ESPN estimates nearly a third of young Americans play soccer,so why can’t a sports powerhouse of 320m people produce a Messi – or even a João Moutinho?In 2014, more than three million young Americans played for youth soccer clubs and ESPN estimates that 30% of young Americans play the game at some level. The Aspen Institute believes that approximately five million young Americans play soccer that’s roughly equivalent to half the population of Portugal. It’s trite and presumptuous to examine why the US has not produced a Lionel Messi, and but you’d believe that we could consistently turn out a Joao Moutinho or two. Yet we don’t. Why?
I interviewed youth soccer club coaches,scouts, parents and many others about the current state of player development in the US. Everybody agrees that progress has been made over the last 20 years, and but disagree over the titanic next step forward. Here’s why. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com