Lessons from Across the Pond: What US Soccer Can Learn from England's Journey
Happy 4th! As the fireworks fade and smoke clears, it's time for US Soccer to declare independence from mediocrity. The Copa America failure serves as a stark reminder that it's time for a revolution
Step away from the hot dogs, put that firework down, and listen. I know there’s nothing worse than unsolicited advice, especially from that weird old relative you had to move away from.
But, one day you’ll understand. It wasn’t all that long ago English football was wailing and gnashing its teeth over its identity.
It still is, and probably always will. Most nations suffer from the delusion of how good they think they are versus the reality. Yes, England still stinks out tournaments, but at least it now qualifies for them without breaking a sweat, and tends to flirt with the later knockout stages more often than not.
In fact, they’ve now won more knockout games in major tournaments under Gareth Southgate than all other England managers combined.
And Gareth Southgate is a woeful manager.
It’s only a certain English arrogance - that they invented the game and are told every week they have the best domestic league in the universe - that they think they have a god given right to blow everyone out of the water.
However, working out how to win a tournament while playing a decent brand of football, isn’t the worst problem. It’s more fine-tweaking than wholesale changes. It wasn’t that long ago England were asking similar questions to those US Soccer is today.
Once upon a time, England and Scotland used to play an annual Home International. One of Scotland’s crowning glories as a footballing nation was the ‘breaking of the goalposts’ in 1976 after beating England 2-1 at Wembley.
A few decades later, England knew that in order to be better it had to play better international opposition, so it sent Scotland a ‘Dear John’ letter killing the Home International.
England have since made a World Cup semi-final and Euro final.
Scotland still has small bits of the goalposts.
It was a popular fixture, and a money spinner - you know, like constantly playing Mexico is.
Maybe stop tapping into Mexico for eyeballs, and start tapping into them for their football.
If you really want to beat Mexico, steal its talent pool. Well, that and all the other immigrant populations inside America that are invariably the second largest outside of their own borders.
Literally every other nation in the world believes soccer is an inalienable right. It has zero barrier to entry, and there are prominent talking heads thinking it’s like taking piano lessons?
US Soccer has built an entire development system around the most toxic aspect of youth sport: “Dads and lads” or “Moms and sons”.
In fact, it’s been so successful that America is the only country to have a national toxic parents scandal.
But, in every other country soccer is built into their DNA. Now, you can either start a soccer genetics program or you can start tapping into these rich seams of potential talent.
It’s a lot easier to turn immigrants into American citizens than it is to turn American citizens into soccer players.
Although, I’m sure there are some looking to freeze Messi’s pudding soldiers.
France didn’t suddenly become good out of thin air, it tapped into northern-African talent. Ireland 1994 found anyone who knew where Dublin was on a map, etc. Which, amongst soccer players is no easy feat.
Development programs and managers can only work with what they’ve got. They can polish rough diamonds, but they can’t polish turds.
The recent Copa America failure is a talent failure, not a failure in management.
Not that Berhalter is particularly good, but with a bit more luck this team might have got out of the group.
But that still isn’t good enough. Nor should it be.
In the early days of the English Premier League, foreign managers started to appear - some like Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli as player managers.
This was more of a stylistic band-aid than a true change in methods. It took the likes of Arsene Wenger to come in and change the way English players ate and trained and played.
Yet, by the end of his reign, Wenger was no longer a trailblazer. He struggled to zip up his coat.
The Premier League had progressed beyond him, and now he’s stuck in some FIFA corner office reinventing the offside law.
But Wenger did as much as anyone to shift the insular ‘little Englander’ mindset by showing how well European methods worked.
The point being English football was able to take something perfectly antithetical to what it thought English football was and it was still English football - but better.
Where would Gregg Berhalter coach outside of America? Exactly.
Another thing that changed was the coverage. Or punditry. Instead of listening to tired old British cliches, we heard from top players from other countries with alternative reality takes - as well as tired old British cliches.
This summer of soccer has been interesting in that the EURO 2024 punditry is multinational, while Copa America coverage is all-American.
Of course it’s a fine balance, and god forbid Daniel Sturridge starts talking about US Soccer, but the thinly veiled glee in Alexei Lalas’ voice as he mocks another England performance is a welcome bit of pantomime to what can become the worst in excessive introspection otherwise.
And as the smoke settles from the Independence Day celebrations, it's time for US Soccer to declare its independence from mediocrity. The Copa America served as a stark reminder of the work that needs to be done. But with a fresh perspective and a willingness to embrace change, the future could be brighter than any firework display.
COPA America Round-up
It’s back! Yes, after one night off (did you really watch MLS on the off-day? You soccer addict you…), the Copa returns with the first of the quarter-finals.
It’s Argentina v Ecuador in Houston - Messi might not be fit to play as he has a strain (are we still sure this guy is going to be playing in the World Cup at 39?) but the world champions have never lost to Ecuador in the Copa and are heavy favourites this time of course.
But its knockout football and anything can happen. Especially when, there is no extra-time and we go straight to pens. Yep, that’s a big incentive to defend like crazy for 90 minutes when you are the underdog.
Friday sees Canada, who finished above Chile and Peru in Group A, take on Venezuela, who impressed with three wins from three to top Group B.
Colombia, who topped Group D ahead of Brazil, face Panama on Saturday in Arizona.
While the best clash in the last eight sees Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay take on Brazil in Las Vegas on Saturday.
In Other Soccer News
Transfers:
The Guardian’s interactive transfer thing.
Stat of the Day
The Daily Soccer Quote of the Day
“I did not like what happened, every time he wanted to take the free kick. Ronaldo Scored one free kick out of 60, and there are other players in Portugal who are better than him at free kicks. Every time Ronaldo wants to steal the spotlight.” - Ruud Gullit on Ronaldo
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