I consider myself to be a zealous supporter of the United States National Men’s Team, and, by extension, the growth of soccer in the United States. I grew up playing it, and have gone on to coach it. It is very much a part of me, intertwining itself with who I am. That is why I am sick to my stomach following the performance of the USMNT, losing 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago. This is the first time the team has missed the World Cup in my lifetime. However, this performance simply represented the culmination of a broken system, one that could plague the sport’s future in the United States.

I want change.

I have many issues with the system we currently employ in the United States. One of the biggest issues is pay to play, or having to pay upwards of 1000+ dollars in order to play high-quality soccer in this country. A simple Google search relating to fees for many of these clubs will yield surprising results. One club I found (who I will not publish for the sake of anonymity) was charging upwards of 1400 dollars for “team fees.”

Kids with talent who live in abject squalor cannot come to enjoy this game if they are priced out from the onset. No kids like Neymar, Dani Alves, Carlos Tevez, etc. will come out of this system. It alienates people, who'll come to believe the sport is for the rich. This applies to coaches as well, who get priced out of the more expensive levels of UEFA coaching licenses, which can cost nearly 3k, while in Germany, they cost 430 euros.

Another issue; youth development. The United States Soccer Federation has shown what seems to be total indifference on the issue, standing in stark contrast to the Germans following their embarrassing performances at the 1998 World Cup and the European Championships in 2000. The Bundesliga (Top German League) 2.

Liga, and the DFB, all came up with a plan to maximize the potential of the national team, starting with the allocation of funds towards youth development. Consider the following results for Germany at tournaments: 2008, 2^nd Place. 2010, 3^rd. 2012, 3^rd, 2014, World Cup winners. It took time, but they finally attained their objectives and aspirations. The States, meanwhile, have NOT shown that same fire and desire, especially with clubs outside of the MLS. They don’t even compensate them for the sales of players (a direct violation of FIFA guidelines), which prevents them from developing homegrown talent because no money can come in at all.

Lastly, the MLS needs to move away from utilizing players who went through the college systems to become professionals, relying more on academy development. There is no intentional disrespect to soccer players who went through the college system to become pro soccer players; there are many players, such as Jack Harrison, who have gone on to become talented players.

However, their growth, regardless of players such as Harrison, is stunted massively by the fact that they typically enter the league around the age of 22, while many youth players in other countries can start their careers off at very young ages, even as young as 16. Now, it might sound bad, considering the potential ramifications of not succeeding. However, for the quality of the system to increase, risks need to be taken. Focus on developing players, rather than drafting them through the MLS Superdraft, and we may yet see changes at both the club and international level.

Alas, change seems far off. People like Sunil Gulati seem to want to stay the course, not making any meaningful changes to cement our status as one of the big dogs in the sport. The board seems utterly disinterested with the result last night, which is pathetic.

I want change.

I want this sport to grow. To thrive. To become one of, if not the, largest sport in this country.

It already is at youth level, with more than 3 million registered as of 2014. The talent is there, waiting to be unearthed, but with no change, it won’t happen. Taylor Twellman described what is happening as “insanity. Doing the same thing while knowing the result.” He was right on the money. Let’s change the system, just so we can see this team become what it could. For the time being, Gulati Out.

Arena Out.