It's never too early: A look ahead at the 2012 Olympic pool

Discussion in 'Youth National Teams' started by Dave Marino-Nachison, Mar 23, 2010.

  1. ...In my defense

    Feb 11, 2006
    40 million dollars a year is the latest figure thrown around

    That's only the fed and what they invest on youth national teams and the senior MNT

    God knows how much more all the clubs are pouring into the development of these kids

    Talking specifically about the youth national teams, the goal set by the architect of this entire project, Nestor de la Torre, was to have each youth national team player have at least 100 competitive international matches under their belt before the qualifiers for their respective age group WC took place.

    That work started with the 2009 U17 national team and only a handful of those players were a part of the 2011 U20 WC team.

    I think it's unfair to compare Mexico's youth development efforts to those of established countries like Spain or Holland since being outside of Europe means we have to find alternate ways of providing competitive and high quality training and playing environments for the players to develop.
     
  2. Peretz48

    Peretz48 Member+

    Nov 9, 2003
    Los Angeles
    Organizational issues are problems in many decent football nations, not just Mexico. Just because they have a passionate football culture of many years standing doesn't immunize them from those issues. OK, they invest more $ than the U.S. So the next time we're involved with them in various youth CONCACAF qualifying tourneys let's petition CONCACAF to put an asterisk next to the results.

    I root for the U.S. when they play Mexico. Other than that, I'm happy for Mexico's success. If Mexico had just stood pat with what they had been doing for decades U.S. Soccer would have had an excuse to remind themselves what a great job they've been doing, and that things were just fine. Now that Mexico has raised the bar anyone who really cares about youth soccer development in the U.S. will have to think long and hard about where we've been, where we're going, and all the steps it will take to keep pace with Mexico.
     
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  3. SUDano

    SUDano Member+

    Jan 18, 2003
    Rochester, NY
    It wasn't your best work as most of your posts are pretty high quality. I still didn't have to go over the top on you. Maybe some mild sarcasm for fun but not the way I did it. Chalk it up to a bad night.
     
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  4. scoachd1

    scoachd1 Member+

    Jun 2, 2004
    Southern California
    Seems to me that the general consensus is about 10 years in the past. Right now Mexico's core of youth players is easily in the top 10 and probably in the top 5. When Mexico likely does well at the next two world cups, many will be surprised. Other non-European countries like Japan and Korea have been rapidly improving. Same thing happened with the US. In 2002, many people in the world were expecting a 1992 version of the team. One of the problems in our youth soccer programs are the people who are running things are fighting past wars not preparing for future one.s
     
  5. scoachd1

    scoachd1 Member+

    Jun 2, 2004
    Southern California
    Soccer doesn't necessarily reward the better team, so whenever you try to predict the future you are going out on a limb. But the limb you are going out on IMO is quite a sturdy one. The exceptions to youth tournament success tend to be in countries that have less than strict birth records. I don't think this is the case with Mexico.
     
  6. scoachd1

    scoachd1 Member+

    Jun 2, 2004
    Southern California
    You clearly have some argument as one of the reasons the US didn't do as well is that they didn't bring some of their best players to the qualifying tournament while other countries such as Mexico were able to bring their top players. There is also the issue of overage players which helps account for Africa's lack of success at the full national team level as compared to the great success at the youth level - particularly the U17s.

    But look at Spain record in the U20 world cups. From 1995 to 2007 they made it to the QF round every year but one. Their championship team of 1999 had a MF named Xavi and a keeper named Casillas. Their 2003 runner up team had a MF name Iniesta and so on. So while you have an argument, there are pretty strong arguments the other way as well.
     
  7. scoachd1

    scoachd1 Member+

    Jun 2, 2004
    Southern California
    Doesn't this guy realize that it is practice not actually playing matches that matter (to be clear - unlike the people that run the DA, I don't believe this) ? I know some kids who play in Mexico but I'm probably not as familiar with Mexican soccer as you but don't they have have several youth teams that travel with the first team for each game and play youth matches as well? So if a kid is doing well at the U20? age, they can quickly move up to the next level the following week (or down if it turns out they were not ready).
     
  8. ...In my defense

    Feb 11, 2006
    All the first division club matches are preceded by the U17 & U20 matches.

    The U17 and U20 teams follow the same schedule as the first division clubs and travel with them.

    There is also a u15 club league although it follows a different format.
     
  9. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Shrug. The great national team programs like Spain, Argentina, Germany, etc. have generation after generation of good youth players being developed. Spain won the Olympics in 92. Not a single player on that team is a part of the current generation that won the Euros & World Cup. Spain had a ton of good players before they started winning things (Emilio Butragueño was always one of my favorites).............they were just known as an underachieving nation on the big stage.

    I'm not as freaked out about Mexico winning the Olympics as other people. I don't know........maybe it's because Mexico has had a good national team for my entire lifetime. They've made the knockout stages in the last 5 straight World Cups. Please make a list of the nations that have made the knockout stages in the last 5 World cups..........and you'll find it's basically the world powers. Mexico has finished in at least 3rd place in 5 of the past 8 Copa America's. [And you can hardly count the last one when they brought their U23 team , so it was really 5 out of 7 there with the senior team] They've won a Confederations. Need I remind everyone that Mexico that they've won 6 of the last 10 Gold Cups.......all on US soil???? [There may have been one in there that wasn't.]

    Mexico has had generation after generation after generation of good soccer players. Perhaps this current generation will lead them from being a 2nd tier national team to a team capable of winning a World Cup. [I'm not sure they've been that since they made the semifinal in 1986] I don't know. We'll see.

    Maybe I'm just a US fan that's not necessarily obsessed about what Mexico's doing.

    As I said, at my first USMNT game we lost to Bermuda (and it wasn't particularly close). The fact that 25 years later we're even competitive with Mexico is a miracle. I let them do their thing..........while we develop at a pace that makes sense for us. We don't have the resources they do. We don't have the fanatical, nationwide fan base that their domestic league does. We'll do it our way.
     
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  10. Hararea

    Hararea Member+

    Jan 21, 2005
    Can't say I'm with you there. Only three months after that Bermuda loss, we beat Mexico in LA, while on our way to winning the Gold Cup.
     
  11. TimB4Last

    TimB4Last Member+

    May 5, 2006
    Dystopia
    What would BS be without arrogance and confrontation - you ignoramuses!?!
     
  12. scoachd1

    scoachd1 Member+

    Jun 2, 2004
    Southern California
    Of course maybe the fact that they were the host nation made that team a more isolated success. Even so, Spain was considered a contender to win even World Cup's even if they always seemed to underachieve. I certainly am not making the case that because Mexico has put together a string of successes at the youth level they will necessarily win at the full national team level. Instead I am saying it will not be surprising if they are considered among the likes of Argentina, Germany and now Spain as serious contenders.
     

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