Jon Townsend does an eloquent job in his article, “Deconstructing the American Game and the Problems So Many Thought Never Existed,” of laying out the key issues in U.S. soccer.
Here’s a key issue:
The United States has no shortage of resources, players, fields, minivans, orange slices and participants. What it doesn’t have is a true culture on a large-scale basis. Vital elements like self-play, recreation games, and street football are not woven into the fabric of society in ways that basketball, American football and baseball are.
Too many people believe systems and coaches develop players and that’s where they spend a good deal of their energy.
They overlook a key truth: Culture develops players.
That’s been true of the sports woven into the fabric of our society forever, but it’s a cause and effect that’s hidden in plain sight. Few notice.
Near the end of the article, Townsend writes:
There is unlikely to be a single solution that operates as a panacea for all the ills and deficiencies of the domestic game from the youth to professional levels. If there is one, it is a truly open system where player development becomes an industry. Where investment in all tiers of the game is not a Ponzi scheme but a truly open and free market. Additionally, incentivising player and coaching development must be key drivers. Creating and fostering football as a cultural pillar is paramount.
Yes.
It’s tough for many folks to imagine the difference in outcomes between open and closed systems, but it’s big.
Restaurants are an open system. From it we get a lot of choices on where and what to eat, as well as when.
If restaurants were run like soccer in the U.S., our dinner choices would look more like school cafeterias. Decent, but mediocre, at best.
Of course, we wouldn’t know because we wouldn’t be able to imagine what we were missing.
For those pushing for an open system, we’d hear critics say, yeh but…some restaurants will fail, and that will put people out of work, and nobody will invest in a restaurant if there’s a chance it could fail. These are the types of reasons advocates to keep our closed soccer system.
But, imagine replacing your favorite restaurants with school cafeterias. The quality and selection would be meh. Hours of operation might be shorter and they may not be as conveniently located. The atmosphere may not be as nice. You may not be able to get your favorite cocktail or that one dish at that one place that you look forward to each month.
You may still not be able to imagine all that you’d be missing.
I remember visiting a family member in a different state. I couldn’t get beer after 10 pm because all the state liquor stores were already closed. When I went out the next day, I had to drive a good distance to get the beer.
At home, where the liquor market was more open, there are a dozen or more places within a short drive where I could get beer at any time.
Those that lived in the closed system were used to it. They didn’t know what they were missing.
I’ll keep my open system, thank you. Most will after experiencing it.
Our Dinner Table 