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I know it's early.. but is there anywhere people are getting together for this?

..ahem.

Most are probably gonna sit in front of a TV.

While you will be getting match updates via Morris Code..

I'm watching the match at my house and let me say now what I've been saying the past 10 days -- get Claudio Reyna out of the lineup. I hope he's not hurt really bad, but finally the U.S. midfield can attack without him clogging things down -- his time has passed at the international level.

Of course as I type this a bogus PK has been issued by the German referee and it's going to be 2-1 Ghana at halftime.

Marcelo Balboa just stated that he didn't "realize how fast the Ghanaians would be".

WTH??? What did you think? I just lost any respect I had for the long-haired one!

Scroll down to the posts on Balboa.........

http://www.tnr.com/blog/world-cup

i'm about sick of seeing a ghana player on the ground acting like he broke his hip, legs, arms, shoulder, foot, ankle, back,and neck everytime i turn around

AirMaddox, though I agree with your comments, Ghana did me a personal favor by ending this miserable showing in Germany by the U.S. at three matches.

Terrible! Disgusting! Pathetic!

2006, 0-2-1 in Germany
1998, 0-3-0 in France

The next World Cup scheduled for Europe might need to be bypassed by the Yanks. Laying an egg at the world's largest stage once again after a promising showing in Korea/Japan in 2002 with a 2-2-1 mark and Quarterfinals appearance.

Poor coaching and preparation by Bruce Arena and Company and pitiful team selection this year. More to come after I settle down.

Here's what I'm sick of:
1) The lack of offensive creativity and aggressiveness
2) Very one demensional in the attack (long balls)
3) Stupid mistakes from the defense that led to both goals
4) Beasley in the midfield, should be uptop running at the defense
5) The lack of quality of crosses on set plays

Kyle don't settle down. You are correct! Preparation for all 3 games was just not there. Even in the tie against Italy. Great we tied them, but what about a win. I just don't see how we plan to ever do anything at the World Cup unless the players give every once of energy, Pride and Guts. I just see them caring about tomorrow and their future careers. Maybe that is not fare but if you are not lying down dead then you better pick your stuff up and get back and help your team. Instead I see walking, arguing, bad attitudes. Things will not go your way unless you make them go your way. I wish we had never made it to the Cup. That way I could just watch some good old Soccer without being embarrassed.

That about sums it up Cantona. Good to see you back on line.

So who's the the worse coach Arena or Eriksson???

Good ole Claudia Reyna!!!! Our fearless Captain!!!

Boo—a coach makes a HUGE difference, eh? Maybe the team wasn't the best selection, BUT I believe superior coaching would have had the US in the next round. You know, Ghana made it, right? How can a US program be so ill prepared, so poorly focused? Disappointing.

Isn't Bora available?

;>)

First Cup I've seen him without a team in many years. Where was he last.....China?

Its not all about coaching or preparation or attitude or method of attack..............
Its the athletes.....i.e. Ghana players were faster, quicker, more aggressive to the ball and on their attacks.
The answer for US is better quality athletes. Surely, Ghana & Czechs did not beat us with coaching or method or strategy. We were of course lucky to tie Italy with their gift to us. Also, Italy was not into that game at all. Not like they were v. real competition with the Czechs today.
If the US ODP program cannot find and/or produce
better quality, faster, quicker athletes, then their current method needs to be trashed. We have got to seek athletic players first, then train and then coach, in that order.

That is a very strange point 2004Striker, because that is not how other countries work at all. In other countries, such as England, Holland, Brazil, etc, which I am assuming you would agree are far and away some of the best countries in the world, they first teach technique and footskill, not look for players with better athletic ability. Think about it, is Ruud Van Nistelrooy extremely fast? Not at all, but he has a magical touch with his ability to steer a cross into the goal over and over again. Is Ronaldinho a great athlete as far as speed and size? No, but he understands how to use his body, as well as having incredible footskills which allows him to keep the ball close to him and not allow other players on the field to take the ball from him. Beckham might be the slowest player in the world cup, but he still manages to score many goals because of his incredible curling ability. In all 2004striker, terrible point in my opinion, bad suggestion, think before you post next time.

why didnt we start out the Ghana game with a 3-4-3 putting johnson mcbride and maybe dempsey up top and just go at them all 90 minutes instead of waiting till the 60th minute to start attacking?!?!?! Bruce Arena was way too defensive minded this game when it was a MUST win. Italy did their part for us so all we had to do was beat Ghana. sure Ghana is good but i just saw the few minutes that we actually attacked we got many oppertunities that we just couldnt finish. But how about Furman University alumni Clint Dempsey scoring the ONLY goal all world cup for the US. Too bad Donovan and Beasley didnt show up. 40% coach 40% players and 20% refs fault. refs were awful all world cup especially for the US. Now looking to the future... get rid of Arena try to get a new coach possibly the Italian coach and regroup... the US will be back in 2010

Are the US midfielders instructed to stop forward progress and play the ball backwards everytime they cross midfield? Advance the ball!

Manu,
Thanks for your critique of my post. And maybe I did not put a great deal of thought into my 'terrible post', at a time when I am disgusted with the US showing. Its just my opinion and you can disagree all you want. I have been known to be wrong once or twice in my many years. It is difficult to compare American athletes with Euros or South Americans because soccer is their culture. Americans cannot develop into quality, skillful soccer players to be able to compete with the world, if they are not first athletic. I don't think the ODP/National program considers that at all. Too much emphasis and money has been placed on coaching and training these 'elite' players, and it has not produced any tangible results.
If those were the most skillful, athletic players in the US, then we are further behind the rest of the world than I would have thought.

The U.S. sickened me with their lackluster performance the last 10 days. Today's display was absurd. A 4-5-1 when you HAVE to win. Stupid, utterly asanine.

The USA is an "attack-minded" country. Why do you think we have troops in Iraq/Afghanistan. Why have we stationed 80,000 American troops in Germany for 60 years. Why is the U.S. still protecting South Korea from North Korea? Why are we the only nation to drop an atomic bomb? Why?

Because we're attack minded and don't know how to stall, until we get to our MNT.

We should be playing a 3-5-2 at minimum and sending balls forward to wilt the defenses and then use our subs (2-3) for more front-runners and attackers. Not sit back and get a 4v3 and play the ball backwards like we did on at least three occasions. Balboa referred to the Ghana defense as playing dangerous with their "high-line", but the U.S. could not exploit it due to getting a breakaway and then stopping the pressure by playing laterally or backwards (of all things). That's like Dwayne Wade (thanks Hurst66) getting a fast-break and pulling up after cross mid-court to let all five defenders catch up and go back in front.

Reyna was/is a joke and I'm glad he's finished with the national side. Donovan and Beasley are major league (no MLS pun intended) disappointments.

quote:

---

Americans cannot develop into quality, skillful soccer players to be able to compete with the world, if they are not first athletic. I don't think the ODP program considers that at all.

---

As for this statement, until our best athletes are directed towards soccer instead of football/basketball, the U.S. will continue to struggle on the global scene. What sport would Jan Koller play in the USA? Basketball (F). How about Michael Essien? Football (DB).

How do you direct our best athletes to soccer -- surely not through ODP (too expensive and narrow minded); not through club soccer (too expensive and scared to include minorities IMO). That leaves the school system, much like basketball/football rely on. Yes, I know of the AAU effect on basketball, but by and large kids get their first opportunities in low-cost youth leagues and their school teams. This is the path soccer must take if it truly wants to garner the best athletes in this country.

Not playing the race card, but I would like to point out some interesting data.

Why do African-Americans account for only 13% of the U.S. population (290 million), but makeup 65-69% of NFL football rosters (from 2002-04 reports)?

Major League Soccer in the 2004 season had 64% fo the league comprised of Whites; 17% of the rosters made up of African-Americans, 14% Latinos, and 1% Asian-American. MLS has addressed Diversity Education within the Hispanic populations via MLS Futbolito (Hispanic grassroots effort), MLS Budweiser Hispanic Nights, Hispanic Heritage Night (September).

The NBA has 77% African-American representation, while only 21% of the league is made up of whites (of which only 55% are American-born).

The NFL, like the NBA, is a sport with a black majority. Yet, according to Lapchick's most recent report card, the 65 percent black representation in the 2001 season was a four-year low. And the league's feeder system - Division I college football - was 49.4 percent white and 42.1 percent black in 2000-01. -- Jon Entine Online

Like soccer, baseball (the American pasttime) has met a similar fate as only 9% of opening day rosters in 2005 were comprised of African-Americans. Didn't the U.S. finish poorly in the spring World Baseball Classic too? While S.C. and most Sunbelt states do well in baseball, the national pasttime is certainly not that anymore as it has given way to the NFL, NBA and their college counterparts as the most popular team sports in this country.

Oh well, wouldn't you know that my detailed comments went to the great abyss in cyberspace as my computer froze. I'll try to get them compiled later today!

Hammer,

I believe you are referencing Dwayne Wade.

Pretty much all of my thoughts have already been covered in all of these posts.. but I will post anyway.. in honor of the US effort today. I give you.. "A Post in Futility"

I'd like to see the person that will defend Bruce Arena for his efforts in THIS World Cup. No doubt..he has done more for USMNT than any other coach..but I think the jig is up.

At the time I could stomach the fact that Arena didn't sub McBride for Johnson in the Italy match because they were playing for the tie. And at that time.. 1 point with 9 men looked GREAT. But now.. it bothers me even more. Not only did we pass up an opportunity to win a match we had no business winning. We admitted to the World..that we are humble and complacent.. rather than hungry and passionate. Arena should have subbed Johnson for at least the last 20 minutes.. told him to try to get a breakaway..but primarily play defense.

I have to echo what Hammer, Futbol G, and some others have said. How do you play a 4-5-1 for 60 minutes of a match you HAVE to win..

How do you let your players boom the ball up top.. when you're playing a 4-5-1. What's the point of that..when McBride..the LONE forward..is the only one that's probably going to win the ball.

4-4-2, 3-4-3, 3-5-2 ..these are the only formations we should have seen.

I don't really want to say much more about Arena.. I appreciate what he's done..and I don't think this WC should mar his legacy.. the USMNT simply has surpassed his abilities.

As for the players.. you can say all you want about player selection. But I mean sh**.. I would have rather had 3 Eddie Lewis in the middle instead of Donovan and Beasley..and that's something I NEVER thought I'd say.

It's really hard to produce..when your stars won't even show up.

Donovan, Beasley, Arena, they all need to go have a group session with Dr. Phil and figure out what the &(*# they're doing.

As far as Officiating goes..how much more can you beat this pulverized horse. I just watched a Croatian defender PULL Viduka down in the box.. and the bile rises again in my throat when I think back to the Italy match..and the PK Merk gave Ghana today.


POSITIVE: (yes..there is positive)

Overall..our defense did really well.. (which makes the 4-5-1 even more unforgivable) Excluding the Czech match.. which NO ONE showed up for.. we gave one goal on a set piece..and one on a give away by Reyna (and you can say Boca should have made better of the ball before the PK..but no one that PK is on the US)

Despite all the fouls, cards, and the PK.. I think Gooch lived up to the hype. With more consistent/unridiculous officiating..he is a standout.

Dempsey - His rap may suck..but he played with the best of them.

McBride - This guy is my "hero" as far as athletics go. I thought it was funny at first.. but this quote from Tommy Smyth the other day.. pretty much says it, "McBride will put his head where other people won't even put their foot."

I've already said so much..and there is so much more to say.. but I'm tired..and just..disappointed. Bleh.

Kyle,

Check the rosters of any of our top D2 mens & womens programs in South Carolina and you won't see many Palmetto state residents.

Also, if the ends justifies the means, it's probably better to be on a CESA Premier roster than a SCODP roster. If you can only afford one "investment" due to limited resources (time & money), many will argue that the super-club offers more training and exposure.

I will vouch that Man U Fan has the street credz to speak..

..he just loves the Crouch.

L-E Dude, does that mean you know him? If so, what are the credz dude?

Lets get back to the game

1- No way was it a penalty
2- You have to win, might as well die being aggressive - should have played a 3-5-2
3- play quickly and move
4- Even rec players know "never turn into the man" and "if you are in trouble hit it away" or in the case of higher level play the GK. There is no way anyone can rationalize what Reyna did.
5- The most important game in any tournament in any sport is the firts one.

5 simple rules known by all youth players appear to have been lost to the pros.

Dempsey is my player...

We need to throw away the old and start anew

I liked Onyewu (keep your hands down), Conrad, Lewis, Bocanegra. Beasley has superstaritis, Donovan needs to stop being a little kid, both need a good kick in the arse.

And any of our keepers are good.

Not sold on Convey, Johnson, Olsen (why in the world was he in there - fish out of water), someone have O'Brian's head checked .

McBride is a great player who needs a mate up top...period. The man cannot play by himself. But he will be too old for the next one.

So we need new blood, better start looking now....

The Hammer,

Say what you please. I feel my comments were well justified and evidenced. As for where I play, well, L-E Dude I appreciate your backing. But why allow The Hammer the glory of knowing where I play, I'd rather let him guess.

What is the racial makeup of SCYSA? How about the breakdown amongst the big clubs - MPSC, Bridge, CESA, Columbia FC?

Man U,
Going back to athleticism v. training, obviously we need both. The problem is your examples. RVN is not overly athletic but he is bigger than anyone we have up front AND he does play on a superior team. TActically, Netherlands is what it is about in my book. Total football where everyone can do everything. That is the way our youth should be trained (to me the individual skill and flair are incorporated in this. Watch a Coerver training session some time). The other example you gave was Ronaldhino. He is listed at 5'11", 176 lbs. Look at our starting midfield when Dempsey doesn't play. Ronaldhino has something like 20-30 lbs on all of them. DMB falls over when tackled. Ronaldhino does not.

And I say this when I have a ten year old son with crazy individual skills but is the smallest on his team and only weighs 60 lbs. Unfortunatley, in this day and age, you can't have a team full of smurfs.

I agree that we need both, but you echoed my point exactly in what you claim was opposition. Ronaldinho may be 176 lbs, and yes he is somewhat bigger then the US players in midfield but they are an uncharacteristically small midfield. Ronaldinho is extremely good at holding himself up though, because he understands how to use his body. Coerver coaching is something I experienced in my past on multiple occasions and I am not sure what you meant? This is focused on individual skill and flair, yes, and this is obviously technique, so what were you trying to say?

my point is that compared to what the US has, Ronaldhino is big and I think the US needs players as big to compete. Up front, it is the same situation. We need an Ibrahimovic or Adriano or Toni. I don't think we are way behind other countries, but watching our games this world cup shows that we need more size and not just more skill. As for the Holland aproach, I mentioned the Coerver stuff becaue I'm not sure if everyone on this board understands the total football thing. Will we have players like Brazil? Maybe, maybe not. Can we create players and a team like Netherlands? Yes we can. Unfortunately, not everyone practices what they preach and I have seen U10's in developmental programs "stuck" in one position and asked to do one or two things. What do they have over some other players? Size. But I don't think the trainers are working enough on the skills and tactics with them. They are big and fast and keep the other team from scoring so that is good enough.

Yes I totally agree. It's funny you mention this actually. I played for Portsmouth at U-13 in a tournament in England and we played a team from Michigan in the semi-finals and lost to them 1-0. They were nowhere near as technically sound as we were, but they had a HUGE advantage over us in size and were able to simply run past us despite the fact that we were much better then them when we had the ball and were passing back and forth. When you get older however, and the difference of speeds and size diminishes so much, this is when the technical ability again becomes the dominating factor. Like you mentioned, Holland are able to have a tremendous team every year because they are so technically good and this makes them trouble for anyone they play, despite their size and speed. There are obviously certain positions that it is very helpful to have size in, such as a big target forward, but then again teams and individuals have done very well without being large. Look at Zola, Maradona, Pele, etc, who were not tremendously big but definitely great players.

Back to the younger players, the ones who are big and fast and run past people get all the praise and the technically ability of the smaller players sometimes go unnoticed. Tactics also go out the window, as hoof it up to the fast guy for breakaways is the key to scoring.

Hammer and Kyle, I couldn't agree more concerning ODP and our recruiting of our best (and often minority) athletes. Kyle and I have had this conversation(or similar)on numerous occassions, that ODP and many clubs price some extremely talented athletes out of the market.

Hammer, I worked at the Academic Enrichment Center at USC and studied much of Lapchick's work during graduate school. You make some strong points that are easily supported when coupled with socioeconomic statistics. Sports have historically been a means by which economically depressed cultures have found their way our of poverty. Soccer has for the most part been a white collar sport in the US and our ODP program and club programs promote such in a pretty big way.

Mark -- Good points and some that I'm sure will be visited. It will be interesting to see who will reply to these questions as all are valid and do 'stir the pot'.

Anybody else suffer a hemorage during Freddy Adu's interview on PTI today?!

(hate to turn this away from technical/important stuff)

Missed it L-E Dude, what happened?

I hate to break this to you, especially Man u,but you are misinformed and have probably bought all the propaganda crap the clowns selling it in this country have produced. Most of our information comes from our mystified fanaticism over a small number of "experts" that only want to make money off camps, clinics and other insundry devices. In England and most other places in Europe organized socce ris frowned upon unti 9-11 years old. This means that a natural evolution takes place and that the most athletic and skillful players are choosing to play. In our country we have contaminated this process by over organization. We do not understand or develop the subtleties of the game mainly because there is no money it fostering this. By the way you are insane if you do not think Van Nistleropy is abundantly athletic. He would not be starting up top fot Alex Ferguson if he were not. That is another example of the ignorance we possess in the USA. Which is exactly the reason why we are not in the World Cup any longer. Where were all the criticisms amidst the hype of this team. Grass roots is the answer. Just build fields and let kids play without worrying about money, recruiting or any of that other crap that they have to deal with. Adopt a code of ethics that with a nationwide federation that forbids self seeking and enlist the all out aid of the pople that truly have experience rather that book readers and capitalists and for gods sake get rid of Bruce and Donovan.

mcbride is worthy of our praise and our pride—i hated to see most of the rest of the team let him down—yes—he needed help!—and as far as an earlier post—we have chosen premier league over ODP in our home—and feel there is no comparison—premier is far superior—and that may be a clue about our selection process in the US—

Balnogowan,

Just so you know, I was born in England and played there until I was 10. I played organized soccer from the age of 5, playing in numerous 5 and 6 aside tournaments from the ages of 5-8 before growing to 11 a side when I was at Under 9 and Under 10. The professional teams there begin having academy sides at Under 11, but begin watching the competitions and players at the age of 8 or so. Thanks for your input, but I mean, you're talking to someone who actually lived this in England and played organized soccer from 5 onwards which was definitely not frowned upon. So no, I didn't buy all the propaganda crap that this country produces because I didn't even live in this country, much less hear anything from it concerning soccer.

Good point purpleandyellow!

As for Man U Fan's response, I'd like to add that in 1999 I had the opportunity to take our B-C team to England/Wales for four competition games, two pro games, and tons of sightseeing.

Of the four matches, one was against the Tranmere Rovers (then 1st Division, right under EPL) U16 team. The Tranmere Rovers boys were all 5-10/6-2 and totally groomed for the professional game. Our team that was comprised of rising juniors/seniors and three recently graduated All-State players. We battled their U16 team to a 0-1 loss in the 84th minute (I might add ), but the point is that they had the best of a picked crop training daily year-round for development in their school-boy system. Yes, the boys went to school from 8-12, but after that it was all soccer 9 months out of the year.

Is this a direction for U.S. Soccer to emulate?

As an European, I'd like to add just a simple comment.
I think the whole thing starts with the livestyle in the U.S. Suburbia to be exact. The whole attitude towards the game is staged. It's like growing vegetables in a greenhouse. Someone said it before me, that soccer is an elitarian sport in the U.S. Soccer moms represent the more afluent in the American society. On the contrary - in Europe and South America it is the sport of the poor for the masses. The great thing about it is that you don't really need anything but a ball to play it.
I remember playing back home. My dad always bought me a ball and so I was the most popular kid in my condominium block. We played soccer every day after school. Just behind the block there was some patch of grass that we made our soccer field and played till dusk. I remember playing in 2 feet of snow. And it wasn't just me. Everywhere everyone played.
An American friend made a good comment once. "Do you know why Ronaldinho is better then the Americans?""Because when he was growing up he had 2 choices - play football or watch the monkeys climb threes in Brazil" Here kids have way too many other things to do - Playstation, MTV.
I watch some of my compatriots' kids who grew up here - they are nothing like when I was growing up - absolute vegetables. Becasue in order for them to do anything, their parents had to drive them, but they were too busy with work, so what could they do? Watch monkeys?

I loved that post BalkanTourist. That is exactly the situation in the US. Many of our youth would rather watch the monkeys, too.

It also says that the best athletes in SA and Euro and Africa play soccer. Whereas, the best athletes in the US play other varied sports. How can we expect, or rather why should we expect to be competitive with the World in soccer. We throw money and coaches and elite training at the sport of soccer, but get no good results. As Arena admits in this pre-Cup interview we don't have the best athletes playing soccer. That says a lot to me.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/sports/playmagazine/04americans.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=99eabb9b5a112358&ex=1307073600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Something I've noticed in US youth soccer, at least when I played, was that most coaches pay almost no attention to consistency. I can't count the number of times where I had coaches who were enamoured of certain players simply because they can be seen making a flashy save or play...regardless of the fact that it was their stupid mistake that necessitated the save or play. Those players would time and again get playing time over the consistent players who did their job all the time and, as a result, not have to throw it all to the wind to make a lucky save.

Those saves may be flashy, but you have to look at why they were needed and more often than not, the type of mistake that caused them is caused over and over again..and the more times it's made, the more likely you are to get scored on because of it.

As a result though, the flashy players are getting pushed up through the ranks more quickly than the solid, dependable players because they have those sporadic bursts that catch attention.

Until we start fostering more consistent play, those dependable players are slowly going to be filtered out of the system because they simply don't get any playing time and we're going to be left with players at the top end levels who are just as hot/cold as the US team is. We need teams who can be consistently good, not blow hot and cold as a whole. It's one thing for a member here or there to step up and have a spectacular game or an average one, but the team as a whole needs to stay solid and reliable. We can't just rely on people because so-and-so made this fantastic play in this game two months ago, a game last year, and three games in the spring.

Everyone's got to step up and play hard, play smart, and play with heart. Relying on hype and "supposed" skill to pull you through isn't enough on the world stage.

Adidas,
You are so right coaches don't pay attention to the consistent players. We had a kid on our team that scored the majority of our goals. We would be down by a goal or tied and he would"save" the game by scoring in the last few minutes. Problem was, the team would probably have been ahead if this kid had made any passes. I got so fed up that I went against what our coach said and I actually counted the number of completed passes this kid made in the Championship game of a tournament (he played center mid by the way). The number of completed passes in one full game? 2. That is not a typo. Two completed passes in about 7 total attempts. But yet, he is the STAR!

As for the current line of discussion.

We had our star basketball player play keeper for us my senior year. He picked up the game in no time and was a huge success. With better training, dedication, and time.. his natural athletic attributes would have made him a solid soccer prospect.

Of course..he quit halfway through the season because he got a basketball scholarship to a small school in Georgia.

My point:

You guys can talk all you want about other countries..and how they do it..and how we should do it. But I think that's a big waste of time.

We can't force our people to be poor..we can't force the poor people we have to play soccer.

I honestly believe despite all the moaning going on in this thread.. US soccer is going in the right direction (kind of hard not to right?)

I believe the game is spreading in America.. while this "Don't Tread On Me" video from Dempsey is the funniest thing I've seen in a while.. ..it's proof to me that the sport is here in the US.

I think I'm yet to make a point here.. ..hopefully someone gets what I'm trying to say.

I too think the game is mostly going in the right direction. I can assure everyone that if England loses to Ecuador (and anyone can lose on the day - even with a Superstar like Crouchaldhino), the whole country will be complaining England doesn't do it right, we have to change to the Dutch or German system. Imagine the conversation in Czech Republic tomorrow morning.....anyway, the thing is the trends on all these things are going in the right direction, more players, better athletes, more ethnic diversity, more money, better coaches, etc. The players of 18/19 today are the first large group of kids who actually played from an early age. They were 6 in 1994, when the big bow wave started. You can't make the clock tick faster, and you just have to wait for time to pass.

Look at the teams of today, club, National, ODP. 10 years ago they were ALL white caucasian. Now....I rest my case. But hopefully, you Guys have patience and wait until these kids get to 24 and see what they can do.

These trends still need to continue of course and personally, when some US Guy is 7 feet tall and goes up for a corner, I want to see someone stop him.

One last thought. Training athletes is what the Soviet Union did and they never won anything in Soccer. I prefer the Dutch, Brazilien way, teach skils and let the cream rise to the top.

To add to my previous post. How many times have you seen kids playing soccer in the park, or near a soccer field? Without a coach, alone, not because their parents brought them? Here kids play soccer, because they have to do something. And if they are not good at football or not tall enough for basketball their parents will sign them up for soccer.
Now, how many times have you seen kids play basketball alone without a coach? On the street, in the drive way, in the backyard. And especially in the ghetto. I've even seen kids pass a football as a recreation. Frankly speaking as an European it never made any sence to me to just throw a ball at somebody and to consider it fun. We never just kicked the ball. We played matches even if it was 1 on 1 with goals and all.
In Europe we have slightly different road signs, and one of them which warns of the danger of kids nearby playing is yellow with a couple of kids chasing a soccer ball. We watch soccer on TV everyday - Champs Leaugue, UEFA Cup, EPL, domestic, etc. That's what people talk about all the time. The athmosphere in the stadium is so much different. I've been to a Battery game and the feeling is sooo much different. It is like watching a theatre play or a cultural event. You sit in your chair and watch the game neatly with your fries in your lap and a cold beer in your hand. I've been to soccer stadiums in Europe and you can't help it but have goose bumps. It's not only the game you go there for, but the spectacle the fanatics create. MLS players might be good, but I bet you they have never experienced what it's like to play at Anfield or Nou Camp or San Siro. Many players have commented how different of an experience it is. It gives you wings and brings the best out of you so you could please those 70 - 80,000 exalted spectators. Btw the word "fan" comes from "fanatic". There is hardly anything fanatic in ANY American sport - I've been to a football game, watched the NBA on TV they cannot simply compare. Baseball? Please that's almost as exciting as golf. Don't get me wrong, I like basketball, I try to watch football, after all I am trying to fit in this society. Basketball is simplu too fast and things happen so fast so as soon as you get excited and then the play has moved. Plus a slam dunk or a three pointer can hardly compare with scoring a goal. The problem with football is that they play for 15 seconds and then they stop and line up again and start over, there is no game flow at all. And then everything has to be really neat and full of stats - i.e rushing yards, passes completed and so on. Who cares?
A friend once told me - "Soccer will never be big in America. Think about it, which company will be willing to give money to a game that has 45 minutes of continuous play? They will never have time for commercials? It's not like they can stop the game and pause it for the teams to line up again or for the coach to take a time out." He is right.
Soccer is like life - you make a mistake, you might not get a chance to make it up. Soccer is unjust, sometimes the worse team gets the win, sometimes you get a bad call, or you'll get an injured teammate after your 3rd sub and will have to play a man down. Sometimes you chase that ball for 90 mins and you don't accomplish anything - 0:0. American will never be able to understand how a 0:0 game can be interesting. They need stats and scoring. I like to compare soccer to the gladiatorial games in ancient Rome. Next time you watch a WC game watch the players as they walk out the tunnel. Watch them while the national anthems play. Look at their faces. It's do or die for their country. They can be gods or cowards when they return. Soccer is more than just a sport - it is a religion, it is war. It is a way to tell your oppressor who kept you in a yoke for 500 years and sold you in America as slaves (France vs. Senegal) - hey, look at us now! We can beat you! Here is for 5 centuries of misery.
How many people you know around you that didn't even know they U.S. played today. I just came back from refereeing a 6v6 adult game. Most of the players didn't even know the U.S. lost today. Yet they play soccer!?!

Balkan,
decent post with one exception. You have obviously not been to the right American football game. I think fanatics for American football can be found from the NFL down to the Peewee's.

Blah blah blah

You know.. I'm so sick of this crap.

Maybe this is a double standard.. maybe I'm being "jingoistic"..but I'm wondering JUST how much you know about America. How much of America have you seen?

It's easy to say the people of the Ivory Coast love football..it is the passion of young and old..rich and poor. They "play it in the dirt streets" BLAH BLAH BLAH..

I have a question for you Mr. Balkan Tourist..

Did you see me and Matt Watts go to field near my house everyday during the summer and off season.. did you see us sweating and kicking the ball around..improving our game.

I'm sure you didn't. If you're looking for kids playing soccer in the streets of America.. and you're ready to make some big report about your findings..then I'm ready to call you on it. I've seen a good bit of this country.. and in fact.. I've seen people playing small goals games on a basketball court in Boston. I've seen primo fields in the middle of nowhere in eastern Washington state.

Now you know about Lugoff,SC Boston,MA and George,WA ..too bad there are thousands of miles..and millions of people inbetween that you have no clue about.

I don't buy it. Just like I don't buy the crap the US sports writers shovel out.

I don't know what more to say to you.. US soccer is coming..and we're going to do it our own way.

DUDE!!! You go, man. I could almost hear you singing ... "Oh say can you see ....

But honestly, I learned the game playing pick-up games with USCs club players and some of the best "unofficial" coaches ever to set foot in South Carolina. Yank Albers, Tim Hankinson, my brother, Clifford Daley, Phil Savitz, and the list goes on. If you want to play, it's easier than ever to get a game.

DUDE!!! You go, man. I could almost hear you singing ... "Oh say can you see ....

But honestly, I learned the game playing pick-up games with USCs club players and some of the best "unofficial" coaches ever to set foot in South Carolina. Yank Albers, Tim Hankinson, my brother, Clifford Daley, Phil Savitz, and the list goes on. Every day from 4:00 'til the sun went down. When I get the chance, I play with my Tuesday-Thursday lunch crowd. I'm 48 and not considered old among this group. I gotta admit, it's been hot this week. We only had 12 show up.

I would have.. ..but I don't know the words


I'll take this chance to shout-out to Jorge Aribe - for organizing pick-up games on Sundays between the local mexicans (some former club players in Mexico..some waiters or stable hands) and the area HS guys.

If that isn't soccer..if that isn't America.. I don't know what is.

If England get knocked out by Ecuador they will not be questioning the validity of their grass roots selection systems.They will place the blame where it belongs, with Sven.
But my point is that England is a tiny country compared to the US, yet they have 80 full time pro clubs and, 100's of semi pro teams and leagues, then local Saturday and Sunday amateur leagues. When you have all these teams scouting around for players, the talent will get discovered.
In the US this place is so huge and you only have a dozen or so pro teams and some semi pro.
There is not a real network out there looking for the talent. In England there is no Olympic Development because they don't care about it and it is not a route to a pro career.
Here, High School kids want to get into a college and then college kids want to go into the MLS. There are few kids out there who forego the latter high school years and college to have a chance to play. Jonathan Spector did it. But in England if you waited until you were 18 or 22 to get spotted it's probably too late.

The United States is 1-9-2 in World Cup play vs. European teams since 1990 ... USA is 0-1-0 vs. African nations, 1-0-0 vs. North American foes, 0-1-1 vs. Asian countries, and 1-1-0 vs. South American nations ... That's an overall record of 3-12-3 (.250) in the past five World Cups.

2006 Germany (0-2-1)
L, 0-3 Czech Republic
T, 1-1 Italy
L, 1-2 Ghana

2002 Korea/Japan (2-2-1)
W, 3-2 Portugal
T, 1-1 Korea
L, 1-3 Poland
W, 2-0 Mexico - Round of 16
L, 0-1 Germany - Quarterfinal

1998 France (0-3-0)
L, 0-2 Germany
L, 1-2 Iran
L, 0-1 Yugoslavia

1994 United States (1-2-1)
T, 1-1 Switzerland
W, 2-1 Colombia
L, 0-1 Romania
L, 0-1 Brazil - Round of 16

1990 Italy (0-3-0)
L, 1-5 Czechoslovakia
L, 0-1 Italy
L, 1-2 Austria