Youth Development

Here are a couple of emails that are from my conversations with the soccer columnist from last week...sounds like he is going to elaborate more on what he and I talked about. He also published my email on the website ussoccerplayers.com, below is his last email to me followed by my comments to him from last week...


Hi Brian

Thanks for the compliments Brian. No guarantee, but I will probbably write next week's column on what can, and can't be done.

From me to him last week:

I appreciate you writing back, and I do agree with your comments below. I want more than anything to beat the top soccer countries on a consistent basis. But how do you propose getting from point A to B. I honestly have no idea because of my lack of knowledge in this area...the only thing that I can look at is the fact that we have players now playing integral roles on European leagues and getting consistent playing time. It is my opinion that if any strong American player is not getting consistent first team action in Europe then they need to be on an MLS team, this is how our players develop right now. But I believe it has to be Major League Soccer that gets us to that next step. I wish all teams would start putting a stronger emphasis on the development of youth in their community, I believe New York really is the only progam doing this consistently right now. However I have no doubt in my mind that we will eventually figure it out...I don't know when that will be, but coming from my background and seeing the game develop first hand over the last 30 years gives me the confidence that it will happen. When I first started playing the game back in '84 at the age of 6 I was being coached by clueless Americans in a small town with no professional league or professional National team. Now there are more players and exposure then I could have ever thought possible, and if you want to be a professional then you have a better opportunity now than ever before. I also think its up to people like you and I to continue to get the word out on how awesome our sport is. I took 6 others with me to the US vs. Brazil game on Sunday and all they did before the game was complain about why the game was being played the same day as the NFL's first weekend. But they all ended up having an awesome time and probably will never forget the experience. Anyway, regardless of the topic, I Iove ussoccerplayers.com and look forward to all the columns from you, Ian, and the rest.

Take care