to happen. The US and North/Central American cultures are too focused on competition. That sort of top-down cooperation culture can not exist.
It takes top-down cooperation, and that is not an American trait. If, for say, a region under an academy all started at U4 with specific training and curriculum for all kids that are followed through u11. All teams play the same way, all kids get the same skill development, and travel is reduced, so there are not many wasted resources. There would be a large cohort of kids from that region to select. Each region doing the same would result in multiple cohorts of all positions with the same basic foundation. That makes for a solid pool of players to build a core team.
That is just one side. The culture of parents and reffing in this country is also a problem. We allow too much physicality during the initial learning phase, and kids start with too many bad habits to correct. There is too much emphasis on competition when they are very young, which disrupts their ability to form fundamental skills.
Unfortunately, for the most part, soccer is a country club sport in this country. The people with a culture that come here are priced out, and the selection at the top pulls from both talent that found a way through and kids that have parents with deep pockets.
The list goes on, but reducing travel and taking a skill-based approach that does not force games and competition, starting younger, would go a long way and does not cost much beyond training and buy-in from the coaches in the region.
It's not going to happen. The US and North/Central American cultures are too focused on competition. That sort of top-down cooperation culture can not exist.
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