With the 2018 World Cup in action, the absence of the U.S. Men’s national team forces fans to ask difficult questions.
Countries such as Tunisia, Iceland, and Saudi Arabia qualified for the tournament, so how did the U.S. fail to do so? In a nation where soccer is on the rise, U.S. fans are beginning to feel that the national team is an utter disappointment; no longer is the excuse “Americans don’t like soccer” valid in a nation with growing domestic leagues, one that is set to host a world cup in eight years. So why does the national team continue to underperform?
The answer lies in college soccer.
In the United States, the majority of the best soccer players decide to play competitively in college––whether it’s Division I, II, or III––rather than going straight into the professional or semi-professional ranks. As a result, college soccer is very popular in the United States, but the same cannot be said for professional teams.
There are several inherent problems with the college game. Even in the most rigorous of D-I programs, there are academic standards that need to be met by every player, preventing athletes from focusing completely on soccer. For D-III sports, the situation gets even worse; the NCAA only allows its Division III teams to play games in the fall, and in the spring they are prohibited from doing so. If a D-III soccer player wants to go professional, only playing in games in the fall won’t cut it.
Meanwhile, European countries such as England, Germany, Spain, and Italy––all of whom are recognized as proven soccer giants––think of college soccer as more of an intramural sport, which college students play for fun rather than competition.
Consequently, the best players in Europe tend to forego a college education and instead head straight for the semi-professional or professional leagues following high school. This allows for them to get into a professional atmosphere early in life––before they hit their prime––so that they have the best shot of making it big. Without any school work to fret over, soccer is the primary focus, giving these athletes more time to perfect their craft than their American counterparts, who are stuck at a university for four years minimum.
By the time American soccer players get out of college, most of them are already into their 20s and have a college degree in their hand. At this time, the majority of these college graduates decide to say goodbye to the beautiful game, and choose to enter the corporate world instead, where there is much more potential to be successful than in playing professional soccer. A recent study by the NCAA found that only 1.4% of NCAA soccer players play professionally. For the remaining athletes who decide to continue to pursue soccer, the road is often long and difficult. Many of these athletes find themselves traveling the United States and Europe to find a team to trial for—a long, difficult, expensive, and physically & mentally taxing route.
For the few American soccer players who do in fact find a professional team that offers them a roster spot, the job is still not over. It’s likely that they will immediately find themselves fighting with European players for spots, all of whom have already been playing professionally or semi-professionally for five, six, or even seven years.
As a result of the college soccer setup, the USMNT has very few players to choose from (in comparison to other nations), and many of these options are old and past their prime.
However, there is hope for the future of the USMNT.
Christian Pulisic is one example of why fans have optimism––he is a Hershey, Pennsylvania native who went straight from high school to Borussia Dortmund, a powerhouse club who plays in the German Bundesliga. Pulisic is kicking ass in Germany with twenty-seven starts and four goals for his club this past season, and he’s also made an impact on the national team, scoring seven goals in the World Cup qualifiers.
Other athletes who parallel the story of Pulisic include Andrew Carleton and Josh Sargent, two players who went straight from high school to the professional level. Carleton currently plays at Atlanta United in the MLS, and Sargent is playing overseas at Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga. Players such as Carleton and Sargent are some of the brightest young stars for the United States, and they should give us future hope for the success of the national team.
Yes, getting an education is important. However, an athlete can get an education at any point in his or her life, whether it be at 40 years old or 70. However, soccer can be only played at the highest level for a short period in an athlete’s life, so it's about time that our college game is re-evaluated. America’s best players need to stop playing in college and start going directly to the professional level. If this change is made, the USMNT will be in great shape to make some waves at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
(Stats by NCAA, Fox)
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