Analyzing Soccer Development in the USA

After the observation I conducted on my soccer team, I have come to the conclusion that in general kids are mostly forced to play soccer in the United States. Parents force their kids to play a sport that is now very popular as a social tool and a way to get their kids more involved with the community. Only a few kids really have a passion for soccer, however; this passion that they have is not as strong as someone that comes from Europe, naturally this is because soccer is the main sport in European countries. Overall, I believe that the community that is joining soccer does not really understand what the sport is about and only view it as a form of entertainment. The United States is all about entertainment and giving the audience the best experience. This is what gets engraved in kids and therefore don’t have a real passion for this sport, because all they want is to be entertained. In Europe people live the sport, it becomes part of someone’s life. 

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

Bill Shankly
English soccer manager

A Continuation from Asking the Parents

Finally, I decided to ask my fellow coaches that work in the same academy as I do. I wanted to get a professional perspective on the question that I had been analyzing. Most of the couches that work at this academy are European born and therefore have experienced first-hand what having a passion for soccer really means. One of the couches I spoke to has more than 20 years of experience coaching and explained to me that kids in the United States really play soccer as a hobby and don’t really have a passion for the sport. The couches believe that training sessions should be done to entertain the kids rather than to teach them to be soccer players. This is because kids don’t really have a passion for the sport and therefore, if the practice sessions are not entertaining the will not focus and simply not participate. On the other hand, in Europe kids that play soccer are treated like professionals and practice sessions are taking very seriously because kids want to learn how to become better players. All of the couches I spoke to agreed that the volume of players that are currently playing soccer in the United States Is very high however, it is only a few of these players that have a real passion for the sport. Most couches that I spoke to gave me the example of the world cup viewing stats which perfectly explains why kids don’t really have a passion for the sport. Most people that play soccer in the United States because the USA did not qualify for the world cup, they simply didn’t watch the competition. People that are really passionate about the sport like me watch the world cup no matter what the teams that play are, simply because we love this sport. 

A continuation from Asking the Kids

Continuing my research on soccer development in the United States, I wanted to dig deeper and this time ask the parents several question. After practice I decided to speak with several parents and ask them; “Do you believe your son has a passion for soccer?” Most of the parents seemed surprised when I asked this question, this was because they strongly believed that their daughters enjoyed playing soccer. However, these same parents where the same ones that previously their daughters said that their parents made them play soccer. This really caught my attention since there seems to be an incredible misunderstanding between the kids and the parents. Most of the parents I spoke to didn’t really understand how soccer worked or have never seen or played the sport. This is bizarre because typically parents want their kids to play a sport they used to play, but this wasn’t the case. After speaking with many of the parents I came to the conclusion that most of the kids that play soccer in the United States are forced by their parents because the sport has become so popular that everybody wants to play it regardless of their passion towards the sport. 

A continuation from Soccer Development in The USA

I started understanding the kids I couched when I asked them a simply question; “Do you enjoy playing soccer?” I have 15 players on my team, surprisingly when I asked that question only 5 of these kids really gave me the feeling that they really want to play this sport. The other 10 kids that I asked the same question to, answered without confidence. It is true the kids I couch are only 8 years old, so they might not find pleasure yet with soccer but maybe they will when they get older. However, if I compare this to my hometown in Spain every single kid that plays soccer, really wants to play soccer. Several of the kids I asked told me that their parents push them to do this sport. When a kid or anyone is pushed to do something they don’t enjoy, it is very hard to couch them and help them improve. Soccer is the new sport that everybody plays in the United States, this is the main reason why most of these kids started playing soccer. Parents push them to play soccer in hopes that because it is a new sport, they will become good and hopefully get a scholarship when they reach college. On top of this, 13 out of 15 players that I couch practice another sport. The season for soccer only goes from September to November and therefore kids play another sport like basketball when the soccer season is over. Most kids in Europe eat, breath and play soccer. The kids that I couch because they play other sports, when the season is over, they forget about soccer and simply don’t play the sport until the next season starts. It is very difficult to give it your all when you don’t have a passion for the sport. 

This summer I had the chance to accomplish a longtime dream of mine. This dream was to become a soccer couch. I have played and performed at the highest levels in European soccer but when my career ended, I knew I would always want to do something related to soccer. I started couching 8-year-old girls at an academy in New Jersey. This deep passion of mine for soccer wanted to see if kids in the United States have the same passion for the sport as I did when I was there age. This is the main reason I wanted to conduct a study and determine if kids in the U.S. really have a passion for soccer or they simply want to join a growing sport that more and more people are practicing in this country. I will be observing my 8-year-old girls at practice and talking with their parents to understand further if kids do really like the sport. The culture in Europe is very strongly attached with soccer, therefore, kids drag their parents to the soccer fields every day to practice. On the other hand, kids in the U.S for the most part seem to be dragged by their parents to practice a sport that it is getting bigger and bigger in this country in the hopes that someday their kids could exploit this to either gain a college scholarship or become pro. From this study I’m hoping to understand better the mentality behind sports in the U.S. and understand if kids really have a passion for soccer or not. This will help me gain knowledge as a coach in order to be able to provide the best experience for the kids that I couch.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton