headtopics
Alexander: Did we really think the USMNT could win the World Cup? For this countrys team, going out in the Round of 16 constituted business as usual.
By now, we should know better.
The U.S.
Mens National Team you know, this countrys soccer side that hasnt ever come close to winning a World Cup teased us for a few weeks.
And lets putaside for now.
The furor surrounding the red card assessed to Folarin Balogun, including the latest instance of FIFA president Gianni Infantino kissing up to this countrys Commander in Chief and allowing Balogun to avoid sitting out the mandatory one-game penalty, had little to do with the USMNTs latest fold.
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Simply put, this nations team raised peoples hopes by winning the group and then winning their Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.But its not anywhere near ready to actually compete for a World Cup, as our Scott M.
Reidthough I did hedge.
My initial skepticism, it turned out, was warranted.
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To be honest, the USMNT likely will never, ever, get to even the quarterfinal round without radical changes in the way U.S.
Soccer finds and nurtures talent.
The player development system in this country still stinks, dominated by the pay-to-play culture of club programs.
Major League Soccer, established as a condition of the U.S.
getting the 1994 tournament, has now been in business for 30 years and each team has an academy system, but the league contributed only eight of the 26 players on the 2026 U.S.
roster.
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At least MLS partisans can brag that Lionel Messi is still in the tournament with Argentina.
But I wouldnt call that a flex...
Many of our national team players are dual nationals whose games were developed elsewhere.
I dont have a problem with that, at all its sort of the natural progression but doesnt that say everything you need to know about the system of soccer development in this country?...on the club and travel team culture that dominates youth sports in this country: Youth soccer is a competitive market with businesses selling a product that obviously customers are willing to pay for.
Id love if soccer was free to all.
But who is going to pay for all this free soccer?There was a study this was actually in 2016, so Im sure its gotten worse only 2% of kids playing organized soccer in America came from households that made less than $50,000, meaning if you dont make $50,000, your kid cannot play organized soccer.
Think about how many kids youre missing out on in this country because they cant afford to play the game.Growing up, there is zero chance I could have played club soccer.
My mom made $34,000 a year, single mom raising three kids.
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She couldnt pay $4,000 for me to play club.
Are you kidding?She couldnt pay $400.
But somebody let me on that team and paid for me.
Thats not a good system to create good players.
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Nor is it only soccer that has been overtaken by club and travel team culture.I had this conversation years ago with one of Southern California high school softballs most respected coaches, Coronas JoAnn Byrd, and we reached the same conclusion: The money that parents shell out for fees, travel costs, private coaches and the like in pursuit of those elusive scholarships would be better spent opening savings accounts to pay for their childrens college educations.
Incidentally, Article 27 is the new go-to device for navigating sticky situations.Thanks, FIFA! ..
But heres a reason why the World Cup will almost certainly be back on these shores, be it in 2038 or 42 or 46: As Reid reported, FIFA will take away $13 billion with a b in profit from this tournament.
Looking forward to another marquee event, heres a reminder: Monday nights All-Star Home Run Derby in Philadelphia will be shown on Netflix, another jolt to that generation of sports fans frustrated at having to subscribe to multiple streaming services to see everything they would like to see.
Todays quiz, then: There have been 39 previous Home Run Derbies.
How many of those have been won by a Dodger or an Angel, and who did it? Answer below....would match Philadelphias offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson, as much as that five-year, $90 million deal and specifically the $18 million salary cap number, the highest in NHL history might limit the teams other moves.
But this should be a lesson, not only to Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek but to others in his position: When you have a franchise player, its better to be a little less hard-nosed early in negotiations.It might save you money later.
...pending the result of the Aspiration investigation.
Given the rate at which this investigation is moving, theres a 50/50 chance the trade will be official by opening night.
...consecutive pitchesAnd Ill disagree with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts here.He said he wouldnt talk to Call about it afterward.
If I were the manager I would have, and this would have been the message: We dont trust you to challenge.
Do not even think of tapping your helmet until we tell you otherwise.
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Quiz answer: Four, or maybe it should be 312.Wally Joyner of the Angels tied the New York Mets Darryl Strawberry in the 1986 event at the Astrodome in Houston.
The Angels Garret Anderson won it in 2003 with the Chicago White Sox as hosts.
Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels won it in 2007 in San Francisco .And Teoscar Hernandez became the first Dodger to win it in 2024 in Arlington, Texas.
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Incidentally, when Guerrero Sr.
won the derby the Giants home was known as AT&T Park.
Now its Oracle Park.
But if youre a Dodger fan and you remember which L.A.
player hit three home runs.