This would all be true if we were talking in 2010. On our current national team, I believe only two players played college ball, Tim Ream who is like 36 and from that era, and Matt Turner who was a super late bloomer. Hardly any serious professional players play college anymore. We have academies just like Europe, they’re just newer. Children also play here at 5 years old, if not younger. Soccer/football is one if the biggest sports here, especially amongst younger people, and even if it’s not #1 or “as popular as it is in Europe” there’s already more football fans in America than there is in Belgium for example.
We are a long way off winning a World Cup, but out of any non-European and Southamerican team, I’d say we are next to win it. Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, and maybe some middle east countries also could.
This would all be true if we were talking in 2010. On our current national team, I believe only two players played college ball, Tim Ream who is like 36 and from that era, and Matt Turner who was a super late bloomer. Hardly any serious professional players play college anymore. We have academies just like Europe, they’re just newer. Children also play here at 5 years old, if not younger. Soccer/football is one if the biggest sports here, especially amongst younger people, and even if it’s not #1 or “as popular as it is in Europe” there’s already more football fans in America than there is in Belgium for example.
We are a long way off winning a World Cup, but out of any non-European and Southamerican team, I’d say we are next to win it. Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, and maybe some middle east countries also could.