Ethnic diversity on the MNT

Discussion in 'USA Men' started by LouisianaViking07/09, Feb 19, 2017.

  1. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Its worth noting that the best prospects on the Dallas Texans, Solar, Andromeda, etc. now seem to make their way to FCD: Reggie Cannon, Paxton Pomykol, Brandon Terwege, etc.

    Also...............when we talk about the DA system today, we should mention that clubs have affilaites that criss-cross the country. So both the Dynamo and FC Dallas have youth affiliates around Texas to unearth the Clint Dempsey's and Jose Francisco Torres' of 2017. We know, for instance, about FCD's pipeline from El Paso and Houston's attempts to integrate into the RGV region. In fact, even the Dallas Texans have affiliates in Waco, Austin, San Antonio, etc [On top of the Houston Texans, which seem to operate completely separately nowadays.]

    So what is happening in Texas? The best prospects are being funneled into DA teams and clubs regardless of whether they're MLS or not. And then the elite of the elite are being funneled to clubs like FC Dallas. And as kids move further and further up the ladder, everything is less "pay for play."

    We will never get rid of pay-for-play in youth soccer. Pay-for-play exists in every youth sport in this country. If your kid wants to play youth basketball or baseball or football or tennis or golf or whatever....................................you're going to be paying for it.
     
  2. SUDano

    SUDano Member+

    Jan 18, 2003
    Rochester, NY
    The other issue that people ignore about pay for play is that the 'pay' is a different amount depending on skill, ability, and team.
    In the US our systems take into account your skill level vs the ability to pay. Think of it similar to our educational systems. Smart Poor kids get scholarships to academic academies and schools. So do soccer players who show skill. Its not the brick wall to advancement many try to make it seem. Of course it can have a chilling effect and be discouraging to some but for those who pursue it and ask. There are many methods to pursue the game without a bag full of money. But those who get interviewed are the 'list pricers' who moan about how much. As the revenue drips down the ladder more and more local teams will offer free academies.
     
  3. NorcalHockeyhooligan

    Feb 25, 2012
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Cool! As someone who grew up on Guam (and still has family living there) nice to hear about a fellow Guamanian doing well.

    And for what it's worth, growing up, we'd pronounce his last name: tie-ta-gwee
     
  4. TxEx

    TxEx Member+

    Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, FC Dallas
    Aug 19, 2016
    DFW
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Dempsey's evolution wasn't that dissimilar from Brek Shea's and that was 20 years later. Shea was another East Texas kid who had to travel to find good competition. It's getting better but let's not forget Texas is more than 2 times bigger than Germany and there's a ton of empty spaces within the state. Money is never going to fix the enormous distances required for teams to travel to play other quality teams. In the cities it's easier but there are hundreds of thousands of small towns in Texas alone, not to mention the rest of the nation.

    More teams, more quality coaching, more opportunities are still needed but some things are always going to be a challenge.
     
  5. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
    Yesterday's WCQ against Mexico featured two blackanese starters.

    I think that could be a first for the USMNT. In fact, I think it could be a first for any national team.
     
    CeltTexan and LouisianaViking07/09 repped this.
  6. HomietheClown

    HomietheClown Member+

    Dusselheim FC 1971
    Sep 4, 2010
    Club:
    --other--
  7. FlipsLikeAPancake

    Jul 6, 2010
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Wood and Acosta, who both started against Mexico, have Japanese and black parents. Scott used a portmanteau to refer to them as "blackanese."
     
  8. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    #YESWECAN
     
  9. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    While I agree with this, it must be understood in basketball, us American youth males that played hoops and wanted to get better we had our school teams which is tax based "free" and our Summer League teams which required a pay to play sure, but we got blooded and sharpened by playing against grown men in blacktop, double rimed, dudes side betting money on the outcome, very combative pick ups games. These strangely enough are free to the participant.
    What our youth soccer scene sorely lacks and what is known the world over save Canada, Oz and New Zealand is the pick up game environment, specifically our American youth males versus grown men out at a field or futsal or indoor. Playing against adults when one is 15 is how one gets really good in basketball in our nation. Our nation that has ZERO issues with producing world class basketball players from every city in our nation. However, our nation struggles even here in 2017 to produce world class soccer players. The pay to play, and need to travel to get competition line we get from youth soccer clubs and their re-tread coaching staff is a wash when soccer is lined up with basketball in our sporting landscape.

    Again, I agree for the most part however this misnomer of youth teams needing to travel great distances in Texas and other Region III and Region IV States in order to face off with top level competition for their U-15 or U-18 sides is a wash when all a youth club director has to do is schedule matches with local opponents from older ages and after U-18 just play against local men's league level competition. Cuts way down on having to travel all the time. Travel to the Dallas Cup for sure or similar tournaments but not every weekend.
     
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  10. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    I never would have known if you'd not have posted this. Wood looks kinda mixed, but not Acosta.
     
  11. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    *lights his lighter* *sheds a tear*
     
  12. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    15 year-olds playing grown men in England would simply get the sh*t kicked out of them.
    "School of hard knocks mate!"
     
  13. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Correct.
    It is how basketball is played for teenagers that dare to get really good at the sport. We played against grown ass men on blacktop courts, in a very combative variant of basketball, the American mindset of "no blood, no foul". An additional layer to this way of life was sometimes there was money bet on the games, sideline bets as well. Yeah, it was rough and intimidating but damn this way of life does make very good basketball players in our U.S. sports culture.
    Soccer here in the U.S., at least in the urban scene and rural perhaps, should learn from this if our sports mad culture is actually going to go all in on producing world class type soccer players.
     
    Jazzy Altidore repped this.
  14. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Slight correction to the family tree for Acosta mentioned above.

    He has one Japanese grandparent. His grandmother on his father's side.

    I remember hearing somewhere that he was also eligible for Tahiti in some roundabout way. I forget..................

    His name is Kellyn Kai Acosta. I believe Kai is a Japanese name?
    Anybody remember Natasha Kai from the USWNT?
     
    LouisianaViking07/09 repped this.
  15. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    I would hope USSF highlights this. Usually soccer is still joked about as a "rich white kids/poor Mexican" sport. Let's show every skin tone and background is represented in our NT.
     
  16. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The roster makeup speaks for itself. USSF would be wise to avoid diving into the identity politics waters.
     
  17. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    why? it's not a negative. it's a positive.
     
  18. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What's positive is that we choose players based on their abilities, not to diversify or de-diversify the team. That should be the focus.
     
    WrmBrnr and Master O repped this.
  19. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    we're not basing them on diversity. We're highlighting this as a symbol for our country. Also to refute the continued belief that only white kids play soccer.
     
    Skandal!!! and owian repped this.
  20. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wholeheartedly agree. No one wants to hear about this at all while watching soccer. Both the Left and the Right are getting so insufferable that sometimes you'd wish they'd all just go away and leave the rest of us rational people alone. :confused:
     
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  21. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Everything in America comes down to ethnicity and race.

    What we should be debating is economic diversity on the MNT.
     
    LouisianaViking07/09 and Skandal!!! repped this.
  22. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That belief exists only in your head.
     
  23. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That belief is omnipresent.
     
  24. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not anywhere in California. I'd venture not in Texas or New Jersey either.
     
  25. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe not omnipresent then but the perception that US professional soccer is for "privileged white kids" still abounds. You only have to read the comments beneath any newspaper article.
     

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