Can the United States win the World Cup?

[Dalecooper54]

Can pigs fly?

There have been surprised in the European Championships (Denmark '92 as well), but never really in the World Cup.

 

[Recrero152]

Can pigs fly?

Yes.

Put them on an airplane

 

[Pogba4Now]

Can pigs fly?

There have been surprised in the European Championships (Denmark '92 as well), but never really in the World Cup.

It could become the first time.

 

[Coruja]

Sorry, but I really doubt it. And I do not say that just because I am Brazilian. I believe football is, above all, about passion and talent. You don't learn how to play it because you want to be the best. You just born to be a football player. I guess Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldo or Zidane didn't start playing football because they wanted to be great, they just did it.

US can be great in everything they want to be, but when football is the subject, I just can see some interest and motivation, not love.

True.

Football is a common thing in the countries of that players that "melportela" referred. Me for example, when i was born the first thing that i had was a football ball, its common, its like a tradition. In the US i dont believe that its the same, and it would be very difficult to create the atmosphere and passion of football. Maybe with years...

 

[farmboy]

True.

Football is a common thing in the countries of that players that "melportela" referred. Me for example, when i was born the first thing that i had was a football ball, its common, its like a tradition. In the US i dont believe that its the same, and it would be very difficult to create the atmosphere and passion of football. Maybe with years...

From my experience, I really don't think passion is the problem. The people who play in the states live the game just as much as players from anywhere else. The problem is the structure. It sounds counterintuitive, but the youth game over here is overly structured and has some fundamental differences that cost us at the top level. It's normal to play 3 competitive games per week in-season, which doesn't allow for any small-sided or individualized coaching. Also, at some point someone decided that to allow for more evenly balanced playing time for kids, substitutions are unlimited; this makes sense on paper, but it also changes the tactics drastically. Nobody learns how to control or pace a game and the preferred tempo of a typical high-school or college game ranges between fatiguing and full-sprint-till-you-drop. When you put the two problems together, the result is that all most american players learn is how to chase the ball for fifteen minutes before calling for a substitute. Not gonna cut it on the global level.

So can the US win the world cup? If the youth system was changed to focus less on getting everyone as many games as possible and more on developing skills and tactics, we still have one of the biggest pools of talent to draw from simply due to our sheer size. But for now, I don't think we have enough tactical know-how to be a serious threat.

 

[hdabmx]

hell no!

 

[cmc211]

Not at the moment maybe.... how about China?

 

[Dipanjan]

India for me.

 

[MelvinSmiley]

The Rock would say :" Neeeeeever, and the Rock means eeeeeeever!!!!!"

Stay with your kind of football. Allthough this aint football, cause you play it with almost any given part of the body......

 

[Dalecooper54]

It sounds counterintuitive, but the youth game over here is overly structured and has some fundamental differences that cost us at the top level. It's normal to play 3 competitive games per week in-season, which doesn't allow for any small-sided or individualized coaching.

You Americans never seize to surprise me with the amount of matches you play, in any sport for that matter.

 

[Coruja]

From my experience, I really don't think passion is the problem. The people who play in the states live the game just as much as players from anywhere else. The problem is the structure. It sounds counterintuitive, but the youth game over here is overly structured and has some fundamental differences that cost us at the top level. It's normal to play 3 competitive games per week in-season, which doesn't allow for any small-sided or individualized coaching. Also, at some point someone decided that to allow for more evenly balanced playing time for kids, substitutions are unlimited; this makes sense on paper, but it also changes the tactics drastically. Nobody learns how to control or pace a game and the preferred tempo of a typical high-school or college game ranges between fatiguing and full-sprint-till-you-drop. When you put the two problems together, the result is that all most american players learn is how to chase the ball for fifteen minutes before calling for a substitute. Not gonna cut it on the global level.

So can the US win the world cup? If the youth system was changed to focus less on getting everyone as many games as possible and more on developing skills and tactics, we still have one of the biggest pools of talent to draw from simply due to our sheer size. But for now, I don't think we have enough tactical know-how to be a serious threat.

When i talked about passion, i was reffering to the whole US, not small groups who play football. But i understand your point.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

From my experience, I really don't think passion is the problem. The people who play in the states live the game just as much as players from anywhere else. The problem is the structure. It sounds counterintuitive, but the youth game over here is overly structured and has some fundamental differences that cost us at the top level. It's normal to play 3 competitive games per week in-season, which doesn't allow for any small-sided or individualized coaching. Also, at some point someone decided that to allow for more evenly balanced playing time for kids, substitutions are unlimited; this makes sense on paper, but it also changes the tactics drastically. Nobody learns how to control or pace a game and the preferred tempo of a typical high-school or college game ranges between fatiguing and full-sprint-till-you-drop. When you put the two problems together, the result is that all most american players learn is how to chase the ball for fifteen minutes before calling for a substitute. Not gonna cut it on the global level.

So can the US win the world cup? If the youth system was changed to focus less on getting everyone as many games as possible and more on developing skills and tactics, we still have one of the biggest pools of talent to draw from simply due to our sheer size. But for now, I don't think we have enough tactical know-how to be a serious threat.

Sounds like you also read that article in the NYT about Ajax's system compared to America's.

 

[melportela]

Well, Americans are improving their football skills and that's a fact. But, I just can't see them winning a World Cup. I am not saying it will never happen, but it would be very weird. Mainly because US never seemed to be interested in football as much, neither when they hosted 1994 WC. For me, and sorry if I am wrong, it is all about being the best. They are a very competitive country in everything they do and it has to be also in football.

As I said earlier, you don't wake up and say "I am going to be the best football player on Earth because I am American and I can do it if I want to". Maybe, from here to the next 40 years, people there have changed their minds and realise football is not about being the best and win everything.

Anyway, I always tried to figure out why Americans are not a "football people". Do they find it boring or something?

 

[jschuck12001]

Well, Americans are improving their football skills and that's a fact. But, I just can't see them winning a World Cup. I am not saying it will never happen, but it would be very weird. Mainly because US never seemed to be interested in football as much, neither when they hosted 1994 WC. For me, and sorry if I am wrong, it is all about being the best. They are a very competitive country in everything they do and it has to be also in football.

As I said earlier, you don't wake up and say "I am going to be the best football player on Earth because I am American and I can do it if I want to". Maybe, from here to the next 40 years, people there have changed their minds and realise football is not about being the best and win everything.

Anyway, I always tried to figure out why Americans are not a "football people". Do they find it boring or something?

I agree with much of what you say but I was referring more to the infrastructure of youth soccer and the ability to develop young people not to just become good but become great. There is no real system and college is not the correct route for a player who wants to shine in a major league like the Premiership. As for why Americans are not "football people", I think its just a matter of time, the demographic is changing and as time goes by people will continue to open up to the sport. I blame a lot of the meat head media who have no knowledge of the sport and are set in their ways as well.

 

[farmboy]

Sounds like you also read that article in the NYT about Ajax's system compared to America's.

Ha, guilty as charged, although for what it's worth, that article just reinforced the thoughts I'd already had.

 

[melportela]

I agree with much of what you say but I was referring more to the infrastructure of youth soccer and the ability to develop young people not to just become good but become great. There is no real system and college is not the correct route for a player who wants to shine in a major league like the Premiership. As for why Americans are not "football people", I think its just a matter of time, the demographic is changing and as time goes by people will continue to open up to the sport. I blame a lot of the meat head media who have no knowledge of the sport and are set in their ways as well.

I don't believe there is a "system" in Brasil either... Wherever you go, you will see children and teenagers playing football. Not at football schools or something like that, but in the streets. It's a natural talent, I don't know. And the same might happens in Argentina or any European country... US are very straight in everything they do. And if there is not (yet) a "coordinated system" which could help young players to shine whatever league they want to play, the "problem" is the lack of interest in the game as well. But as you said, things are changing. I hope someday US recognise football's beauty and not just because they want to rule the sport.

Just one more thing: about the infrastructure... We just have it on major league. And till you get there, the whole path is a mess.

 

[moviaa]

Bet on the World Cup 2010 against me and some other friends at http://www.betme.se/game.html?id=3H88
Would be fun to see who scores the most.

And it's for free of course...

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Ha, guilty as charged, although for what it's worth, that article just reinforced the thoughts I'd already had.

Yeah, same here.

I, personally, have a huge resentment for the American system, because I always had the best touch, and was always the best passer on any team I ever played on, but the emphasis was always on speed, so no coach ever knew how to really make me a better player. I could have been a great American amateur Pirlo, but instead I had to scrap on the wing and get cut from the JV team my sophomore year (until they realized that uh... hey, this guy's pretty ******* good) despite being the best player in my class. My JV coach was on the 1976 Olympic team, btw, so it's not like I was playing for complete idiots.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I don't believe there is a "system" in Brasil either... Wherever you go, you will see children and teenagers playing football. Not at football schools or something like that, but in the streets. It's a natural talent, I don't know. And the same might happens in Argentina or any European country... US are very straight in everything they do. And if there is not (yet) a "coordinated system" which could help young players to shine whatever league they want to play, the "problem" is the lack of interest in the game as well. But as you said, things are changing. I hope someday US recognise football's beauty and not just because they want to rule the sport.

Just one more thing: about the infrastructure... We just have it on major league. And till you get there, the whole path is a mess.

It's easy to say that when you live in a country where the best players get attached to top clubs at 12 or well before. American kids play soccer for fun all the time, I'm 26 and when I was 7 we used to play all the time. In fact, soccer was the most popular sport to play at lunch and after school. The problem lies in developing talent. Great 12 year olds in Brazil get snatched up by clubs who know how to develop them. Even the most natural soccer talent, unless he's naturally one of the greatest EVER (like a Maradona type), will get abused by a kid who has been trained from 8 to be a professional soccer player. In America we just don't know how to take naturally talented KIDS and turn them into PROS. And no matter how many American athletes choose soccer over football, basketball, or baseball, until we truly know how to develop talent we won't be a power.

 

[Krypton X]

There might still be enough time to invade and annex Spain or Brasil before the end of the world cup.