The Problem With US Youth Development

Whilst there are many reasons to be cheerful for football / soccer fans in America about some of their young players, for a nation of 330 million people, the USA still doesn't produce many top class footballers.
From prohibitive costs to outdated training methods, in this short documentary, HITC Sevens takes a look at some of the problems facing youth team soccer and the development of young players in the United States of America.

[@kiongoldpotera3306]

The problem is that the rich kids are more likely to make it to youth academies even with little talent. Even Zlatan has said it.

[@George-my3qv]

It’s not that they don’t have talent, I feel like it’s more about having passion for the sport for those who can afford it. From my experience living in the US, my parents couldn’t afford to have me play club football obviously because it was expensive, so I would only settle for playing football for my school. The quality is much lower of high school soccer ( football , sorry I would’ve confused myself with American football) because more kids play and it is much cheaper. Most kids that play it, don’t play club football. The high school season is only 2 in a half to 3 months (at least in my state, it might be different in others), depending on how far your team goes, and it is usually played during the off season of club football, so those kids who play club football also play the high school season. In my high school team we had a total of 21 players on the Varsity team and I would say probably 14 or 15 out of the 21 played club soccer. Im not kidding when I tell you, most of these guys where lazy during practice, they knew they didn’t really had to fight for their spot (because the coaches would prefer the players that play for a club team) and most of them couldn’t wait for the season to be over so they can go back to play for their club team. So they wouldn’t really try their best. I was friends with some of those players and they also wouldn’t really watch football or care to keep up with it. Personally I love the sport and can talk about it all day, so that was very shocking to me. Playing club football in the US increases your chances of being scouted by a college or university since you are playing at a higher level, against better competition and playing for a longer period of time. For some club football teams you get to travel and play in other states, in tournaments etc. You basically get more exposure. So those players from my high school team that also played club soccer, just played soccer either because it was much safer than American Football, they can afford it, or it’s a way to get into college and get scholarships.

[@SbK1369]

That’s the same with NFL and NHL though. It’s an American problem.

[@ap17l93]

Imagine that in brazil, only the rich could play, our national team would be a joke

[@liberoftbl3855]

@@ap17l93 Kaka wasn't poor and he was a legend for your country's national team

[@yacqubali3195]

1 in a million and he was not rich just middle class family

[@generalpenultimo6502]

This is so stupid.. In Germany often Clubs PAY for youth talent to play for them, in the US the talent has to pay the club 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@willbuck5011]

Well be real. All the MLS teams are free except for a few. The DA system is broken because most of the teams that are in the development academy don't really make money off their USL teams, they make most of their money through the youth.

[@beancounter5434]

@Nota Troll This will still be the case in a hundred years. Stop defending an indefensible situation.

[@stefangog2852]

@nota troll You dont need to make profits in football. And good players can come from poor teams. Kadji Sport Academy is a team in freaking Cameroon which produced Samuel Eto'o, Stephane Mbia, Carlos Kameni, Jean Il Maloun. If a little academy in cameroon can do it, USA can do it too.

[@stefangog2852]

Academies are made to produce talent not profit. In 24 years you can certainly produce some decent players, sell them to make money for the clubs needs (not for profit) and that money goes to the academy. The academy doesnt need too much money anyway. And from what ive read, football is the 3rd most played sport in the USA among the youth

[@stefangog2852]

Well yes. Its also the problem with the noninterest and that comes from the fact that there is no promotion and relegation

[@SurFacingBoy93]

(Canadian who played college soccer in the USA) many American coaches care more about size/strength than technique, I was told by a couple D1 coaches as a 5'9 left back that their teams didn't take any defenders under 6 feet lmao. even though the best left back in the world at the time was 5'7 Jordi Alba

[@naturalcauses6193]

@Aidan Nagy God that’s annoying lol

[@yg9912]

yea it's really annoying. i'm a 5'10 keeper, but I lift heavy and have a 38 inch vertical. 5'10 is short for keepers but not for soccer in general, but still, coaches would rather me be 6'6 skinny twig who doesn't have to jump to punch the ball over the bar.

[@678crazydave]

You can't fault them for wanting a specific type of player to fill a specific position. I had the same problem being a short right back. The school I went to played 3 in the back and they were all tall lol. I would've had to play as a winger, but I just don't have the natural stamina for that :/

[@yg9912]

David Atkinson yea but u look anywhere else other than the US, you have 5’8 players playing cb and they’re better than the 6’4 guys the us coaches like. Coaches here take size over skill any day of the week. It feels like soccer coaches are really just football coaches in disguise. You look at any D1 team, and they’re all 6’1, 6’2 or taller. Meanwhile you look at some european team and they’re all 5’10.

[@anutoldlegend89]

It goes both ways though, I was a kid with actual technical ability but had to play defense because of my size. I would want a certain height based on position in my team if I was a coach but it wouldn't be the deal breaker on where a player plays. Your ability still has to be on par for what that position requires above all.

[@RolandeMusic]

The real problem is that American sports are mostly based around college being the pre-professional stage. For basketball, football, etc. every kid who wants to be professional tries to get into a Division 1 college. After that, they hope to get drafted by the professional league. The problem is that from the age of 18-23 most other football players in other countries are already playing professionally. America hasn't adjusted it's soccer pyramid to account for this reality, instead it tries to follow the model of other American sports.

[@BourneIdentity45]

true Amricans too stubborn to change their way of structure because teams and leagues in all sports are too focused on monopolising the money at the top instead of doing it for purely sporting reasons and because of that at the end of the day most talent/prospects are seen as a number in the system instead of the potential they hold in the long run. the fact that teams tank in order to get a chance to get the next batch of prospects should show how flawed the US model is

[@robert2690]

Winning cost MONEY. It ain’t FREE. You’re paying BILLS to players, coaches, staff members, workers contracts. etc. You’re paying the land TAX to stadium, facility, academy and maintaining everything. It ain’t FREE. *So, who is going to PAY all that?* Especially when states, city, communities are on lockdown because of this pandemic and we still don’t know why state governors, city mayors WON’T open even though healthy people are still inside and we are wanting to go out because WE have bills to pay too. So, who is going to pay? Our tax dollars? We ain’t paying a private owned club. You pay for your shit so HOW ARE YOU GOING TO get that money? For any small clubs, how are they going to get that money if they don’t have any to sign talents to build a team? There is no competition. This is happening to EVERYWHERE. Small clubs in all top leagues won’t get better. No money = no talents = a club stays small. Big money = loads of talents to buy = rich club stays RICH. All of that is a product of no competition. In the NBA, if a small club can’t get better, you have draft picks. At least you have a chance. When it comes to everywhere else, you can’t get better. There is no chance. No incentive to get better. I repeat: Who is going to pay ALL THAT BILLS? Taxes to maintain this building? Where would you get the money? *It ain’t free.* Our tax dollars WON’T. I’m waiting.

[@RolandeMusic]

@@robert2690 Bruh, what are you going on about? Academies in Europe are private institutions.....your tax dollars don't go to them.

[@RaidenWard]

@@robert2690 What are you talking about? Most good academys are attached to pro teams that pay their bills.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@robert2690 The way it works in the UK is that the academy how pays for the training sells for player for a fee to the bigger club who wants them. So the smaller club can make a lot of money. Not every player is sold. But the few that are go for millions. I kind of like this system.

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

The US football/soccer situation can be compared to the Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral situation. So much untapped material that can make them successful, but poor management and greed for money prevents them from becoming a success.

[@pkingglazersout6665]

Potential resources yet to be used summing it up

[@ili4707]

Not so much chinese influence in american soccer

[@ilungaj1]

Great example

[@folarinalabi3250]

Dutch disease?

[@logan_torma-kim]

Agent P very true, here in the us u have to pay at the very least a $2000 per year to play for a good club.

[@fostosli9939]

This reminded me when Zlatan mentioned this same problem about his children playing on a team when he was at LA

[@frostynuggs339]

Yea I would say that’s biggest hinder to Southern California soccer we have so much talent but it gets thrown to the side because the kids that can’t pay don’t get scouted and the ones that play highschool don’t get the attention do to American football being a priority to the school

[@Mcdowells]

@@frostynuggs339 this is 100% true. I coached 5 students that couldn't get a look in due to them not p[laying "travel ball"

[@franohmsford7548]

@@frostynuggs339 Is American Football actually the priority in California schools though? I'm not American but I got the feeling that was Basketball these days?

[@frostynuggs339]

Fran Ohmsford no you see each state has a different schedule for they’re sports so like from Aug to nov it’s American football season from dec to March is basketball season which overlaps with soccer and water polo all the funds end up going to American football and basketball and baseball because they’re “primary sports” and soccer is a secondary sport apparently thus the school’s don’t care about it and American football being the biggest sport here teachers and staff don’t care about sticking up for the soccer program cause they like football and basketball or baseball

[@robert2690]

Because he don’t realize it ain’t free. Nothing is ever free. You want to own something? you have to pay for it. You make a product, you have to pay for the equipment, items to assemble and workers to assemble the product. A club pays bills (players contracts, workers, staff, etc) and TAXES (Buildings, Land, maintenance, etc) You own a land, you pay a tax. You own a building, you pay a tax. If you own a house, you pay mortgage. If you rent an apartment, you pay the bills. If it’s free, the government CAN take it away and you will have NOTHING. Someone has to build a house, building. That person has bills/taxes to pay too. Someone has to pay and for a small club, how would you get the money? It ain’t free. And I know if a club is funded by the working class tax dollars, it won’t end well. Millions of working class will be affect. It will end bad. Winning cost MONEY. It ain’t FREE. You’re paying BILLS to players, coaches, staff members, workers contracts. etc. You’re paying the land TAX to stadium, facility, academy and maintaining everything. It ain’t FREE. *So, who is going to PAY all that?* Especially when states, city, communities are on lockdown because of this pandemic and we still don’t know why state governors, city mayors WON’T open even though healthy people are still inside and we are wanting to go out because WE have bills to pay too. So, who is going to pay? Our tax dollars? We ain’t paying a private owned club. You pay for your shit so HOW ARE YOU GOING TO get that money? For any small clubs, how are they going to get that money if they don’t have any to sign talents to build a team? There is no competition. This is happening to EVERYWHERE. Small clubs in all top leagues won’t get better. No money = no talents = a club stays small. Big money = loads of talents to buy = rich club stays RICH. All of that is a product of no competition. In the NBA, if a small club can’t get better, you have draft picks. At least you have a chance. When it comes to everywhere else, you can’t get better. There is no chance. No incentive to get better. I repeat: Who is going to pay ALL THAT BILLS? Taxes to maintain this building? Where would you get the money? *It ain’t free.* Our tax dollars WON’T. I’m waiting.

[@llliiiiiiiiiiijjj]

This is so true. In the 90s I was chosen to be in the Olympic Development Program (from whence the team for the Olympics is chosen), but then they required a massive fee that my single mom just couldn't afford. The rich kid teams would hire a couple of us poor kids to play with them during international competitions, but then afterward they'd literally say, "We wish you could afford to play with us all the time. Too bad. Bye."

[@digitalfootballer9032]

One of my teammates was in ODP. We played together in rec, travel, and varsity, and his dad was our travel coach. That's where the big costs came in. They were not rich at all but his dad was a huge football fanatic and basically their whole family revolved their lives around it. Nice people, not disparaging them, but that was just their thing and they spared no expense. Unfortunately for my friend, though he was probably the best player in our travel league, and was good enough to play varsity with 11th and 12th graders in 8th grade, he was a 5'5" tall striker. He was doomed before he started because he was too small by American standards, and he never got anywhere with it.

[@markwilson5967]

@@digitalfootballer9032 that's Messi's height.

[@CHill-42]

For my travel team we had 3 kits and they made us pay 3k for them, the season cost was around 3.5k as well. The cost is absurd especially since we had to pay for travel cost as well

[@CHill-42]

@Nota Troll I can understand the season fee but 3 kits from under armor shouldn't cost 3k. I got lucky and LA Galaxy signed me into their academy.

[@5dingg]

C. Hill wait 3 thousand?

[@CHill-42]

@@5dingg Yeah

[@stefangog2852]

@nota troll. An academy doesnt nees funding that big

[@CHill-42]

@@stefangog2852 This wasn't for a youth academy, it was a travel team. I don't remember having to pay for anything when I was in LA Galaxy's academy

[@abrartech1533]

Why football isn't going forward in South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and so on

[@zerosuitsamus2340]

India and Bangla is South Asia. Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia is South East Asia

[@Dashy030]

Nothing is going forward there sadly

[@garlicmuncher]

Your answer is cricket

[@Channel-mg6yi]

@@garlicmuncher answer is no investment and sponsorship in any other sport other than cricket

[@garlicmuncher]

@@Channel-mg6yi exactly, our government does little to nothing to promote other sports except for athletics

[@alpenglowrg11]

It's been the same ever since I was a kid (I'm 32). I made a travel team after trying out. Parents couldn't afford it, so I played recreational, stinting my development, and not getting any notice from colleges. MLS wasn't in my city yet, so no youth academies of any sort, which I'm sure would have cost just as much anyways. Just a shame how much talent I've seen personally fall through the cracks, can't even imagine the total scale.

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

You might have been the next Roger Levesque of only the system wasnt broken.

[@flaqko5686]

In nashville I've played with people that truly are good enough for pro soccer. We just got a pro team and not one person on that nashville soccer team is from Nashville and they had tryouts and it was 1000$ 200 people went and they signed 1 person!!!

[@drillingig2368]

Flaqko thats crazy scary bruh

[@alpenglowrg11]

@@flaqko5686 Yea, they do those 'tryouts' as a publicity stunt for new clubs to gain traction in the community. It only took 3 years with an MLS academy to "produce" our first elite 'homegrown' academy product. But even then, he had attended our academy for only a brief stint before college, and was only invited to the academy because he was playing at a private high school AND travel club. Point being, MLS/US is JUST starting to actually develop players/kids, rather than mooching the elite off pay to play travel clubs. It's in its infancy, but we'll get there I hope.

[@alpenglowrg11]

@@3dsaulgoodman43 I kept practicing my scuba celebrations....so i got that ;)

[@kubahassa8867]

Video idea: something about Schalke's downfall

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

That is something I've noticed. Things have been bad for them since the 18/19 season.

[@bluerisk]

Schlake what?!

[@FOOTBALLisKNOWLEDGE]

That's the most vague suggestion for a video. Just something, sod all in particular lol

[@EduardoLopez-tu2ly]

I think it’s cause they started to lose all their young talent like goretzka, sane, and Meyer

[@GonzalezAlfie]

As someone who grew up in Germany and lives here in the States, let me tell you the fundamental problem of US Soccer. There is NO proper amateur and youth leagues outside of the major city hubs. You know how pretty much every little town in Europe has it's own soccer/football team which plays on a level of the overall football pyramid? Yeah that's virtually non-existent here. If kids or even young adults want to play organized soccer they either have to move away or rely on their local school district having money to have it's own program or hope that a bunch of European adults miss soccer enough that they create their own little private hobby league outside of the US soccer federation system. The core problem here is there is no grassroots organization to control local leagues and US soccer doesn't even seem to have an interest in the sport beyond MLS and USMNT. I've heard an American try to tell me that the US is way to big to have local soccer federations, but that simply isn't true. It would be a simple task to model the US soccer system via a localized system like the DFB (German football fed) in which every state has its own soccer federation and takes care of its own league system in the state to then feed the top divisions. Money is always an issue naturally but this can easily be alleviated through membership fees just like it happens in many other countries. It's not like US soccer is poor either, they can afford to subsidize local federations to run a proper pyramid system. US soccer is not even on a 3rd world level. Outside of college, a few local hobby leagues and the immediate MLS along with its "farm system" their is no opportunity for kids to learn the sport properly. Unless you are an absolute prodigy, you would never want to follow the path of a conventional soccer development career in this country since it's a lot easier to just either switch in American Football or Baseball or simply don't play at all and stop wasting your time.

[@carterroane1034]

I grew up in Western North Carolina and there was no real youth leagues for me to play in outside of the local YMCA league and my middle and high school teams. I never got a chance to play in college because there wasn’t a club team for me to play for.

[@mattgriebel6280]

Hear me out convince public schools and colleges to care more about soccer. Then invest and improve coaching. The public school system works if we care about the sport. The problem is we don’t.

[@red5722]

@@mattgriebel6280 college can’t do much because of title IX

[@javierlandaverde4108]

They just fixed that, we have semi and other pro leagues that have academies and their own leagues. USL have there academies set up now. I think they are doing the better job then MLS academies. Easiest way to go pro then MLS. I don't know about each state but here in California we have NPL and ECNL which are high level leagues that provide great competition and scouts attend them. As someone who has been part of an MLS academy and US Development academy the goverment paid half of the cost for the fee. The fee here was $9,250 and I cover half. The current price right now is $2,550 for club and $3950 for the new MLS platform league, this might change and go higher due to COVID-19 shutting down games and only have practice. Many teams also don't have financial aid for player who don't have the money to pay but they are flexible to let you pay in installments rather then cash up front. I think the big issue here in American soccer/football is MLS. MLS does not have a system where they relegate teams and promote teams from different divisions. You see the lesser leagues and division not get exposure no real threat for any team playing in MLS from a relegation battle. Also MLS is horrible for promoting youth. The biggest club here that does an EXCELLENT job and that is not due to US Soccer it is more of their system is NY Rebull. Redbull Football/Soccer have a great system of having kids go pro from RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig. NY Redbull promote 30% of youth to first team. That is really good, next team is Real Salt Lake, great job as well with 26% and FC Dallas is the next club doing it. All other clubs don't do this. They rather get outside USA talent from Europe, south america and they take up roster space. College soccer/football rout for MLS superdraft is not worth it. The coaches don't have connections with Pro teams, they don't really give you great scholarships, your schedule for class is crazy, you get teachers who hate you because you are not in class most of the time. If you are lucky to get drafted (play better in March madness not reg season) the MLS team sends you to USL or you just become a practice player. The only good about playing Soccer here in USA is they develop your athleticism better then other countries. Being 16 here you can compete physically with the 24 year olds.

[@nothanks3236]

Yeah but you have to understand how deep our ties are to our own sports. We started playing pro baseball in this country at roughly the same time the FA formed in England. All your small towns had soccer clubs; ours had baseball teams. We've been playing our version of "football" since at least the 1880s. Basketball started not long after that. So soccer here is competing with three sports that have been around for almost the same amount of time. Soccer had a rough early go here because first it was seen as a "British" game (and no good American liked anything British) and then later as an "immigrant" game (yes that is a "dogwhistle" if you will).

[@zscout370]

And, in a sense of irony, the USDA that was funded by the USSF was ended this summer and more of the academy push is being done by the MLS.

[@dylanbailey1704]

Zachary Harden and ECNL

[@Bullwine]

Which may be for the best at this point. Part of the reason for the upcoming youth movement is that MLS Academies are finally starting to see the fruits of their efforts, plus having MLS reserve sides playing in lower leagues.

[@Flonnezilla]

USL has done it for a few years, and the past two super drafts the top picks were players that were home grown at USL teams.

[@javierlandaverde4108]

@@Bullwine Yes but they are also eliminating potential players by lowering the player pool. They did that to save more money for the club. Now they are only going to scout players only in ECNL, NPL (high level club league for California) which is funny because there still scoutin players who have money and have money to play. With USDA they still get players who are talented but don't have the money but going to MLS platform like you said they are discrediting players who don't have money.

[@javierlandaverde4108]

@@Bullwine USL in my opinion is the best way to go pro in USA. They promote more their youth then signing players.

[@bruhmoment10]

Bruh We Indians number 1.4 Billion and still we don't produce anything even close to the players in EFL League 2

[@vidtuber1523]

Whay you can except in a country where politician's child is selected instead of a talented one and this my real life experience

[@neilmccullagh3021]

Indian player have to play in Indian league to get caps Danny bath and couple of others wanted to play but where told no

[@willwright3316]

Judging by a lot of ultras in Asia if it was a lot more higher quality it would be absolutely mental

[@jonmel]

Becasue in India it’s cricket cricket and cricket and then hockey in sports priorities

[@lorddarlo6194]

@DaGe PaPo Played it on Fifa put my controller in middle. Both teams had a player sent off with India nicking it 1-0 in the 88th minute with a header from a Cross.

[@colbydenton2050]

Here in the US, soccer was considered to be a "girly" sport during my childhood. I know that this has pushed many people away from the game and towards American football and basketball. I think this is changing now, but it's interesting that our women's team has been the best in the world while we considered it to be the girl's sport. Makes me hopeful for the future of the USMNT

[@azaz8076]

The football/baseball/basketball players at my US high school called soccer team "communist-football".

[@jarrettlowery2802]

@@azaz8076 I've never heard that one

[@jacobmalo7327]

The idea as mentioned for Mane and Suarez is a common idea in America, however, it is reserved for Football, not Soccer.

[@oatmilkgames]

Basketball***

[@matthewthacker4702]

Really both basketball and football it just depends on which area you’re from

[@slappyfish1250]

i agree with all of this and it’s true that some teams charge outrages fees just to join. however, i am seeing a lot more coaches trying to teach a more technical side to the game and i think in recent years a lot more americans have been making it in europe because of this. in a country of 300 million there has to be a lot of hidden talents here but the stupid pay to play system is holding us back.

[@x_gamestrong3454]

Couldn't be more true

[@TroijanSkinhead]

I wonder how many of those Americans in Europe are rich kids who's parents paid to go to the clubs academy's?

[@Essien419]

More players are coming from your country there’s dest pulisic,Mckennie and Reyna

[@javierlandaverde4108]

Also the whole "Super Technical" La Liga copy formula they have been implmenting in the last 9 years. Basically every big team wants a midfielder for every position. They need a false 9 as a striker, they need a passing creative winger, they need a passing creative CB etc. That doesn't work, you need to mix up other styles. They are discrediting other players who biggest asset is physicality, speed and finishing and power. It's sad but they are pushing out players who are great at counter attacking and prefer players comfortable on the ball and control possession. That is why in England they don't have that issue because you have mix of teams that teach different styles.

[@davidaubuchon2995]

What's really fascinating is playing pickup or organized soccer as an adult. There are so so many players as good as or better than ex-d1 and ex-academy players, but they never played at an academy or in college or sometimes even high school.

[@kaiharding7996]

A full squad of players only from microstates (san marino Andorra etc etc)

[@kaiharding7996]

@DaGe PaPo there isn't really a proper definition of like it has to be under a certain population or size so it would be up to his judgement

[@subraxas]

Like Belgium, Montenegro or Northern Ireland.

[@kaiharding7996]

@@subraxas no they are way to big to be microstates like im meaning places like san marino Andorra tonga Liechtenstein like seriously small countries you cant see on maps

[@BrazilianDaftPunkFan]

IT'S. A. SMALL. COUNTRY. IN. EUROPE.

[@eligriffen3422]

A micro state is one of those places where there is basically just a city but it is a country. For example, The Vatican,or Andorra, San Marino, Leichtenstein, luxembourg, monaco,

[@MrLouHill]

Well, well said, "Focus on physicality and results at a very early age. Over talent and player development... strong focus on athleticism rather than aptitude on the ball and understanding of the game."

[@nicholastricarico2957]

I don't even have to mention Messi. Marco Verratti and Lorenzo Insigne are 5'4" and 5'3" respectively, and they're still internationally renowned talents. That's the wonderful thing about this sport: It does not discriminate based on size, whereas in basketball, if you stop at a certain height, your aspirations of a professional career are all but finished no matter how skilled you are.

[@ethangeorge21]

I'm from America and there are two options when trying to go pro in America. you either play for a DA team( developmental Academy) and try to work your way into a MLS first team . The other option is to play travel and play for your high school, then play soccer at a D1 school, and last try to get scouted by an mls team in college

[@cristiancarvajal8517]

It makes me sad that Mexico’s youth system is slowly becoming like Americas

[@Atatatatt27]

Cristian Carvajal if teams in mexico would fucking learn to sell cheap we’d probably be a potential World Cup semifinalist

[@felixo95]

Guys I'm mexican American, but I'm worried for my mexican side , the usa have reyna , pulisic , adams , mckennie, sergino . Thats looking pretty promising.

[@Atatatatt27]

felix ochoa I don’t think those players will live up to their expectations pulisic can if he stays fit

[@George-my3qv]

Octavio Arroyo Not only that, but also change the league structure. Have no play offs and only have one winner instead of two. Splitting the season into 2 separate with playoffs causes most teams in Liga MX to have a “Win Now” mentality. There’s only 17 games and then playoffs, which teams don’t want to risk giving young Mexican players game time (since they’re inexperienced) so they go for cheap experienced players from South America. That’s why there’s so many foreign players in Liga MX, the teams prefer to have players with experience rather than develop with only 17 games before play offs. This also causes players like Cordova (from Club America) to not get consistent game time until he was 22. Havertz is only 21 and already had over 110 appearances for Leverkusen, just for comparison Cordova only is about to hit 50 appearances for America and he’s 23. He spent a year on loan at another club in Mexico, but only had 9 appearances. He’s two years older with only 60 or so games in Mexico’s top flight. Yes this only one example of this and there’s been good players that have come from Liga MX throughout the last few years, but in my opinion the league structure is one of the main things holding the talent back and it is not talked about as much.

[@George-my3qv]

felix ochoa It doesn’t matter how promising they are, if they aren’t a good TEAM all together it won’t matter at the end of the day.

[@VerdictsDC]

Autumn is used interchangeably with Fall in the US

[@celebrim1]

It's depressing to hear someone who knows as little about the USA as the person who uploaded the video pontificating on it like an authority.

[@celebrim1]

@John Doe The maker of the video doesn't know enough about the United States to know how they name the seasons, but he's convinced he understands the nation well enough to describe what's wrong about it's youth athletics.

[@lollol9772]

@@celebrim1 those two things are completely unrelated

[@celebrim1]

@@lollol9772 Yes, but it's still true that the maker of the video knows nothing about youth athletics in the United States.

[@dereckmarwa2993]

American here, this video was incredible and I really appreciate the hard work you put into this, and every video you make. This subject matters a lot to me so I'm glad you've used a platform as large as yours to give it some proper attention. I'll definitely be sharing this around! However, I just have one tiny, tiny correction. D.C. United announced about 1-2 weeks ago that they're ending the pay-to-play structure in their academy and fully funding it going forward. That leaves Minnesota United as the only MLS club without a fully club-funded academy. Also, thank you so much for setting people straight on the needless football vs soccer debate. It's so played out at this point and it's not going to change so I wish people would just drop it and focus on the game. THANK YOU ALFIE!

[@grumpiesttitan7930]

This isn't just a problem with youth development it's a problem of the US system

[@christinaregan3555]

In Ireland I think most people call association football , soccer as we have another sport we call football, which is Gaelic Football

[@brandonhey7797]

I forgot this was a thing. 😂

[@emmetthynes1397]

I'm Irish and prefer the term football. Gaelic football is played more with hands than feet, so in a way it's silly that its referred to as football

[@samgeary6825]

@@emmetthynes1397 We already have handball though which is as old as Gaelic football so I suppose that's why it is called Gaelic football

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

@D-block South Hasnt GAA overtaken football/soccer as the most popular sport in Ireland.

[@arianalamgir5251]

@@3dsaulgoodman43 not really

[@StrongKickMan]

America needs Promotion and Relegation. It will simply change everything. It will automatically create more competition, and that will force the clubs to take the most talented Players if they want to stay in the MLS

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

They can do one with the USL Championship. The problem is a lot of the MLS club's feeder clubs/reserve teams play in that league.

[@skidawg22]

@@3dsaulgoodman43 This is a problem not addressed in this video, but should be: the very existence of profit-driven leagues. I have long regarded USL as a sick joke of a league because they don't really care if clubs live or die, just that they can pay franchise fees to play at certain levels. They and MLS drew up the atrocity that is the PLS guidelines, which sadly make pro/rel impossible in the US (as least for the time being). You also have a corrupt federation that is in complete lockstep with MLS, and to a lesser extent the "joke league," that continues to fight against meaningful and needed reform and the way they treat leagues and clubs intent on creating such reform (see also: their treatment of NASL and what I fear they're trying to do with NISA, which has recently been working on an alternative pyramid-within-the-system). Geography shouldn't be a factor against true reform, but a lot of idiots try to use it anyway - despite the fact that Russia has a proper pyramid structure and is much larger than the US. If you can have a true pyramid with the opportunity to have teams in the top tier travel from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, you prove to us that it can easily be done from Miami to Seattle or Boston to San Diego in a pro/rel system.

[@Spain456]

Michael Czerniewski they could easily just promote and relegate within conferences. 2 teams relegated from MLS western conference and 2 teams promoted from USL western conference. In 3rd division Spain they just make new conferences every year depending on who gets promoted/relegated. I know Spain is much smaller but considering they can do it with 80 teams idk why the MLS couldn’t change conferences with 30

[@StrongKickMan]

@@ATLMike94 Clueless. You guys are good in finding excuses for not having promotions cause your whole System is fucked. If you buy an mls Team you just buy a share of the mls. Such a stupid system.

[@stefangog2852]

@Michael T. Mathews Oh yes it is. Without p and r you have a closed system where people have no incentive to stop losing because youll still stay in the mls. And if you introduce p&r, your local team has a chance of making the mls, however small may the chance be. People will be more interested in something potentially good, tjan something always on a minor local level

[@MihzvolWuriar]

One way to solve that pay to play issue is a relegation system, remember, MLS is not the only league in the US, but the most powerful, so basically make it the 1st division and put all others behind it, I bet you all these new teams will stop using pay to play so they could get the best players and get to the MLS...

[@KanyeTheGayFish69]

That’s oversimplifying it

[@denzelwenzel]

Suuure....and how are you gonna get all the franchise owners to go along with this?

[@MihzvolWuriar]

@@denzelwenzel That's another problem on it's own, and that's money involved, unless some of them decide to give up a ton of money, it won't happen, and I bet none of them are giving fucks for the state of US soccer...

[@MihzvolWuriar]

@@ATLMike94 Yes, I know most of MLS teams are free to play, not all though, but what you don't understand is, first of all I'm Brazilian, I know how it works here, there are thousands of clubs here who are pay to play, but they're not 5k USD expensive, in fact, they are less expensive than the recreational level in the US, most of them are tied to 1st and 2nd tier teams and they get bonuses if they find a good player their bosses can sign at very young age, what I'm saying is, as the relegation system come into effect, teams *will have to invest somehow to produce new players or they' get relegated,* losing even more income. Now, how many free to play clubs exist in the US? Imagine increasing that number by 5 times, with small clubs creating ties to big teams and medium and big clubs investing in new academy centers, and imposing a modest fee to play? Increasing the spotting power will increase US football quality, it's how Brazil still has some of the best players in the world while still being a lot poorer than the rest of the world, now imagine this spotting power and the money the US has.

[@MihzvolWuriar]

@@ATLMike94 You're saying as if anything were different here, most of the things you said for the US is true here, specially the money part of it, but what you don't get is that small clubs *profit from the discovery of young talents,* search for the "Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior" it has an english wiki page just for it. I remember hearing that the US don't allow teens to sign contracts for teams/clubs, but that maybe the problem too, kids who perform well on that "Copinha," usually finds themselves with a contract with a big team after it, the youth team that discovered that kid gets a profit from the transfer, you see, *it is profitable,* now, I might not know how things work there, but what I'm saying is this, wide area and powerful spotting is the key, I'm not saying pro/rel is, I'm saying pro/rel will improve spotting performance.

[@Brashnir]

One small note/correction. DC United no longer charges players' families for their Academy. It's understandable that you missed this, given that the change was announced only a couple weeks before you put this video up, so it would have been easy to miss during your research.

[@erniechavez4741]

Well it’s only 2023. What took so long?

[@ravracer16]

Great video. There are some MLS teams, like the RedBulls who invest heavily in their youth system. But I think it will be after my lifetime where clubs realize they can make more money on a player by investing in them rather than the pay to play model.

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

Real Salt Lake as well.

[@jorgevillatoro9118]

Agent P and you can definitely see that paying off. The Real Salt Lake academy have lost some great talents to European clubs. Ledezma is one of them, playing for PSV now

[@Daarkdevil93]

@@jorgevillatoro9118 it's nice to see talents leaving the US to join european teams and not the other way around. Heck, NHL are stealing every big talents from europe😜

[@mrsomeone846]

There’s also obvious factor not pointed out here, football is far from their most popular sport.

[@BruhMoment-tb8qm]

That is true, but soccer/football is growing really fast in popularity, so it is a really good time to implement a better system and if they did, I think in 20-30 years the US would do way better and get far at tournaments such as the World Cup

[@meeramenon3161]

@@BruhMoment-tb8qm Yeah, the sport is growing rapidly but our systems here in the states can't adapt to more people from poorer backgrounds with talent that would give them a chance in other countries to become a star.

[@BruhMoment-tb8qm]

@@meeramenon3161 yeah I get you

[@George-my3qv]

Well, the US has one of the largest populations in the world. They have more than enough kids to play the sport and others. To me that’s just a BS excuse, the US has a large demographic of kids from different backgrounds, some of those backgrounds are passionate for the sport. I live in the US and the pay to play system is what ruins the sport for those who can’t afford it. Usually these are kids with wealthier parents/background are playing the sport. From my experience these kids that played consistently on a club team (travel team) lacked passion for the sport. I was friends with some of them from my high school team and I kid you not, most of them lacked passion for the sport. They either got into the sport because it was safer (to their parents) than American Football, or just grew up playing it as a hobby and stuck by it. I just feel like those players who can afford it take the sport for granted and theres probably thousands of kids who can’t play the sport at a competitive level because financially they can’t afford it.

[@BruhMoment-tb8qm]

@@George-my3qv You put it perfectly

[@BabsW]

As someone who grew-up mostly in the US, but moved back to London 3 years ago, this video was spot on! Brilliant work!

[@jaronbrown574]

I had a friend that was invited into the Chicago fire academy. I thought he a great player without being biased. Because him and his family couldn’t afford the payment, he lost his opportunity to become a professional player.

[@mirmesh6695]

It’s so expensive to play here in the US, got called up to the interstate league for my club but wasn’t able to due to the cost and the fact that I still wanted to attend college when I graduate

[@SebHaarfagre]

Yeah now that's another part that makes me mentally exhausted.... In Norway, we get sponsored by the state to study. We even get money to pay rent and food. I just don't get the systems in USA, nor how any people can consider such a country "great" (no offense... what I mean is that the populace is exploited, instead of building a sound structure)

[@johnwatkins2728]

SebSk we have the best economy, arguably the best and most recognized culture in the world. We have more freedom and opportunity than any other country in the world. As for the schooling there’s alot of scholarships and grants offered to full time students who actually get good grades. We don’t get government hand outs cause we’re people who work for things.

[@johnwatkins2728]

SebSk there are many reasons why America is not only “great” but the best in the world. Which is why most people from the around the world try or want to immigrate here.

[@johnwatkins2728]

You don’t have to play for a club to make it join your schools team which is another way to get scouted by a college. Which would also take care of the cost of college as most colleges let you attend free if you play for them. Yes their should be a better system but it’s not currently possible as soccer isn’t given the proper funding for such systems in europe. Simply because it’s not as big as in europe, although I do believe this will change in the future as it’s rapidly growing.

[@giotrujillo9538]

Ik like I made varsity my freshman year in D1 often got offered to play for local academy’s but man how tf they expect someone to pay 300+ for uniform Plus the monthly fee $250+.. plus every tournament 150+ to play ... you gotta pay a lot to play not even that you gotta pay to get scout 😂liek wtfff you gotta have lots of money to give to your kids to be able to play a sport

[@TX_Ruthless_SATX_Delgado]

And it’s not just soccer/football. My wife played softball and even with both of her parents having good jobs, it was still a struggle at times.

[@diegorisco996]

As a perfect example, I tried out for a D1 college, Mercer University, and was told if I was taller I would be perfect for them.

[@jxmmy]

A played for a travel team and I got a scholarship. The only thing my parents payed for was my jerseys. I was the only player at any age level to get it for that club so that's cool

[@dorasuncle2717]

See you in the MLS

[@juandavidcapote8314]

That happened to me also I was in 6th when that happen my pe coach was a coach for that team and he talked to them and the only thing my parents paid was the jerseys

[@MatthewHain11]

Great video as always, the issue of cost and opportunity is very similar in Australia.

[@maccapacca7213]

In Australia it’s harder for young players to develop as they would in England mainly because lots of people put soccer or football in a bad light and it is a bit of a shamed sport for lots of people and lots are persuaded to a different sport because maybe they could get bullied for it

[@amann7166]

Always thought australia is a nice country. Shamed for playing football? Here in europe everyone can play what he wants 😂 whats wrong with you guys? Is Australia north korea or what?

[@bigmanjeeb]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIvSaJyllLCslbs

[@sportboy6878]

amann still a nice country just as there is so many sports in Australia that is big like (AFL , Cricket, Rugby league and union, Tennis, Swimming and of course soccer/football. So Ye it has a stigma but it has a growing fan base

[@owenhannah3038]

@@amann7166 Soccer/Football is seen as a girl sport because there are so many divers and it's not very physical compared to other sports

[@Smhhhhh19]

Owen Hannah yes, cricket is my fave physical sport

[@ASkaer1]

Having had a child in the travel team system, I totally agree. We were willing and able to pay and commit the time to take our son to the various tournaments. Few parents can afford the cost and the cost increase a lot the higher up in level the team is. The time commitment is huge spent most of our holidays traveling to tournaments. Next is the college system which is more harm to a soccer development than help. My son trying to balance school work with playing soccer was very hard. The entire system needs to be changed. The county I live in the state of Virginia has the same population of Iceland and Iceland’s team is better in my opinion to the US team. Iceland’s system seems obviously better than our system here in America with 300 million people. Huge changes need to be made.

[@seanmerritt3070]

You’re research is spot on. My son can play on a normal rec league for free on some occasions, however, the travel team is close to $1200 per season. Not including travel costs. Great video, cheers!

[@erniechavez4741]

Hello there, I can’t understand the cost per player. Some clubs don’t have a choice because they have to pay for facilities. Our club pays a nominal field usage and we are volunteering. But our 2 main coaches have 25+ years coaching, have taken 4 different teams to Europe to play in tournaments, have NSCAA License, besides the F and D. We charge $160 for new players and about $100 for returning players. We keep our club small to keep quality but do not turn players away.

[@methos4866]

I can understand paying a contribution and membership fees to a club but $1200 is obscene. Here in the Netherlands you wouldn't even get into the triple digits for a regular local team. At least that's how it was when i was a kid when i played two decades ago. Oh and over here every football club is recreational until you get picked up for the youth team of a major club. You don't buy-in to major teams. They scout you and that's it.

[@pkingglazersout6665]

Good video alfie. Here is another idea Idea: Ranking all continental treble winning teams of Europe since 1967

[@alex-cm9fd]

Pandurang Gireesh bayern, barca, inter, valencia, ,man utd, real madrid, bayern, barca

[@janemarsh8328]

Decent

[@pkingglazersout6665]

@@alex-cm9fd PSV?Ajax?Celtic?

[@pkingglazersout6665]

@@janemarsh8328 thanks mate

[@janemarsh8328]

Pandurang Gireesh no worries man You should try doing some XIs with your ideas on your own channel

[@cameron9385]

Great video as always! Also surprised to find the true origins of the words "football" and "soccer". Definitely gonna use them as trivia now!

[@lukasphotiou2445]

I've experienced everything that Alfie said. The pay to play problem. The difference in playing for a travel team and recreation team. Living in a state where the odds of light escaping a black hole are greater than anyone even recognizing that the sport exists. I also love that Alfie used Getty Images of my favorite team, Orlando City SC and our bright new talent Daryl Dike!! This is the video I needed in my life! Thank you.

[@trenaker34]

Good video. I'm a father of 2 kids that played top soccer in the US. I had to work 2 jobs because the soccer was costing me $12,000--$16,000 a year. Scholarships are based on lack of income and talent with only 1 or 2 spots per team, so its very hard to qualify. to make things worse, the kits in top clubs usually cost $400-$700 (no joke). My son played Development Academy and they even had to fly to tournaments and games (at parent cost). The coaching was substandard with an emphasis on size, strength, and aggression. As for national team recognition you pretty much have to know someone or your club has to have connections. Money talks! I seen extremely talented players leave soccer for much less expensive sports such as Basketball and Football. I eventually sold everything and moved to Europe where my son plays absolutely free, with free uniforms, free travel, and much better facilities and coaching. Its very sad. And yes, promotion and relegation would improve many things in the system.

[@SirNilooo]

YES!! Wasn’t expecting this , but glad you brought this up. Good looking out! Shoutouts from Los Angeles! 1:22am here 😅

[@crayz503es]

USA has Gio Reyna who turns 18 in November and plays in the Bundesliga.. I hope he contributes a lot and helps Pulisic score goals in CONCACAF.

[@bradystroka27]

And Tyler adams, and Weston McKennie too

[@saltypiss7954]

OneNDoneJob also dest

[@bradystroka27]

todoroki shoto definitely him too

[@PROBENICCOMPS]

All those players were born with rich parents 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@Jj_2723]

PROBENIC COMPS gio reynas dad was the sporting director for nycfc which he went to borussia from, pulisics parents were professional football players so he already had those connections, and there’s so many more situations like that. all the inner city kids and so many people who had crazy talent never get the opportunities that they should because of these situations.

[@hughjarce9915]

Hi Alfie, just wanting to let you know that this is by far the best football KZbin channel on KZbin, so interesting and informative 👊🏻 Keep it up

[@giancarlotorres3520]

Ooof, as an American, I’ve been waiting to hear from Alfie on this

[@balthazarwerner7792]

That USA kit is so nice tho

[@jarvis5629]

Well duh we are a rich country. Shitty system

[@evancarney1039]

I’m so happy this video was made! I commented that I wanted something like this as I wrote a research dissertation on this exact topic! Something to add to the tournaments in travel soccer/football, they cost extra just for a teams registration in each tournament(usually about 50-150 dollars) on top of all other costs. Btw Daryl Dike is insane, has enormous talent

[@spilltheteasis5826]

I really appreciate your videos on America being soccer positive. Having someone like you makes liking soccer more fun. Why not let us enjoy your sport too? The more to chat with, right? I’ll be honest. I used to hate it, and make fun of it all the time. In 2007 I went to a Timbers game, and it changed my life. Soccer is one of the most important things in my life, and I’ve converted so many friends. I plan on converting many more. Thanks for the videos, and the sport. Portland out! 🤘🏻

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

This was a fantastic video and you were spot on about every single part. It's a huge misconception that the US doesn't know anything about soccer or that we are just terrible at it. While we haven't produced the worlds best players it's completely false to assume that we are inept. There are many players who come from overseas that move to the US that can't make club teams regardless of pay. We do have talent here, but as you stated, making a profession out of it was almost impossible so people choose other routes or just quit playing. Only the families with a lot of money that can push their children through expensive clubs with connections see USMNT, college, or international scouts. The future is bright though. Thanks for covering the beginning too. It blows my mind how ignorant people are about the worlds biggest sport's history... it's always aimed at us for some reason too..

[@ramonlewis5637]

WOW Alfie, I always thought the USA came up with the term soccer and always wonder why, but you've increased my knowledge today Sir. Thank you for that bro.

[@deadpixel9188]

The U.S. can be likened to Australia too. Many prospective players take part in the sport that is more popular locally, like the AFL, NRL and NFL

[@celebrim1]

Exactly. Australia and the USA are some of the world's only multisport nations. The major problem in the USA is that soccer is way down the line in terms of priorities of young athletes. The video maker talks about how in much of the world soccer is seen as a vehicle out of poverty and has a passionate following among the lower classes. Well guess what, that's not true in the USA for the most part. In the USA, the culture is around football and basketball. Moreover, there are other huge differences between the US culture and say European culture. The big problem to the extent that there is a big problem in US youth development is that everyone who has tried to improve the situation has tried to import systems from Europe to the USA despite the structural gulf in culture between the two. That's how the USA ended up with a 'pay to play' system, and why we went through a whole generation of players without new talent (culminating in our failure to qualify for the WC because our team had aged out and had no youthful replacements).

[@phyzixs.8061]

@@celebrim1 Most kids who play in travel clubs are White.. this isn't racist at all but its because of the amount of money their parents make. Hispanics, Asians, and African-Americans don't make that kind of money so its harder to play club soccer.

[@phyzixs.8061]

Im Hispanic and play club soccer but only because it isn't super expensive and my parents are willing to sacrifice something for me

[@celebrim1]

@@phyzixs.8061 First of all, I've coach youth soccer in a major urban area and I'm well aware of the racial segregation in all too many youth teams. You find teams of Hispanic players, teams of white players, and teams of recent African immigrants. Often when you play against a Hispanic team, they've done various things to try to mitigate the cost like have reserve players or larger teams (if the league allows it). What you don't understand because you are young is that it didn't have to be this way. Back before 2006 the USSF was committed to developing and supporting High School soccer which was an affordable path to play which could have met the needs of all Americans and which would have fit well with American culture and institutions. And after 2006, Sunil Gulati chose to abandon High School and Collegiate soccer and focus on European style 'academy systems' where you have semi-professional youth teams. The trouble is that the academy system doesn't work in the United States (and really didn't work 15 years ago even more than now) for a whole host of reasons that I could explain to you. The result of this shift of focus was nearly 10 years where we weren't developing any youth talent in this country at all, and the 'pay to play' system that you are talking about, and the racial segregation of youth soccer that you are talking about. So I don't disagree with your observations, but my point is that the very people that complain the most about the current system are the same people that made the decisions that led to this system. And further, that 14 years ago I told them that this would happen, and they didn't listen to me.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

The issue with this view is that like all of our other sports, and the same goes with the around the world and their sports. IE. Cricket, Golf, Rugby, etc... That while you might miss some talent due to an athlete choosing a different sport, that doesn't mean they will be the best at that particular sport. Tiger Woods would likely have never made it to the NFL either... Tom Brady likely would have never made it in the MLB.. etc. That being said, it's possible that some WR for an NFL team could have been the worlds greatest player, but the same could be said for someone playing in any other sport around the world.. We have lot's of multi sport athletes, they aren't always the best at every sport they play and at some point they choose the one they are best at and hope for the best.

[@frankatherton730]

Thank you for making this video! All of your points are absolutely correct. One other point I might add, however you may have covered it in the video, is that players are restricted to playing in their age group rather than playing against other players at their skill level.

[@ABeck92]

As an American, I loved the video mate! Consistently great content; one of my favorite KZbin channels!

[@alliedatheistalliance6776]

Soccer is growing in the US in a big way, and it would be a great opportunity for them to create a sport that was truly open to all and not locked behind a paywall as happens with basketball and american football and the college draft system. Especially considering the generally poorer communities who take up the sport such as latin Americans.

[@vidtuber1523]

Problem in India - Parents force their child to become engineers/doctors and if you want to pursue sports parents will not support and if your parents support you then society will laugh on you if you tell them you want to pursue sports and if all went right than a politician's son will be selected instead of you even if he does not know how to kick the ball

[@manavarunaravind4290]

Ya man ik it I'm in india and it's just hard our legend Chhetri is atleast trying to change it

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

Lmao. I'm an Indian from Malaysia, and even though my parents tell me that I can become whatever I want, I can tell that they'll prefer for me to become a doctor or an engineer rather than a radio jockey.

[@jniemeyer6765]

This video is spot on. My son played for a club team a few years ago here in the US. He showed some promise so he was invited to try out for the Premier club team. He made the team but then the Club told us the cost: $1500 per season, not including uniforms, tournament fees, or travel costs. There was no way we could afford it so we had to decline the invitation. Scholarships were not available.

[@jamienicewander1877]

Great analysis....spot on!! I coach high school and club and your points are very accurately made

[@tbzplays1887]

Day 30 : Ranking every barca transfer since Neymar's sale

[@stefangog2852]

Instead the club paying for your services, you need to pay for the club? If employees started paying their employees it would be very stupid.

[@stewiegriffin3017]

Loving the content recently

[@Alexis-ru1kn]

Very true me and my brother were in a team here but we couldn’t join because it was too expensive for us. It probably would’ve been a bit more than 6k not including kit and travel cost we don’t have that kind of money

[@sudds50]

Thanks for that lucid explanation of the origins of the terms "football" & "soccer"....Very well explained.

[@ryanlay1382]

This is extremely accurate having spent 8 years playing for club teams in California.

[@Popcorn_Pigeon]

Friendly FYI, Daryl Dike’s last name is pronounced DEE-KAY Here’s hoping the whole world will know his name one day - Orlando City fan :)

[@DBZnetwork]

Eyyy Orlando is playing good this season ✊I’m from lake Mary

[@lukasphotiou2445]

@@DBZnetwork yooo, I'm from Titusville, Cape Canaveral

[@lukasphotiou2445]

🦁

[@lukasphotiou2445]

🦁

[@DBZnetwork]

LP15 Csine Gallese has been good too 👍🏽⚽️

[@olliewalton361]

Brilliant video Alfie, how you find some of these things out is beyond me. I’ll be honest, I don’t actually want America to become a force in football, at least not until they start to appreciate our beautiful game as we do. They don’t understand it like we do, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.

[@ratedpending]

I for the most part agree with this but a huge part that was left out is how difficult it is to get coaching license here. The USSF makes you go through hoops and hoops and hoops to get the proper training and experience and eventually qualification to be a proficient coach here in the States, so that's why all of the good coaches immediately go somewhere they can get paid well (which also happens to be the more expensive travel teams, go figure). This means that, even with guys in proximity to an MLS academy, they'll likely be a few steps behind other kids who went to those travel teams first. This also means that the only avenue left for most middle class and poor Americans are left with the school system, which wouldn't be the worst if it we had good coaches, but going through highschool, praying you get a scholarship, and getting drafted to MLS means that you don't get high level coaching until 18, and don't play pro until 19 at best. For example, there's only ever been two Premier League players to have won the National HS Player of the Year award (albeit more who have gone through this system); Jack Harrison (Massachusetts/New York) and Claudio Reyna (New Jersey).

[@r2dad282]

The real problem in coaching is that licensing does not guarantee quality coaching. Good US coaches often destroy a decade of players before their coaching strategies and tactics reflect modern, quality values. Still too much kickball, which won't change in my lifetime.

[@jackb2419]

ty for addressing the football vs soccer terms, and why we call it soccer. I see too many people getting triggered for no reason when we call it soccer instead of football, when the English invented the word in the first place

[@jp1731]

Hopefully things get better here in the states, there is a Barca academy here where I live . I think it works like an actual academy which is a step forward

[@escodoozer]

American fan here! Your videos are always good and I look forward to them

[@npaige21]

Although it was brief, I appreciate you mentioning the social and economical inequities that run rampant throughout the US.

[@leonifielding8021]

In England rochdale fc make you pay £70 per month for you to pay for there youth team

[@rudypatete623]

Even that isn’t that bad compared to the $2000+ in the US

[@Jstvcks]

That’s actually great here in USA you’ll have to pay around $3000 a season just play and that doesn’t include the team giving you jerseys, cleats or anything else just be great full that you are actually paying $70 a month for playing for I wish I had that opportunity man 🤧🙏🏾

[@steezbuscemi]

That’s nothing, my shitty recreational team cost like $250

[@senorsoupe]

The only reason we (Canada) produced Alphonso Davies was that he was subsidized. Without that he would never have gotten where he is. If we want to be serious about developing players over here then pay to play has to be abolished. Both the US and Canada have so much potential in all sports that are being stifled by the financial barrier

[@nathangoode1089]

Soccer is getting bigger in Canada. There are more soccer options for my kids than there were when I was young. I think it's because hockey is so expensive, soccer is much cheaper.

[@felixo95]

As a Mexican-American I feel that the usa in terms of youth development is improving a lot. The usa have a very good upcoming crop of players Pulisic , Reyna, mckennie , Tyler adams , sergiño etc. With those players the future is looking quite bright and is a very strong back bone for years to come. For my Mexican side its not looking so hot , lozano is starting to get more playing time but still doesn't have the managers confidence, Hector Herrera is on the same boat and thinking about it so is Gutierrez psv , Lainez as well no improvement at betis , guardado has been a great servant but he's getting on a bit, corona and Jimenez are our best representatives.

[@George-my3qv]

The thing is most of those US players that you named joined the academy of those teams. The Mexican players you named all came from a team from Mexico and played domestically for a few years. That’s the difference between what the US is starting to do and what mexico is doing wrong. Mexican clubs over charge for the young players whenever a European team is interested. Those European teams would rather spend that money and get a Brazilian or Argentinian for half that price that Mexican clubs charge. But there is a lot of young Mexicans in many European clubs outside the bigger leagues they are just not talked about a lot because the Mexican media loves to focus on their big names and sometimes overrate they.

[@balubendalam9548]

I wouldn’t count Sergio dest he was born raised and coached in Netherlands.

[@felixo95]

@@George-my3qv @George1098 @George1098 George that is true , ill give you sergiño , and 1/5 of weston , why because Weston spent a few years in Germany before moving back to the USA with Dallas he played over 7 years with Dallas before moving back to Germany if the kid didn't have any talent he definitely would not have returned to Germany so we can say that he further developed at Dallas, while its true that Pulisic did develop into the player he is today at borrusia he still had to be scouted in the usa before going on to play in germany he played in the usa from age 7-15 so I would say some credit has to go to the usa , and finally let's not kid ourselves Adams and Giovanni are basically developed in the usa both played for the youth sides of NYCFC and Red bull NYC, they barely left last year but its the same point they were scouted and developed at these academies.

[@felixo95]

@@George-my3qv for the mexican sides its absolutely whoaful the amount of talent that is available but not exploited, most top mexican clubs that produce talent don't need to sale because they are backed by very wealthy companies Femsa tigres/monterrey , america televisa and many more examples. Monterrey had a chance to sell Jonathan gonzales and Rodriguez but asking for 10 and 15 mil respectively was ludicrous for players with no international backing the offers were 7 and 10 mil. As i mentioned unrealistic fees is definitely the blocking point for most mexican clubs.

[@felixo95]

@@balubendalam9548 ill give you him but Weston , pulisic , reyna and Adams ??? I further explained in another comment

[@michaelmearney5721]

Another top class video. I could watched an even longer video about the nuts and bolts of the American lower leagues.

[@thegloriouspyrocheems2277]

Take a shot every time he says football 5 minutes later: *incoherently drunk*

[@michael1959]

As a youth player myself here, I've seen plenty of players not be able to play because they don't have the money.

[@PaulHolland1993]

This was a great intro. Thank you for explaining the origins of soccer. Never knew about it and it all makes sense now. (no sarcasm)

[@heretustay]

Great vid and dissection of the socio-economic factors that affect our youth program here!

[@trunter20]

Brilliant intro, I love it when Alfie just destroys complainers before they even have the chance to complain 🤣 best football (or soccer!) channel on youtube 👍

[@taylor_m_237]

Hey just wanted to reach out. I am from Louisiana in the United States. I grew up playing travel soccer and it was $6500 a season and that didn't include travel fees. It really does kill our development.

[@carlosenriqueulloa]

There is universities that cost less than that.

[@cranjismcbasketball1638]

Really enjoyed this video, any chance you could make one on the USL and their plans to implement pro/rel?

[@sparkyanderson6520]

What a beautiful description of what is missing in America that would make a difference. Believe it or not, the transcripts of this video could also be used for the reasoning why homegrown talent in professional baseball in America is dwindling & foreign countries are producing a high percentage of Major League Baseball players over homegrown talent. Good stuff 👍

[@Voz_]

This is the video I've been waiting for, it really sucks how it's structured here.

[@brandonhey7797]

Americans need to take notes and use what European countries use in terms of a league system for there to be a fix, imho.

[@Voz_]

@@brandonhey7797 it's really disheartening seeing lots of good players and when you ask them if they are academy players and they almost 90% of the time always say they cant afford it and then even then like mentioned in the video just paying to be in one doesnt necessarily mean you're good.

[@brandonhey7797]

@@Voz_ Yeah. Football is treated too much like a business over in the US, instead of what it was supposed to be.

[@andrew71017]

Cracking video Alfie

[@ignaciovelosobahamondes2744]

Yo, thanks for the info on the soccer/football thing. I had no idea.

[@jonseres]

Here in Florida, Travel team coaches usually aren't paid, they are typically volunteers unless you are playing at a well funded Academy. Also Kits were never paid for and were included in the registration cost for the season which back then was about $400 (looks to currently be about $500 for my former team). We were a Second Division FYSA Team.

[@TheGroundHopper]

Cardiff City academy charge or used to charge parents to buy the child's kits and equipment- so even though technically the training is free the club are making money from selling the shirts as you can't play without them- a bit of a loop hole

[@CynicalStorm]

lol reminds me of my sport, hockey, in the US. Gotta love the $8,000 a season fees

[@chrisgarry22]

To be fair, hockey requires equipment and a facility that has an ice rink. Doesn’t just require a ball

[@user-kp9of7re9q]

$2000 is enough for soccer . Isn’t it?

[@jamesmith1048]

@@user-kp9of7re9q depends on the club. Thats just an average club fee

[@TheRockingChairsYT]

Thanks for the explanation on football! It makes lots of sense!

[@mr.d6456]

Great observation. The quality reflects from professional club level to national team level.

[@ZacheryAlgaze]

From a perspective of someone that played recreational soccer for almost 10 seasons consecutively and then one season on my high school junior varsity team I can say that the older you get you really start to realize how much the system is a pay to play

[@liamsims8641]

As a current travel soccer player this is a very true video and very correct. Especially in regards too the emphasis on physicality over skill.

[@TheTMSxGaming]

American viewer here great video, it sucks that my favorite sport doesn’t get the love it deserves. As an African American, growing up soccer/football wasn’t really local for me so I didn’t get into it until middle school and I couldn’t make the team until high school. I’ve always wished I started earlier.

[@a.s.9fcp937]

At 14:07 he has a good point. I remember taking a coaching course for a license in the US and the instructor told me after the course that the coaching federation doesn’t like coaches doing rondos because it isn’t “game-like” 🤦‍♂️ needless to say we both strongly disagree

[@prakashrabari708]

Make a similar video about indian youth development....its a request 🙏❤️

[@ishangoyal2385]

India have made sports in their country a joke. Forget about football, hockey and badminton. They have already forgotten about these sports. Even cricket now is nothing more than a billboard for sponsorships and business now. No investment is made in football and actually talented players cant go far because the indian league only cares about money. Even the quality of stadiums is so poor. Also poor children cant even play football because they cant even afford to go to a decent academy. In india, becoming successful in football is much more harder than in other countries. In other countries like brazil all you need is a football and talent. In india they dont allow to become a professional unless you have a premium football and expensive football boots, or you go to a big academy, proper gear is needed and its so fucking expensive that not even the middle class families can afford it. Even if you make it to the professional level, you wont be able to make it far. We have a lot of talent but sadly no one to recognise it.

[@cjtifft3731]

This hits home so hard. For me even tho I think I could’ve had a shot at pro football I’ve always dreamed of moving to Europe just to get into but family matters never allowed me to do this. 1. From South Dakota so scouting is very minimal/ closet team is Minnesota United meaning I need to pay for the youth team. 2. Couldn’t keep paying for our traveling team 3. High School team full of rich kids that had no love for the game but got picked over the good kids cause they’re parents could dump money into the program.

[@mowvu5380]

this channel is properly awesome. it shows how interested you are when showing us interesting footy things. top yorkshire lad. im a donny boy so i feel ya. hull and donny are consistently in the top 3 worst towns in england lol.

[@jimmynoo-chron]

I'm from the US and I promise you we dont use mouth pieces when playing.