What is the value in producing a $35k a year USL player? A $150-$250 a year MLS player? Answer - not much.
So very, very true! And as mentioned in the original post, that "not much" value is currently ZERO since MLS/USsoccer refuses to allow any solidarity payments anyways, from the league itself or even from abroad. This is just one of the many "chicken and egg" impediments disincentivizing the development of skilled soccer players in this country. Why invest resource$ in developing world class youth players in the US when: the domestic league will only pay them peanuts, signalling it currently doesn't really want quality domestic players? your coaching paycheck doesn't depend on how well your charges do because you aren't allowed solidarity payments? because of pay to play, you can only coach kids whose parents can afford the training and not necessarily the kids with the most potential? the main attraction to the sport to kids' families is the possibility of college scholarships, and the college game selects for and is completely focused on athleticism and toughness (grass hockey) over skill and tactical intelligence? as a coach you are competing for resources with coaches/clubs fine-tuned to give paying parents what they want, ie grass hockey players that have a chance at a grass hockey college scholarship? the refereeing culture in this country leans towards not calling any fouls even at the youth level, tilting the scales towards grass hockey teams winning over skilled and tactically smart teams all the way up to ~U13, and most parents choose club$ with the biggest plastic trophy cases? etc.... etc..... I have resigned myself that the USMNT will not win a world cup in my lifetime, which is sad but also strangely liberating: there is nothing we can do as a soccer community that will reduce our chances of winning a world cup in the next 40 years!! So if big radical changes are currently out of the question due to entrenched intere$t$ (promotion/relegation, etc...), perhaps we can focus on smaller achievable steps that might have a chance of speeding up bigger change a generation from now: allow solidarity payments (no matter how small), reform and standardize refereeing at youth levels, etc... etc... ** see what I did with the $ sign?!? Everything is all about money worldwide, but all of the US's financial incentives currently align to NOT develop world class players.
I find the style of play (USMNT) to be very boring. I have a hard time not finding myself switching the channels and missing parts of matches. Nice post btw...