Therefore, as I see it, not enough time has transpired for us to make a fully informed assessment of his work in revamping the Team.
If the USA is to reemerge as a world super power in soccer/football, it must draw talent from the ranks of youth and junior leagues. This is something Europeans and other do. Unfortunately, for some reason we continue to send our best players to college rather than into juniors leagues and this works against our interests. Let me illustrate what I mean:
In the NCAA athletes are restricted in the amount of hours of practice and access to coaches. Generally, they cannot practice more than 20 hours per week during a sports season with only about 8 hours of practice per week in the off season. This limits the development of an athlete. By contrast, when one plays in juniors league, there is virtually no limit to the hours of practice one has during the regular season or in off season. Because of this, and because the athlete has access to instructions from professional coaches, the athlete develops far better and faster. Consider the fact that this is how Canada produces so many more ice hockey players than does the USA even though we have a much larger population - Canada send its best players to juniors leagues, we send our best to college. Thus, Canada produces players who are far better prepared and more able than ours. Similarly, the rest of the world does the same with footballers - they send their best to developmental leagues, we send ours to college. And who reaches the top of the FIFA ladder? Those countries with developmental leagues.
On that basis, we must stop sending our best players to college. We must create a strong developmental league in football, ice hockey, gymnastics, and every other sport. If we ever do so, then we will dominate every sport in the Olympics and other forms of international competition.
Let us remember than JK and earlier American coaches did not have these advantages. Therefore, if a Bob Bradley, Bruce Arena, Steve Sampson, Bora Milutinovic, or others have failed to bring us a World Cup, this is not a sign that these coaches have failed. Instead, it is incontrovertible proof that our system of educating and preparing athletes has been a dismal failure. As such I do not and cannot honestly expect JK to succeed unless and until our system is altered to conform to that practiced throughout the world.
= new reply since forum marked as read