I'm new to the boards so forgive me in advance, but I must say this and I apologize to the Americans who feel differently than me, but I must say this:
American soccer's problem is not simply talent but the fact that the talent that it does have stays in the MLS. Which in itself wouldn't be so bad if there were decent players from outside of the states playing here. But there isn't. What the MLS should do is stop buying players contracts and holding it above their heads and let these players play outside the country. Adu would be so much better had he been allowed to stay outside of the country. Now is his chance to fail in Utah. Good luck. Americans do know about soccer, the problem is that there are people who run teams in the MLS that don't get it.
Absolutely correct. This is the problem we face here. Our players are not receiving the highest possible football education by playing lackluster personel in the MLS, and would receive much better training if they would travel overseas to places such as the Eredivise and La Liga where teams would nurture their growth instead of destroying it with hype.
Players such as Adu and Convey have loads of potential, and we can see the differences between them. As we watch Adu languish in MLS with such high expectations he cannot meet, Convey is still holding down that left wing role for Reading and maturing despite being rather young. We can see Bobby's progression through the years and how he has matured since moving to Europe. Now that's no fucking joke people. The better competition in training and matches is in europe, so of course any player will become better while playing there.
It's obvious... this is the problem with our football. The talent is in place, however the league is lacking. It's no friggin joke our Olympic team earns so many metals in the games, espacially that of the summer. It's all about training, and our players would receive the best after they graduate from the MLS at an early age.