I thought this was a great summary:
"Best sum up :
I'm not trying to bash the US men's teams performance. Honestly I watched about ten minutes of the match. However that was enough for me to see the same old issues rearing their heads. Many people are talking about the coach's system, and which players would work better than other in that system. However tactics and personnel are the symptoms of a much deeper much more systemic problem. We lack a soccer culture here that prioritizes the elements of the game that would inherently breed quality.
It's the same issue that our culture faces in almost every industry. We find solutions to symptoms instead of looking at the deeper root cause and so we never come close to solving the real problem.
The soccer culture here in America has zero idea of how to produce world class quality because we don't really appreciate quality. We see players like Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Sadio Mane, Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Arjen Robben just to name a few, and do not realize that for them to make the game look easy, the requisite level of mastery is one that has been produced over time in a certain type of environment.
In our American pride we have turned a blind eye to all the systems of development that are bonafide, tested, tried and true. The elements of touch, technique and finesse are relegated to "technical trainers" most of whom are just trying to make a buck, and the clubs where kids spend the majority of their time focus on results from a wins and losses point of view. Kid's families pay to play and in our culture if someone pays money they believe they are entitled to results of their own liking. This is leads to purely subjective experiences as most parents have never played the game and have no rubric for success other than is my kid having fun or is my kid winning, never mind is my kid learning...some of you think that because your kid can smash a ball as it rolls back to him without even thinking about taking a first touch, smashing it 30 yards floating in the air and score on a short keeper that hasn't yet learned how to judge a high ball that you are having success.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM! In America we are far too comfortable skating around on the surface of things that we miss the depth of this game. It's called the beautiful game for a reason. We should reflect on what that means.
This game is first mental. It takes a special kind of mind to be able to process the movements of 22 players as a symphony as opposed to chaos. However most clubs are throwing academy age players into 9 v 9 formats before they understand how 3,4,and 5 players can relate to one another. The game is one of finesse and subtlety, it takes years of training to master the refinement of technique that it takes to play the game beautifully. However most clubs do not focus on technique whereas in France and other European countries 75% of training sessions are focused on technical mastery until the age of 14! But go ahead a keep thinking play practice play will solve the problem. Lastly this game takes a lucidity of mind to be able to problem solve on the fly. Pattern recognition. This is more about tactics. We do not have the understanding of the game that allows us to program kids to recognize what a team's/individual's pattern of play is and then find a way to counteract it.
Mentality, technique, tactical fluidity. None of these concepts will make a difference until we look at the game differently. This isn't American football where we celebrate yardage and a 1st down is a saving grace...this is a game where going all the way backwards pulls the other team out and then going sideways exposes space to be exploited much later in the development of the attack. Yet most parents cheer when their child mindlessly smashes the ball forward to no one. Youth soccer for the most part is kickball with no bases to run.
I could go on for days giving you reasons that we are currently experiencing the same disappointing performances from our National team. Side note, this is not only in reference to the men's team. The women's team will suffer the same losses over time because there is no system of development to consistently churn out top level talent. Spain, France, Sweden and Japan all have legitimate systems of development that will soon overshadow the bravado and athleticism of the American women.
All of these problems come from a culture of instant gratification. We think we should see the results we want now and not later. Like an impatient child we throw tantrums when we don't get our way, never realizing that if we applied a bit of process and patience that overtime we would be experiencing a completely different outcome.
If this post offends you, please don't @ me. I've played in five foreign countries upon graduating high school( France, Romania, Jamaica, Sweden and Malta) and have seen and experienced first hand the difference of system and mentality that each of these countries has to offer. Each of which has a level of true football that the American culture pales in comparison to."
