American youth soccer

Soccer is the fastest growing sport in the US. Children across the country are finding the world's game more entertaining and engaging than football or baseball and youth recreational soccer leagues are ubiquitous in all American metropolises. Despite all the positive growth around the game, soccer has an extremely high barrier of entry. Club teams for the best players have fees and travel costs well north of two thousand dollars. Kids often have to sacrifice playing with their friends to get ahead and play for an elite academy squad. The entire system skews towards well off kids and their families while also dis-proportionally allocating resources to the male athletes. The US Soccer Federation has undergone tumultuous changes at the top of the organization and the men's national team failed to qualify for this year's World Cup. If we are serious about being a competitive nation in the global soccer showcase, we need to fix our player development model and that starts with our youth soccer.

Without all the best athletes competing, we will never stand a chance. In order to draw in as many talented players as possible, the US Soccer Federation needs to reduce costs for younger, under privileged players. Scholarships are available for some but they need to more widespread to encourage all interested youth from any background to participate. Once the kids are in the system, they need to be trained by the best coaches available. Former players on a national or international level need to be made available to kids to provide a foundation for success in the future. Sports play a huge role in the development of young children. Without a positive role model in coaching, they will struggle to grow into their full potential.
Soccer is not going away in America anytime soon. On the global stage, we might fail to deliver a championship performance from time to time. However, our women's soccer national team is the defending world champion and the men are gaining influence when it comes to attracting dual nationals. Once the federation gains the ability to attract all the best prospects to play soccer, we will be a global power among soccer nations.