MLS

[Finnegan]

They're obviously not going to be big in ten years, in ten years even if they had a very young side you'd still expect those players to be fourteen, fifteen now.

Do we really think the states already has world class youth development in place and has done for, what, the last half decade minimum?

I expect this to be a false dawn for US football but even if not you'd be looking at a twenty, thirty year plan at least.

In terms of infrastructure they're decades behind.

[Philly Fox]

The infrastructure, with respect to facilities, availability, etc is fine. What needs great improvement is unifying the overall tactical and coaching approach from youth to senior team, which Klinsmann has been tasked with developing. That said, the timeline for that to bear fruit is definitely uncertain.

[Grandad.]

Well we will see in 10 years won't we.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

My favorite thing was on ESPN preview of the game they said Fellanis finishing was similar to Dwayne Wade

[Jordan]

They're obviously not going to be big in ten years, in ten years even if they had a very young side you'd still expect those players to be fourteen, fifteen now.

Do we really think the states already has world class youth development in place and has done for, what, the last half decade minimum?

I expect this to be a false dawn for US football but even if not you'd be looking at a twenty, thirty year plan at least.

In terms of infrastructure they're decades behind.

Please do educate us on the current state of the US soccer "infrastructure."

[Hugo Sanchez]

Please do educate us on the current state of the US soccer "infrastructure."

League, players coming through the youth set up. I think America need to calm down a second. Spain, Portugal, England, ivory coast and Italy went out in the groups. Technically they're all million times better then the US of A. This world cup been abit strange because the lesser nations like Costa Rica, USA and Algeria have gave world class teams a good game.

America though are miles apart from being a serious world class footballing nation. It will take about 30 years to develop into a serious threat and America have their own sports what are more popular.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

League, players coming through the youth set up. I think America need to calm down a second. Spain, Portugal, England, ivory coast and Italy went out in the groups. Technically they're all million times better then the US of A. This world cup been abit strange because the lesser nations like Costa Rica, USA and Algeria have gave world class teams a good game.

America though are miles apart from being a serious world class footballing nation. It will take about 30 years to develop into a serious threat and America have their own sports what are more popular.

Are they really "lesser" teams if they have gone further or did you just over estimate teams you see more often?

[Hugo Sanchez]

Premiership, La Liga and Serie A are 3 of the best leagues in the world.

No offence but America and Australia will never be big hitters regarding football. You're not proper football fan like Europeans or South Americans. Our local clubs have over 100 years worth of history that you'll never be able to have.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Premiership, La Liga and Serie A are 3 of the best leagues in the world.

No offence but America and Australia will never be big hitters regarding football. You're not proper football fan like Europeans or South Americans. Our local clubs have over 100 years worth of history that you'll never be able to have.

Maybe so but that doesn't translate to a great national team does it.

That 2nd comment Go to bed pal

[OzFox]

America still holds the record for average attendance at a World Cup finals...over 68,000. The MLS supposedly averages 18,000 which puts it in the top ten worldwide.

So the interest is certainly there and it wouldn't surprise me if the team continues to improve, as they have done since the early 90s

[Jordan]

League, players coming through the youth set up. I think America need to calm down a second. Spain, Portugal, England, ivory coast and Italy went out in the groups. Technically they're all million times better then the US of A. This world cup been abit strange because the lesser nations like Costa Rica, USA and Algeria have gave world class teams a good game.

America though are miles apart from being a serious world class footballing nation. It will take about 30 years to develop into a serious threat and America have their own sports what are more popular.

(I'm going to go on a rant here. Sorry about this.)

I think Americans are aware of our shortcomings, but again, you're just making generalizations just like Finnegan without anything real to say about where we are.

Not only that, but the USA got knocked out in the round of 16. Sure, they got out of a really tough group, but it's not like they went on a Disney movie-style run to the final. So again, I don't know what Finnegan's "false dawn" is all about and what you mean by "America need to calm down a second." It wasn't an American that started this thread, and the discussion in America is still much more about where soccer and our national team stand in our national sporting consciousness as opposed to when we're going to win the World Cup.

We know we need to rebuild, and that's why the USSF hired Klinsmann. He couldn't have picked a better time for this, though, with MLS (and a revamped lower-league system) making big strides forward (definitely with their youth development), and with American youngsters going the club route much more than the past. To respond to comments about college soccer: In 1998, most of our squad were ex-college players, but I think only about 7 or 8 of the current 23-man squad played in college. College soccer is getting better here, but it should only just be one option. What's good for the goose isn't good for the gander. but for most of our top prospects, the pro model is the way to go.

You can't really compare college soccer to college football or basketball. Neither the NFL nor the NBA have an extensive minor league system (none whatsoever with the NFL) and the top college programs are massive money makers, so far beyond the realm of any other college sport.

As for whether or not soccer will be a cultural phenomenon in the US, a few of you astutely remarked that few things really are massive, nationwide obsessions here (especially with sports). Personally, I love soccer/football/whatever one wants to call it, and I don't love any team as much as our national soccer team, but it's actually my second-favorite sport behind ice hockey.

We're a big, diverse country with a lot of different popular interests, and although we generally love sports, we also generally don't get as fired up about sports (with exceptions) as a lot of other nations. Of course a lot of people will just tune into the World Cup and tune out, but even still, soccer's already popular to a decent degree here, and I do see the sport becoming the 3rd-most popular sport in our country in the near future (hockey's rebounding but it's still very much a niche sport, and Americans aren't into baseball as much as they used to be). MLS won't be the NFL anytime soon, but it's got a great future (even the New York Yankees have hitched themselves onto Man City's NYCFC expansion project). That's about all soccer needs to be in order for our teams success on the world stage. We've got great facilities, we're throwing more money into the sport every year, our academies and coaching are improving every day, and it's not going to be long before our good athletes that play soccer become good athletes with great technical skill.

Of course people will tune in to the World Cup and tune out, but don't forget that this was still the biggest soccer TV event in our country's history (and the biggest sporting event that wasn't the NFL or the college football BCS championship game). And don't forget that the USA will host the centenary Copa America in 2016, which won't be the World Cup, but it will be enough to keep a significant amount of the just-into-it-because-it's-the-World Cup fans interested, especially with really friendly kickoff times.

I don't think it would take 20 or even 30 years for our national to "catch up" to top-tier nations--there are reasonable arguments to be made that we're progressing just fine (and a few against, to be fair). If anybody were to say 10 years ago that Belgium would be world-beaters now, or the same thing 5 years ago about Colombia, those claims would be with plenty of skepticism. We're the USA, it's not like we're Nepal, so you can't rule out any chances 8-12 years from now just like that.

However, I'm not going to be bombastic and declare that we're going to win it all in 2018 or 2022. In soccer, there always several consistently good teams to compete against along with a revolving cast of dark horses that even truly elite football nations find hardware elusive. If this excellent Germany team don't win the World Cup, the German national team will have gone the longest stretch without winning a major tournament since they won first World Cup in 1954, and Argentina hasn't as much as lifted the Copa America trophy since 1993. We can "catch up" to the great teams, but sometimes, being great isn't good enough.

In short, we're doing just fine, thank you. We're at about the level we should be now and we can be optimistic that we will continue to improve both as a nation of footballers and a nation of football fans.

Edited 3 July 2014 by Jordan

[OzFox]

Maybe so but that doesn't translate to a great national team does it.

That 2nd comment Go to bed pal

That got me thinking. According to wiki the oldest club in Australia is Balgownie Rangers, founded in 1883.

I bet Tiatto has played for them

[MC Prussian]

Premiership, La Liga and Serie A are 3 of the best leagues in the world.

No offence but America and Australia will never be big hitters regarding football. You're not proper football fan like Europeans or South Americans. Our local clubs have over 100 years worth of history that you'll never be able to have.

Bit daft to throw the "history" stick around, Ash. Really daft. Of course they can't compete with the football history in Europe. That's a no-brainer.

As for the "not a proper football fan" bullshit, you may want to visit or watch an MLS or A-League game sometime soon. They're going completely bonkers there, with sometimes even better atmosphere than in Europe.

But nothing beats that wooden plank you nailed onto your forehead, covering your eyes, doesn't it?

[Finnegan]

So you've been secretly developing world class footballers in North America's own Masia for the last ten years and have a budding generation of young teenagers a few years away from making their European breakthroughs? Let's ignore the fact you've been manically importing any old Sunday league coach from England with a C or B licence for the last fifteen years to help your grass roots - because they're doing such a great job here.

Ten years is nothing in football, these days it's only half the career of some professionals.

Don't get your knickers in a twist, nobody's claiming the US is a lost cause. Everybody's very impressed with progress, etc. But catching the elite of the game? Who are generations and generations ahead? In ten years? I'd lump my life savings against.

Regards Belgium: They have a golden generation. The ability to sustain that is what makes the top footballing nations, top football nations. Germany don't need a golden generation, almost every generation in their history has been succesful and competitive, this is something of the point. I'm making it somewhat clumsily, it's about seven in the morning and I'm half asleep in bed, but footballing powerhouses don't just spring up overnight because the public are charmed by a major tournament and a few Tim Howard heroics.

Football in the states has always had peaks and troughs, Cosmos et all.

Edited 3 July 2014 by Finnegan

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Genuine question Finners do people think England are classified as an Elite International team?

Edited 3 July 2014 by SOCCERROO FOX

[Haydos]

Genuine question Finners do people think England are classified as an Elite International team?

Nobody being realistic does, either here or abroad.

[Grandad.]

10 years is nothing in football? Seriously a Leicester fan has just said that..

Think about your clubs last 10 years Finners and you may then realise that is a long time in Football and a lot CAN happen.

[Philly Fox]

Premiership, La Liga and Serie A are 3 of the best leagues in the world.

No offence but America and Australia will never be big hitters regarding football. You're not proper football fan like Europeans or South Americans. Our local clubs have over 100 years worth of history that you'll never be able to have.

Not proper fans? So do we need ultras stabbing each other in the ass, road flares, and riots to meet your high standards? For someone who appears to love football, you should embrace its global growth, not shit on it....

[AKCJ]

The trouble with the US is that we've been saying that they'll become a super power for years and years.

It will happen, but it will take a significant amount of time. I'd wager that they'll be a real force in the next 25-40 years.

[Nalis]

Either way, as good Tim Howard's performance was v Belgium, he better get used to picking the ball out of his net in his next competitive game...

[kingfox]

25-40 years, that's a 15 year gap in itself, World could of ended by then.

Say the next 10 years, the likes of Germany will just keep getting better & better, just look at the talent they are bringing up now, Low has already started by bringing some into his World Cup squad, stick 10 years onto their age now they will be like 29-30-31, some of which could be World beaters. Cannot see USA competing with teams like them, but obviously Jordan knows more.

How good are some of the players in the USA Under 23 & 20 squads right now Jordan? The likes of DeAndre Yedlin, Luis Gil, Will Trapp, Jose Villarreal etc... can they take USA to the next level, maybe in 5-10 years time?

[Col city fan]

Either way, as good Tim Howard's performance was v Belgium, he better get used to picking the ball out of his net in his next competitive game...

Tim Howard has been a pretty much sensational keeper for years buddy. And in the World Cup, again excellent.

Just as an aside, did I read somewhere that he has tourette's? Or am I making that up?

[foxes_rule1978]

Tim Howard has been a pretty much sensational keeper for years buddy. And in the World Cup, again excellent.

Just as an aside, did I read somewhere that he has tourette's? Or am I making that up?

Nope you are right, he does have Tourette's and apparently that is suppose to make him an even better keeper.

[Nalis]

Tim Howard has been a pretty much sensational keeper for years buddy. And in the World Cup, again excellent.

Just as an aside, did I read somewhere that he has tourette's? Or am I making that up?

Yep, he's been pretty solid for years in the Premier League. I was more referring to who he is playing in his next competitive game

[Col city fan]

Yep, he's been pretty solid for years in the Premier League. I was more referring to who he is playing in his next competitive game

I know you were mate and, however good he may be, watching him pick the ball out his net after Vardy has knocked three past him would be very pleasant.