Why Soccer Will Never Be America's Top Sport

Tyler Stearns |

The US Men's National Team went out of the Copa America in the group stage after defeats to Panama and Uruguay. Though it was unlikely they would have won against Uruguay, the loss to Panama was the main reason they exited so early. Gregg Berhalter was fired from his role as the head coach of the team after the historic failure to qualify for the quarterfinals.

Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, and Sergiño Dest, Via NPR

The loss brings up a big topic that US soccer fans have been trying to understand since the 2014 World Cup. The reason these European and South American nations are so good at the sport is because it is the main sport and time for the majority of the citizens of those nations. In the US, kids grow up watching a plethora of sports, like basketball, baseball, football, hockey, and others, whereas in the European and South American nations, most children watch only soccer. Rather than there being basketball courts, baseball diamonds, or football fields at public parks, these top soccer nations have pitches with two goals. Though not always regulated or well-kept, kids practically live in the fields, becoming more skillful and technical.

The fact that soccer fields are not a priority in the United States is one of many reasons for the lack of success of the national team and of the domestic league (MLS), but there are more key factors than that. The most notable reason as to why the US hasn't produced a plethora of stars is because of the pay-for-play system. In Europe and South America, each professional team has an academy. These academies can have teams that accept two-year-olds, all the way up to 23-year-olds. Parents do not have to pay to be in these teams, as the kids sign their amateur deals. As a child goes up the ranks (like from the U15 team to the U17 team to the U21 team) in the academy, the competitiveness for spots on the squad increases.

The main takeaway from the academy system is that it does not cost the parents money to have their child be on the team. The US is a different story. In America, parents have to pay for their children to play for club teams/rec center teams. Parents are more likely to invest resources in football, basketball, or baseball for their kids than they are in soccer. Until the day that soccer becomes a priority for parents in the US, there will never be enough good players for the USMNT to compete in major international tournaments. a