| After watching the 2006 World Cup, it's hard to be | | | | overseas to play. In the MLS only inferior soccer |
| anything but extremely disappointed at the state of | | | | players who aren't skilled enough to play overseas |
| American soccer. The Americans for the most part | | | | play for an MLS team. This causes a lack of interests |
| have been completely non-competitive throughout the | | | | in the MLS from Americans and consequently a lack |
| century in soccer competitions. The reasons for this | | | | of good players that will play for America in the World |
| are both elusive and many. This fact was shown | | | | Cup. The American national team wasn't as good as |
| extensively in the Americans performance in this | | | | those from other countries for a simple reason. That |
| year's World Cup, in which they were embarrassed. | | | | reason is that the quality of professional soccer played |
| They only scored one goal the entire Cup and this | | | | in America is just not on par with the quality of |
| was an own goal by Italy in a tie. The American | | | | professional soccer played in other countries. You |
| inferiority in soccer is quite strange considering in all | | | | don't hear about any players like Ronaldhinho or |
| other sports the Americans are either dominant or at | | | | Ronaldo in America. The reason you don't hear about |
| least very competitive. Soccer however is a different | | | | them isn't because people don't like soccer in America. |
| story. | | | | The reason is the MLS isn't an attractive league to |
| If we try and analyze the reasons why Americans lag | | | | players like this. The players in the MLS are simply |
| behind in soccer we can look in several directions. The | | | | awful. If the league was legitimate and started paying |
| first is that young American children simply don't take | | | | players as much as the counterpart leagues in Europe |
| an interest in soccer, instead preferring to play more | | | | then maybe the MLS would have a chance, but this is |
| popular sports such as football and basketball. This | | | | not the case. |
| however is a little off base. Soccer is a very popular | | | | The lack of a legitimate professional soccer league is |
| sport among young children in America, and as a child | | | | clearly the reason why Americans have had so little |
| almost all children play soccer at some level. The idea | | | | success in soccer on the world stage. The MLS has |
| that soccer isn't popular in America so nobody plays | | | | been plagued by incompetent ownership and |
| soccer thereby robbing the American team of a large | | | | management which has prevented it from becoming a |
| talent pool is a misnomer. | | | | legitimate soccer league. This isn't a case of what |
| Another hypothesis (a more reasonable one) is that | | | | comes first the chicken or the egg. If the league was |
| since there is no viable professional soccer league in | | | | run correctly soccer could become a legitimate league |
| the United States the best athletes choose a sport | | | | and draw good talent and eventually grew into a |
| where they can make a successful living. This guess is | | | | league the was able to afford the Ronaldhinhos of the |
| much closer to the truth. The poor quality of play and | | | | world. But the MLS isn't this type of league and that's |
| incompetence of the MLS has caused many gifted | | | | why American national soccer has been |
| soccer players that might be playing for the American | | | | non-competitive and will continue to be non-competitive |
| national team to either play another sport or to go | | | | until the MLS decides to its act together. |