[VAGolf]

I don't think more Euros and Latinos helps long term, eventually they would just go back to supporting their club from back home. Just like transplants within the States they don't change teams when they move, most of the time. I think with the growth of soccer the way it is right now, I give it 5-10 years before MLS is competing with the Premier League for American viewers.

MLS quality won't get better until our youth leagues get better. There are plenty of kids here playing soccer, but I would say that coaching is the biggest problem. Kids playing U12 in Europe have close to the skill level of kids playing U18 here.

Until recently, it was the opposite for basketball. Kids here had a significant advantage over kids playing Europe. Then you saw Europe coach centers to shoot, something that wasn't being done here. Shortly after those kids started growing up and playing professionally, the talent gap between US basketball players and Europe basketball players shrinked, considerably.

For the most part, our youth leagues consist of kids who couldn't play at football or basketball, and soccer is their backup. On top of that, the coaching is just horrendous, compared to our European counterparts. Until that changes, MLS will never be near the competitiveness of the Premier league.

[JakeP50]

What I've seen is that kids who do want to play soccer find out they like another sport and by the time they're in middle school are talked into focusing on that other sport by peer pressure and redneck soccer hating parents.

[VAGolf]

What I've seen is that kids who do want to play soccer find out they like another sport and by the time they're in middle school are talked into focusing on that other sport by peer pressure and redneck soccer hating parents.

You must not get out of Maryland much. The complete opposite, of what you said, is true. Most kids want to play football, baseball or basketball but then resort to soccer once they realize they can't play the other sports.

[JakeP50]

That's what it seemed like when I was in high school, most of the kids who were on our team played soccer first and stopped around middle school age because other kids starting making fun of them and came back to it in high school after they realized how stupid it is to not play a sport because a few rednecks called them "foot fairies". The public schools may have had the kids who used soccer as a fallback but Cecil County is not a hotbed of athletic ability, if a kid wants to play one of the more common sports there's probably a spot for him. Other than lacrosse, I don't think the public schools are making more than one or two actual cuts, the "cuts" from varsity usually just end up becoming the JV team.

And I don't leave Maryland much, that's why I'm excited to go to LU. I love where I live but Baltimore(and a few suburbs), Annapolis, and Ocean City, Maryland is pretty boring.

[VAGolf]

You can't exactly compare Olympic sports to American soccer.

My point is that you have kids grow up wanting to be a Texas Longhorns quarterback, or a Duke point guard, or a Yankees pitcher. There aren't very many kids who grow up in the United State, dying to play in the EPL or SPL. Yes, there are exceptions. But I would argue that a majority of kids playing travel or high school soccer wanted to play something else. For what it's worth, I do think that mindset is slowly changing.

I played competitive soccer for six years but I always wanted to play football. My dream was to be a receiver, but when you're 5'7" and your best 40 time is a 4.7, you aren't going to fare well on a football team. So, I stuck with soccer. I ended up really enjoying soccer and became super passionate about the sport. But soccer wasn't my first love, and it's that way for many.

[SuperJon]

My brother played soccer through high school.

He never wanted to play anything else.

[VAGolf]

You can't exactly compare Olympic sports to American soccer.

My point is that you have kids grow up wanting to be a Texas Longhorns quarterback, or a Duke point guard, or a Yankees pitcher. There aren't very many kids who grow up in the United State, dying to play in the EPL or SPL. Yes, there are exceptions. But I would argue that a majority of kids playing travel or high school soccer wanted to play something else. For what it's worth, I do think that mindset is slowly changing.

I played competitive soccer for six years but I always wanted to play football. My dream was to be a receiver, but when you're 5'7" and your best 40 time is a 4.7, you aren't going to fare well on a football team. So, I stuck with soccer. I ended up really enjoying soccer and became super passionate about the sport. But soccer wasn't my first love, and it's that way for many.

[RubberMallet]

The simple answer is: import more Euros and Latinos into the general population

bingo. its probably the main reason its growing in popularity. this conversation has been tiresome for years. there would be booms in youth soccer every couple of years and everyone would cry "this is it! soccer is going to become big!" only for it to fall on its face. today it actually has a chance because the US is being flooded with immigrants from soccer loving nations as we speak.

[RubberMallet]

What I've seen is that kids who do want to play soccer find out they like another sport and by the time they're in middle school are talked into focusing on that other sport by peer pressure and redneck soccer hating parents.

You must not get out of Maryland much. The complete opposite, of what you said, is true. Most kids want to play football, baseball or basketball but then resort to soccer once they realize they can't play the other sports.

That is probably one of the dumbest things I've ever read. Not everyone grows up wanting to play football and basketball. I've known a lot of high school and college soccer players, and pretty much all of them played soccer because it was what they loved. So is every kid that plays an Olympic sport really just dying inside because they "couldn't" play one of the big 3 US sports?

i played 17 years of soccer, city leagues, travel leagues, highschool and then discovered pot and a love for food and turned down a scholarship to Judson college to play for them. i was a better baseball player and basketball player than i was at soccer admittedly but that is what i had fun doing. it didn't have much to do with the sport itself but the people playing it. soccer is more laid back in the states. its why you get mroe traction at a young age. a friend is sending his 6 yr old to a baseball camp. its costing him like 1000 bucks. thats the story with baseball today. if you want your kid to be good, shed the city leagues and go travel. want to play travel ball? ok well you need ot send your 6 yr old to pitching camp or some crap. thats why parents choose soccer over peewee football and baseball.

[adam42381]

I played competitive soccer for six years but I always wanted to play football. My dream was to be a receiver, but when you're 5'7" and your best 40 time is a 4.7, you aren't going to fare well on a football team. So, I stuck with soccer. I ended up really enjoying soccer and became super passionate about the sport. But soccer wasn't my first love, and it's that way for many.

While 5'7" is a little undersized, it's not tiny by high school standards. Running a 4.7 is actually above average for a high school wide receiver. There are NFL receivers who put up numbers similar to that (Anquan Boldin comes to mind). Heck, Jerry Rice ran a 4.71. You could have definitely played football if you had the other necessary skills to do so.

[VAGolf]

I played competitive soccer for six years but I always wanted to play football. My dream was to be a receiver, but when you're 5'7" and your best 40 time is a 4.7, you aren't going to fare well on a football team. So, I stuck with soccer. I ended up really enjoying soccer and became super passionate about the sport. But soccer wasn't my first love, and it's that way for many.

While 5'7" is a little undersized, it's not tiny by high school standards. Running a 4.7 is actually above average for a high school wide receiver. There are NFL receivers who put up numbers similar to that (Anquan Boldin comes to mind). Heck, Jerry Rice ran a 4.71. You could have definitely played football if you had the other necessary skills to do so.

Ha, considering I never got a chance to play football after 5th grade, I doubt I had any real skills. Not to mention, being homeschooled in Roanoke, doesn't give you many football options either.

[Purple Haize]

I played soccer in HS to skip pre season hoops conditioning!

[adam42381]

I played competitive soccer for six years but I always wanted to play football. My dream was to be a receiver, but when you're 5'7" and your best 40 time is a 4.7, you aren't going to fare well on a football team. So, I stuck with soccer. I ended up really enjoying soccer and became super passionate about the sport. But soccer wasn't my first love, and it's that way for many.

While 5'7" is a little undersized, it's not tiny by high school standards. Running a 4.7 is actually above average for a high school wide receiver. There are NFL receivers who put up numbers similar to that (Anquan Boldin comes to mind). Heck, Jerry Rice ran a 4.71. You could have definitely played football if you had the other necessary skills to do so.

Ha, considering I never got a chance to play football after 5th grade, I doubt I had any real skills. Not to mention, being homeschooled in Roanoke, doesn't give you many football options either.

Who timed you at 4.7 if you didn't play football?

[VAGolf]

Soccer coaches. Always had a 40 yard dash competition at the start of the season.

[BJWilliams]

I played soccer for 4 years. I was part of the first varsity soccer squad at my school and I was in 6th grade at the time. I played all the way up til 9th grade when I had to withdraw from the team due to grades. As a result of my doing so, history was made as a young lady ended up moving into my roster spot and becoming the first girl to play on a boy's varsity team at the school...girls soccer was added I think my senior year. All that said, I had a blast playing soccer. Since I couldn't play football and my parents wouldnt let me play baseball, I took to soccer pretty naturally. I wasn't the best at it but I enjoyed it.

[JakeP50]

I played for a youth team in first grade, but they didn't keep score and I was on a team with a kid from school that REALLY got on my nerves. I didn't play again until my senior year of high school when a few of us decided to play soccer together for our senior year and get in shape and build some chemistry for basketball. Even with a rough start to the season we had FUN and even with that rough start we turned it around and won the school's first soccer championship in over 10 years.

[flamehunter]

Another thread that has become all about BJake.

[adam42381]

I played soccer for 4 years. I was part of the first varsity soccer squad at my school and I was in 6th grade at the time. I played all the way up til 9th grade when I had to withdraw from the team due to grades. As a result of my doing so, history was made as a young lady ended up moving into my roster spot and becoming the first girl to play on a boy's varsity team at the school...girls soccer was added I think my senior year. All that said, I had a blast playing soccer. Since I couldn't play football and my parents wouldnt let me play baseball, I took to soccer pretty naturally. I wasn't the best at it but I enjoyed it.

[thepostman]

Another thread that has become all about BJake.

hahaha, so true!!

[JakeP50]

Here I can tie in what I said back to the original topic, if more people had a positive experience with soccer like that, the sport would grow in popularity, MLS would get more fans, American players would be more like Landon Donavan and less like Freddy Adu and eventually the USMNT will bring this home:
http://trophiestrophy.com/wp-content/up ... trophy.jpg

that's obviously a very LONG process, it wont be the next two or three World Cups that we win except on the Xboxes and PlayStations of the best FIFA players in the country.

[BJWilliams]

Another thread that has become all about BJake.

Oh get off it FH...(I'd tell you to drop dead but that's a bit much) I was simply relating personal experience much like Sweat was. adam, is it really that hard to believe picturing me play soccer?

[Purple Haize]

Another thread that has become all about BJake.

Oh get off it FH...(I'd tell you to drop dead but that's a bit much) I was simply relating personal experience much like Sweat was. adam, is it really that hard to believe picturing me play soccer?

I can never get rid of the image of BJ in a soccer uniform......with short shorts now.. Thanks

[VAGolf]

Another thread that has become all about BJake.

Oh get off it FH...(I'd tell you to drop dead but that's a bit much) I was simply relating personal experience much like Sweat was. adam, is it really that hard to believe picturing me play soccer?

I can never get rid of the image of BJ in a soccer uniform......with short shorts now.. Thanks

Imagine if he was talking about synchronized swimming or figure skating.

[JakeP50]

Another thread that has become all about BJake.

Oh get off it FH...(I'd tell you to drop dead but that's a bit much) I was simply relating personal experience much like Sweat was. adam, is it really that hard to believe picturing me play soccer?

I can never get rid of the image of BJ in a soccer uniform......with short shorts now.. Thanks

Oh wow two 's that must be incredibly gross.

[BJWilliams]

Actually they weren't that short...wouldnt have fit within the school dress code if they were