I agree

by IrishGuard, Tuesday, July 07, 2026, 09:32 (18 days ago) @ BillyGoat

it seems to be a combination of a.) our best athletes are playing basketball and football, and b.) the cost barrier to the best training/coaching is very high. Of course, many of our best athletes can't afford that cost even if they did want to concentrate on soccer.

As a result, you get either guys raised overseas or good athletes who come from families who can afford it, but whose ceiling are lower. It reminds me of football recruiting in the pre IMG-type school days, where guys coming from rich Texas championship programs get passed over for rawer guys coming from Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. The Texas kids were maxed out, and unlikely to get much better. Money can only take you so far.

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Complete thread:

Some takeaways from this game. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 18:57
- Having stopped to think a bit, a question for all - Greg, 2026-07-07, 13:06
  - And France only beat 1-0 - Chris, 2026-07-07, 14:01
- Flashbacks to 2012 ND Football - ndbk32, 2026-07-06, 22:53
  - Nails it. Weaknesses exposed - Jack, 2026-07-07, 05:38
  - That's how I felt too. - oviedoirish, 2026-07-07, 04:54
- Tonight was January 7, 2013 all over again - HCE, 2026-07-06, 20:35
  - Nah - Charles, 2026-07-08, 13:22
  - Beat me to it - ndbk32, 2026-07-06, 22:58
- Some super basic questions... - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:08
  - Some observations. - PMan, 2026-07-06, 20:43
    - I don't know from anything - Greg, 2026-07-07, 07:24
    - Is there truth to the idea we have adverse talent selection? - Mike (bart), 2026-07-07, 06:58
      - Need a path to big money as a teenager - TSchlidt, 2026-07-07, 09:20
        
        It's not the story anymore, if it ever was - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 09:39
        
        is that money, or genetics? - KGB, 2026-07-07, 12:32
        
        It's actually hard to say - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 12:46
      - I don't buy that anymore - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 07:45
        
        The game knowledge thing is fascinating to me - Regular Joseph, 2026-07-07, 18:44
        
        Worth noting, our guys play in the world's best leagues - HCE, 2026-07-07, 20:03
        
        This is on Poch as manager more than “knowledge” - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:00
      - Sort of? - HCE, 2026-07-07, 07:37
      - For elite athletes with aptitude in soccer and one of the - BillyGoat, 2026-07-07, 07:05
        
        I agree - IrishGuard, 2026-07-07, 09:32
  - On #1 - it’s so much better than it was - Dylan, 2026-07-06, 19:27
  - To go along with your #1... - domer.mq, 2026-07-06, 19:21
    - I haven’t researched this issue too much. - San Pedro, 2026-07-07, 05:58
    - That's a good point. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:26
      - AAU basketball doesn't seem to hurt - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:29
        
        There is no greater authority on this than Kobe Bryant - hobbs, 2026-07-06, 20:40
        
        Maybe - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 05:10
        
        Can't argue with any of that. - hobbs, 2026-07-07, 07:27
        
        Our best young players go to Europe or MLS academies. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:35
        
        Right - bobbywal, 2026-07-06, 20:01
        
        AAU isn't necessarily a net plus though. - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:32
        
        I’d like to read a deep dive into the differences - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-06, 19:43
        
        There's the rub - Domer99, 2026-07-07, 09:55
        
        Travel expands and expands until public leagues all die - MattG, 2026-07-07, 07:32
        
        Euro soccer elite are already vacuumed up by then - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 07:38
        
        Maybe this is too shallow - Domer99, 2026-07-07, 10:04
        
        For some clubs it's also a money grab - okerland, 2026-07-06, 20:33
        
        not only that - Pat, 2026-07-06, 21:24
        
        But I'm sure corollaries of this exist over there too - HullieAndMikes, 2026-07-07, 05:17
        
        I forgot that we are part of the same soccer club :) - okerland, 2026-07-06, 21:40
        
        I don't know that I've ever seen one definitive comparison. - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:53
        
        My guess is coaching and training. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:52
        
        I'd buy that - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:39
  - PMan and HCE are better sources but I'll do my best. - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:17
    - Thanks. Would not have guessed (1) - Mike (bart), 2026-07-06, 19:18
      - I think the reason many countries have seemingly - ReginaldVelJohnson, 2026-07-06, 19:25
- Nobody else gave up 4 goals in round of 32 or 16. - Mr. Natural, 2026-07-06, 19:07
- Where is USMNT in CFB terms? - HumanRobot, 2026-07-06, 19:00
  - JMU or Texas Tech - Charles, 2026-07-08, 13:31
  - West Virginia - they both play Almost Heaven…. - PasadenaDomer, 2026-07-07, 13:44
  - I was thinking TAMU - HumanRobot, 2026-07-07, 13:43
    - Sweden. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:58
  - Boise State - PMan, 2026-07-07, 13:37
    - I used BSU as a comparable to my LSU buddy who knows nothing - cdawg, 2026-07-07, 14:44
      - That's the new PAC-12 to you. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:53
  - Nebraska. - omahadomer, 2026-07-06, 19:19
    - Uruguay. - PMan, 2026-07-07, 15:56
      - But the early hype and then celebrating going - omahadomer, 2026-07-07, 18:03
        
        Nobody of worth considers this Cup a “success.” - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:07
  - Michigan St.? - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2026-07-06, 19:02
    - Scotland? - PMan, 2026-07-07, 19:12

the Polo Grounds

I agree