The GOODs and BADs of US Soccer

For whoever knows me from the "Gooch to Milan" thread, I reintroduce myself. Born and grew up playing in Italy and AC Milan's season tickets holder. Came as exchange student in high school and was offered a scholarship at a DI school where I played four years (00-03). Have been in the US since then, although I still follow AC Milan religiuosly, I have become a big fan of the US team as a kind of "revenge" for all the making fun received by friends in Italy for playing in the US ("you must be a phenomenon there", "Americans are horrible at soccer", etc).

The "goods" about US soccer from my perspective:

1. The winning mentality embedded in American culture. Everybody takes training very seriously in high school and college, and the physical fitness reached in the US, I think is unmatched elsewhere. I still remember the days in Italy, where people would slow down their run in training as soon as the coach turned the other way, for instance. This system creates some very good athletes.

2. The chance to play all year round between club and high school and for who can afford it travel to play teams from other states. In Italy we only played the teams (althugh very numerous) from the North/West side of Milan where I grew up. That's also I guess because as I'll explain later evry single town in Italy has its team.

3. The cultural/ethnic mix of players. In Italy I only played against Italian kids. In the US I often played with or against many kids of other nationalities. That can do wonders for the game.


Now the "bads" which will need to be addressed if this country ever wants to be prominent at this game:

1. Technique in soccer is what makes the most difference. Coaching/training is what needs the most help in the US. College and most high school coaches don't understand the game, playing physical fast players over technical ones. That's why you have a Findley starting as forward. Are you really trying to tell me there is noone in the country better at finishing? Because in case people didn't know that is what a forward is paid to do. I already said how with a foreign coach Buddle would have started over Altidore too.

2. The other issue with US soccer is the absolute lack of "number 10" creative type of players. This is due to the fact that they are overlooked on a regular base by coaches who prefer phyisical/fast players. Just like they prefer big physical forwards than somebody who can actually finish the ball. You know how many Americans have tried to convince me that Inzaghi ( I mean Inzaghi, the best scorer of all times in European playing and about to beat Muller's long standing record) was not a good player? I was very much that type of player and although I was succesful at the college level, I was completely overlooked at the next level.

3. What Klinsmann said. The ability for everybody to play soccer at every social level. The way it works in Italy is that every town no matter how small has one team carrying the name of the town itself. That promotes a sense of belonging for the people in the town. The team fields all levels from U6 to the Men's squad (just as a Serie A team would). It has always its own soccer field with locker rooms/showers so that you grow as a sort of professional at every level.

The federation works as a pyramid on a relegation system from Serie A down to the hundreds "Terza Categoria", the 10th level in the order. What I mean is that there are teams like Chievo which have moved througout the entire ranking or so. They are usually sponsored by the richest guy in town, who is happy to put his money to finance the club.

As a reference I have friends who play in the 7th and 8th levels of the pyramid and are paid 200-300 euros/month to play. Consider the average salary in Italy for a school teacher is 1,100 euos. Of course that means that they have a real coach unlike adults soccer in the US and that they train 2 times a week minimum and everybody goes to training.

Materazzi at age 23 was playing in Serie D as a reference (the 5th level of the pyramid). At that lavel players tipically make their living "barely" playing soccer already, although the pro-level starts officially at the 4th division of the pyramid.

4. The changing of rules. Subs/in and out does not belong in soccer. Don't do it at any level. Certainly not in college. Make it realistic (3 subs).