Now I get that there will be some of you saying that I am not a "true american" and that I am being disrespectful or something along those lines, but it's fair to say so because of the lack of results I have seen. Yes, they do win matches and show a strong sense of play. It's just that there are more factors that are against them then benefiting them.
One big reason for the team insufficient success has got to be the lack of support that americans have for soccer. And when I say support, I do not mean playing FIFA on your Xbox or Playstation. Honestly, how many people can say they have sat down and watched a full soccer match? How many more can say they've at and watched it live? Although I do not know the exact numbers, it can't be very many when you think about the hundreds of millions that live in this country. For those that may not know, a normal soccer match has two 45 minute halves that total 90 minutes along with whatever extra time might be added at the end due to stoppage from injuries and penalties. When you playoffs and cup matches, two overtime halves of 15 minutes a piece (30 min. total) may be added onto the 90 minute regular time when the game is tied which then brings the total to 120 minutes. But wait, if it is still tied by the end of overtime, then we head into final stage known as penalty kicks (England's worst nightmare!) which will go on forever until someone is able to score or the keeper is able to stop it.
Now imagine that you went to a game, sat in the stadium, and saw such a game unfold. Fans around the world would say how it was such a spectacular game. Most americans would've probably left after the first half or fallen asleep. For me, I actually enjoy watching the games and will sit down for 90+ minutes to see the match play out. Granted, I don't know everything about the game, but I have enough knowledge to understand the basics of what is happening.
But I do not watch Major League Soccer (yes, we have professional soccer in the U.S.) because of how different the style of play is on the pitch (field), which is my second reason right there. Some of you are probably thinking, "What is he talking about? It's not different. it's all just kicking a ball." Well, you're all wrong. See, each country has a specific style of play that it focuses on. In just about every game I have watched that features a team from Europe, the play on the pitch is just a perfect combination of elegance, strategy, and force. Dominant forces like Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid (my favorite!), Juventus, A.C. Milan, Bayern Munich, PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), and others are so well equipped that I feel the U.S. national team would be well out-matched in those games. It's not to say U.S. would not put up a challenge, but over these passed two World Cups I have witnessed, the squad has always seemed to play back on their heels and be more keen about playing defense instead of pushing forward and attacking the net. I understand that Howard had a World Cup game where he made a ton of saves, but what does that say about the rest of the squad when he has to be the man of the hour? In all honesty, it's not the way World Cup champions should look.
Why is that? Because of reason three: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Central and South America all consider soccer to be their nation's sport. They are so dedicated to it and being dominate in the sport, that they have clubs set up to teach kids the sport from the time they are born so that they can be signed by a big-name team's youth squad or academy around the age of 10 or so. I swear, it's true! Kids are signed young so that the team can grow them into the kind of players they are looking for, which is something that the U.S. does, but not with the type of passion that England, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Italy, and others have done every year.
And it shows well when you have Brazil holding the record with 5 World Cups while giving soccer legendary players like Didi, Carlos Alberto, Ronaldinho, Zico, Ronaldo, Garrincha, and of course Pele.
Then you got Germany and Italy both tied at 4 wins each. Italy has graced football history with legends like Gianni Rivera, Gianluigi Buffon, Giuseppe "Peppino" Meazza, Fabio Cannavaro, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Rossi, and Dino Zoff. Meanwhile, Germany have given big names to the game as well with players like Miroslav Klose, Paul Breitner, Jurgen Klinsmann (current head coach for U.S.A.), Sep Maier, Lothar Matthaus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Gerd Muller, and Franz Beckenbauer.
Spain and England both have one it only once. England grabbed theirs in 1966, and although they have never been back since, they have put out legendary names like Alan Shearer, Stuart Pearce, John Barnes, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Gary Lineker, David Beckham, Peter Shilton, Bobby Moore, and Bobby Charleton. Spain however, won their title 4 years ago in 2010 and have given the world players like Andoni Zubizarreta, Emilio Butrageuno, Afredo Di Stefano, David Villa, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Raul, and Iker Casillas.
Now some (or none) may not be recognizable by americans, but believe me that these are just a few names from these few countries that have become iconic for winning and playing the game like no other. But don't worry because the United States has a collection of talented players like Demarcus Beasley, Tim Howard, Alexi Lalas, Thomas Florie, Cobi Jones, Claudio Reyna, Paul Caligiuri, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Adelino Gonsalves, and the great Landon Donovan. Again, some names we know well while others are unknown, but we do have our players as well. But our best finish in the World Cup came in our first year ever in 1930, finishing tied for third place with Yugoslavia.
However, it must be said that players like Howard, Donovan, and Altidore may not be where they are at without the help signing with clubs across the Atlantic. yes, they are U.S. born citizens that play on our national team, but their skills may not have been so finely tuned if they would have stayed here in the United States where the MLS competition is nothing compared to La Liga or Premier League. We know Tim Howard is probably this nation's all-time greatest keeper and started with the New Jersey Imperials and then MetroStars, but the thanks needs to go to Manchester United and Everton in England for giving him the right coaching to hone his craft. Clint Dempsey is an all-american Texas guy who got his start with the New England Revolution, but Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur in England is what really made him the player we know and love. Jozy Altidore started off like the others by playing two year in New York before eventually moving to Villarreal in Spain for a couple years, and then bouncing between three different clubs until he landed in AZ in the Netherlands. And then there is Landon Donovan whose career started with Bayer Leverkusen but was put on loan to San Jose for four years, which eventually lead to his move to the L.A. Galaxy where he has spent almost his entire career. However, Donovan did see time in Germany with Bayern Munich in '09 and then Everton in '10 and '12. So what's my point? Pretty much that the United States is not the best place to develop World Cup players, so those that are deemed fit to wear the kit are allowed to leave and learn how to play the more fast paced game in Europe.
These may not seem like shocking or eye-popping reasons why the U.S. men's soccer team will not see the World Cup for some time, but they are real and they are what is keeping us down around the level of just being able to squeeze by teams. Maybe one day, we'll have a squad of players that have all gained some type of international teachings and be able to finally pull it all together. Maybe one day, We will be able to say that the U.S.A. has captured the World Cup. One day perhaps, but who knows how old I'll be or if I'll even be around then. From where I stand now, we still have a good squad with an excellent coach. Right now, it's just a matter waiting and hoping that some time soon it'll all click and put us in a good spot to win it all.
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