Bro. We NEVER had physical proof that high school football caused long-term brain damage. People are saying "football will never be banned". But they said the same thing about seat belt laws, smoking in restaurants, and requirements for motorcycle helmets. There aren't any advocacy groups yet, but the injury lawyers already smell blood. See link. http://www.philadelphiainjurylawyerblog.com/2010/06/brain_injury_killed_nfl_player.html
Lol, ya ya, I've seen the pictures. I just think if everyone wants to discount Klinsmann's work in '06 and say it was the guys like Low who were the true masterminds, well then let's pursue Low.
But your examples show that football will not be banned. We didn't ban cars or motorcycles but, as you mentioned, just required better safety equipment.
Low strikes me as a good guy but if you were to just put that tiny famous stash on his upper lip he'd look kind of sinister no matter who he is.
Hahaha, this is too funny. Football will never banned. The NFL makes billions of dollars a year, regardless of the effects to the brain, football will go on.
That is such an excellent point. So much of youth soccer in the USA is about speed and hustle. I see it everytime I watch a high school or teenaged club team.
He is right $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is what it takes to make the DA teams and to grow with the sport in the U$A DANN FLYNN and SUNIL both have pushed for it. Show me what inner city kid is on the national team. I bet when MESSI or Ranoldo Pele, Kaka, rooney were little chaps they were not worring about who was watching there tournament in which 250 college coaches were there. If Bradley get the CAN does that mean Nepotism will leave the team????
he didnt take the job because he was guarenteed top players for copa america and gold cup and friendlies
Wait what? US Soccer cannot guarantee any coach their A team for all those events. Clubs do not have to release players anytime we want. The Gold Cup - sure but Copa - no. I think that he is hesitant because he does not believe US Soccer has the right leadership and framweork in place to be successful. Why ruin his reputation as a coach (short lived as it was) by taking on a situation that will not allow him to propser. He said as much in his comments - we don't do development right! The problem is not teh 11 guys on the field - it is the 100s we have to choose from to get to that 11; that is where we fall down. If he does take the job, I would guess we will find some committment to overhaul the development process. Personally, I would rather see him lead US Soccer as opposed to managing.
Yep, first touch, second touch, any touch, we don't have it. We can't possess the ball hardly at all, or deliberatley do much of anything with it when we do (create space, set up plays, finish, etc.). The perennial powerhouses usually can do those things, have you seen Argentina and Brasil? That's my point. On Mr Klinsmann's comments about what it's going to take for us to have those attributes in relation to social classes, I understand what he believes, but don't feel it's completely class related. Some great players did grow up playing daily with improvised soccer balls, on improvised pitches, and without any real soccer equipment at all, that didn't matter to them because they were still playing the game, that's what was important to them. We don't really have that passion over here yet. Yes, this cultural phenomenon occurs in enviroments clearly devoid of many spoils found in modernized societies. More importantly, this occurs in places where it's not about wanting to be a rockstar, rapper, moviestar, etc. The key here is that this occurs most often in places where professional soccer players are most likely at the top spot of the local pop culture. So my point is first and foremost soccer must become a larger part of our cultural landscape (that's why you should all support the MLS and want it to grow), many more American kids are going to have to want to be professional soccer players at an early age. They will then develop more talent ("first touch" if you will) in their driveways, backyards, schoolyards, streets, etc., not just at soccer practice. They will be passionate enough to improvise to play. I'd guess that the immigrants are going to play the biggest role domestically in the here and now, as soccer is already the pinnacle of entertainment for many of them. As a matter of fact, the only reason USA has had a decent roster (in the last 20 years) is because of 1st generation/naturalized players. I don't know how to address the cost of playing argument, other than acknowledege that it's very true and there's no excuse why it shouldn't be accessible to all. It is by nature one of the least discriminatory team sports in terms of, gender, body type (just don't be too short and/or obese), it's one of the most affordable in terms of furnishing good proper equipment, it's geographically almost impossible to live somewhere it can't be played. You get what I'm sayin'...
Should be pointed out that Holland, a relatively small country, churns out an amazing number of talented players with excellent touch and visions despite all the "spoils of modern western society" and the players playing not on improvised pitches without real soccer equipment, but on real pitches with the best soccer equipment money can buy. Oh, and I am sure plenty of Dutch people would love just as much to be a big rockstar or moviestar as a world class footballer.
I don't think anyone in their right mind would suggest we can hold the ball as well as Argentina. Brazil don't really hold the ball anymore, but that's another topic. This is a naive view, at best. Really, the only place left in the world where this image is true is Africa. The classic image of the South American kid gaining his soccer education on the streets is a fantasy in today's world. Most players with any significant skill are picked up and placed into academies long before they reach anything resembling maturity. It's a common fact that Messi has spent as much of his life at Barca as he has in Argentina, but it's not as well known that even before his move to Spain, he was at Newell's Old Boys from the age of 7. It's not like Barca just flew down and picked him up off some dusty street. The street education image has never been true in most of Europe. Absolute nonsense. Yes, soccer players are much bigger figures than they are in the US, but movie and music stars aren't just as big? Bull. Soccer isn't pay to play in this country. Good youth soccer is pay to play. When someone comes up with an alternative funding scheme for cross country tournaments, overseas tournaments, and the best coaching, let me know. MLS academies are the only legitimate way forward, and they can only serve a very small proportion of players.
You know, Klinnsi is definitely, incontrovertibly wrong with his opening quote. We are England. England is U.S. Basically the same soccer country in the Cup, decent midfield, center backs had issues, striker play not good, work hard, etc. So what's all this stuff about diversity, inner city, etc. being the answer? EVERYBODY in England plays soccer. If dear old diversity did the trick, just a matter of signing up those hungry working-class lads, England would be pounding Holland. And what's the stuff about money being the answer? England has HUGE bucks (OK pounds) funding youth development. Diversity is a red herring. Money is a red herring. Bad coaches who teach simple soccer and who prize winning youth games by playing simple soccer with superior athletes who have superior fitness, and teaching teenagers that greatness lies in scoring more goals than the opposition while running around like banshees and tackling like fiends, that is the problem in England. And in the U.S. I mean, it gets you to a certain point. Then you play the real teams, and you realize that all the footspeed and hustle in the world, fails against reasonably athletic teams that are superior technically and tactically.
Why do you need cross country tournaments and overseas tournaments? Nobody in Europe does that. Tournaments are negligible in talent development.
I think the biggest Dutch band of alltime is Bettie Serveert. So they've got a ways to go there. Actually, one of the themes in the English media is that kids AREN'T playing soccer much, and it's a big problem. Don't know which side of the argument is more right.
I think that is our true issue and I think he was alluding to it in his talk. The youth program is disjointed but even so, once they get you "so far" we have very little in place to foster that intermediate development. We do not have youth programs that are widespread and consitent at either the MLS or the US Soccer level and there is almost NOTHING for continuing development after age 17. A consolidated approach to youth and intermediate development allows a more consitent "national approach' to the game. It allows more quality control over coaching development. It is also an easier mechanism to help identify those players with potential that fall through the gaps now. It is not our only problem but it is one that can be controlled - with money
On the diversity issue ... Jurgen may indeed know the reality, but his comments are dangerous to those bigsoccer.com posters who think that it's 1995 out there. The ones who are always talking about ODP or big youth clubs being for white kids named Chad who play polo in their spare time. I received this email from an observer today at Development Academy playoffs -
Well let me rephrase. It's the national sport. Everybody pays attention. And they pay attention even more in the poorer areas (as rugby is the preferred sport among the upper classes). If they happen not to be playing, well I don't know what to say there, but it's not as if the issue is the poor kids in the inner city aren't aware of the sport, or are being missed if they are good. There sure as hell aren't any unknown Peles floating around in England. Not even unknown Jay DeMerits, most probably.
Well, we pretty much don't need to. But to SOME extent, travel is a necessity if top players are going to compete with other top players. OK, maybe not in the New York area or the Los Angeles area. But the best kids from where I live are going to have to travel for games. The problem, as I understand it, is too many games and not enough practices. And an emphasis on winning. A few years back, a youth team from Dallas won the Dallas Cup in their age group, beating academy teams from big clubs...Real Madrid, I think, and ManU. But they had a couple of ringers. One player, for example, was from Mississippi. No way that kid practiced with that team on a regular basis.
Tell that to some kid growing up Montana. Or Nebraska. Or West Texas. Or Nevada. Or.... This is a very spread out country. It's not at all uncommon for kids to have to travel hundreds of miles to find competition on a similar skill level. Heck, I grew up in a relative metropolis compared to many places, and I remember sometimes going as much as 300 miles searching for a competitive game. "Competitive" meaning in the same sort of age group and skill level. It's better these days, but extensive travel is an inevitable fact of life for high level youth sports in this country.
To Mutiny RIP, I specifically stated that I don't fully agree that it's class related and was referring (in your gripes case) exclusively to those players who love soccer so much that they improvise in order to play the game. I was making a valid point that in a country of over 300 million people we could and should have, at some point a much higher ranking place for professional soccer so far as our popular culture is concerned, are you telling me I'm wrong? Next Starving Gator, A naive view, really? Then why did you point out what I already know is the case in parts of the world like Africa? I never mentioned a specific locale, or Messi. I mentioned many great players, yes, Africa is home to a good number of great players improvising materials daily. Thanks for making my point distinct. So far as footballers pop status in say, Africa...Do you think they go to the goddamned movies often if at all in let's say Ghana or Ivory Coast or Nigeria, or Cameroon, etc? How many of those people do you think own a radio, or cd's, or download music? I bet my left nut (esp. cuz I know and live amongst many of these immigrants) that soccer is THE major popular form of entertainment at least amongst their male population. So far as I remember I don't recall spelling out that difference between "GOOD" soccer and run of the mill rec leagues. Again, thanks for pointing out what I already know to be true. Do you really think I was talking about rec soccer in general, the point of this whole Klinsmann's comments thing is of course pertaining to the future quality of the USA nationals (more specifically men's nats). Read comments thoroughly before you get too excited and try to tear someone apart. I'm not talking about killing baby seals here am I?
You didn't mention Africa. I did. I pointed out Africa's near singularity as a "street" soccer culture, at least in terms of development of future professionals. You might want to lay of the idea that Africans don't listen to music or go to the movies. I'm just going to assume it's ignorance. Other people might see racism. Just FYI.
If you want USA to implement and get better at touch soccer, you get the kids to play Futsal in the winters... NOT indoor soccer with WALLS which doesnt help emphasize possession, touch, and close dribbling. All walls do is give a kid the easy way out of kicking it off the wall and hoping for it to go to a teammate.
Starving Gator, your reading comprehension is severely lacking. As you can clearly see I told you before that it was you who brought up a specific locale. I even thanked you for naming a "distinct" place (Africa) to validate my point. NEXT, NEWSFLASH, MOVIEGOING IS NOT A NORMAL ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT AFRICA (SPECIFICALLY 3RD WORLD WESTERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES ) AND AN AWFUL LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE DON'T OWN CD'S, OR MEANS OF DOWNLOADING MUSIC, OR A RADIO OF THEIR OWN, DAILY EXPOSURE TO SUCH THINGS IS NOT NECESSARILY AVAILABLE. TO ARGUE THIS IS SO SEVERELY #$%^&*@ ASSININE. I NEVER IMPLIED THEM LACKING A MUSICAL CULTURE, NOR WOULD I EVER, WHERE THAT CAME FROM IS BEYOND ME. AGAIN I LITERALLY HAVE VERY GOOD FRIENDS, COWORKERS, AND NEIGHBORS (ALL PLURAL) FROM GHANA, GAMBIA, AND NIGERIA (FOR STARTERS) WE DO EXCHANGE CULTURAL INFORMATION, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. DON'T IMPLY IGNORANCE ON MY PART BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO $%^&ING LAZY TO READ AND THINK. DEVELOPING NATIONS HAVE LIMITED MEANS OF ENTERTAINMENT, THAT'S ALL. RACISM BY THE WAY IS HATRED FOR ANOTHER RACE. I SAID NOTHING RACIST. YOU'RE A TROLLING SCHMUCK.