3-2-1 The State of US Youth Soccer

3 BIG PROBLEMS:

ONE – The US Men did not come close to winning the World Cup

Just in case you weren’t watching, I wanted to let you know that the US Men’s National Team did NOT win the 2026 World Cup. Even home field advantage did not advance them. In fact, it wasn’t even close. Worse, it wasn’t even progress.

There have been 23 Men’s World Cups, starting with Uruguay hosting in 1930. Every four years hope shines, flags are waved and fans cheer believing their team will break into a very exclusive club of World Champions. Time and again that hope is rewarded with dismay.

Only 8 countries have been crowned: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Uruguay, Spain and England. For the 2026 version 48 teams qualified, prepared, sacrificed and sought glory this Summer. Only one became Champion. 

While Spain was able to lift the trophy for the second time it should not go unnoticed that every team in the semi-finals was in the list above.

Of the 23 Men’s World Cups, the US has qualified for 12 of them. Things started brightly in 1930 with a third place finish, but we have never repeated that success in 11 subsequent tournaments. 4 exits in group play, 6 exits in the Round of 16 and in 2002 only a pre-VAR referee error kept our march forward limited to the Quarterfinals.

Why haven’t we progressed? Why do we continue to see our hopes dashed? Is it naivete, delusion or something more sinister…the answer is simply…YES.

TWO – American Youth Club Soccer is increasingly expensive

I grew up playing “competitive” soccer, blissfully unaware of how expensive my favorite pastime truly was. Club fees, travel fees, uniforms, camps and the cleats I kept growing out of. Soccer was my ONE sport. I chased it with passion, played through college and just couldn’t stop even though in the time in between NASL and MLS, it didn’t pay the bills. Those days seem sweet, simple and nostalgic compared to the machine that is competitive youth soccer in the US today.

Average fees for “competitive” youth soccer teams are currently $5,000/year. Let that sink in. $5,000/year is the average, not the top end…the average! 10 years in the youth system would be $50,000. The average tuition for a four year degree at an in-state college is $44,000.

The promise I hear most often from clubs is, “We play in the top leagues so that your player is exposed to college programs. If you want a scholarship, you need to be seen by college coaches. We HAVE to go where they will be and when we do, your player will have the best chance possible for a scholarship.” Knowing that the math doesn’t work doesn’t stop parents from taking the bait…hook, line, sinker.

Players playing in “Elite” leagues such as GA, EA, ECNL and NPL often travel out of state for league games. There are children boarding airplanes and literally flying over hundreds of quality opponents because their league won’t let those teams join. This ridiculous travel isn’t about finding quality opponents, it’s about leagues making money. I have had a front row seat to the politics involved in a club joining the elite alphabet soup and they make your state Senator’s re-election look like child’s play (pun very much intended)!

THREE – The drop out rate is growing

Every year the Aspen Institute issues the State of Play Report. Every year in recent memory has shown a steady decline in youth soccer participation rates. They found that the average age at which children drop out of soccer is 13. Over one-third of all children who quit soccer do so between the ages of 12 and 14. Most quit because they believe “I’m not good enough” followed closely by “Bad Coaching,” burnout and negative parental behavior.

What would have kept them in the game? 48% said what they want is to “have fun.” 47% said they just wanted to “play with their friends.” Notice this age grouping has two trademark rites of passage that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

First, these young people are entering Middle School. The change of scenery makes saying goodbye to old endeavors easier and diving into new ones very natural. Secondly, these tweens are finding their voice. Of all the manifestations of puberty the operative one here is realizing they can tell their parents no.

Choosing between getting on an airplane, hitting the field at the crack of dawn and giving your best, only to have your coach express in so many ways their contempt at your effort or happily hanging out with friends playing pick up is a very easy choice to make.

TWO TRUTHS

ONE – Soccer=Fun, Soccer-Fun=American Club Soccer

One of the many brilliant things that my mentor, John Ellis said is, “Soccer is a game and games should be fun.” I lived in Northern Virginia during my college years. Whenever I left the house I took my soccer gear with me as you couldn’t hardly drive anywhere without finding a pick up game. Time and again I would simply walk up and ask if I could join. The answer was universally, yes. No coaches frantically gesturing, no parents screaming, no pressure…just fun and new friends. I didn’t have to register, pay a fee or buy a uniform. Sometimes the game was intensely competitive and played at a lightning pace, full of technical prowess. Sometimes the game was one bout of laughter after another. Sometimes we drank more beer than we scored goals. All of it was full of joy. When soccer is allowed to be what it is intended, soccer equals fun. For it to be anything different people have to remove fun from the equation. What club soccer often represents today is that subtraction. Soccer minus fun equals American Club Soccer.

Soccer is a simple game made complex by confused people…you can quote me! Confused coaches, over-coach. Many do so with the best intentions at heart. They actually believe they are helping, when in reality they are subtracting one of the game’s most beautiful traits…freedom. Soccer is played in a fluid environment. Once the whistle blows the players have freedom to make their own decisions. In a world that wants to constantly tell us what we can and cannot do, the beautiful game does the opposite. Instead it invites creativity, audacious risk taking and a stage on which to entertain.

Confused parents sign their children up for overly regimented training and hypercompetitive leagues. When the game becomes a grind children naturally lose their love for it. Demanding players play pragmatically so that parents can enjoy winning seems a sickness to me and yet, it is epidemic!

TWO – Pro’s should develop the Pro’s:

OK, I hear you yelling…what about the Men’s World Cup, Lance. How do we win the World Cup?!

Here is some stuff you may not be aware of. Stick with me as this is THE light bulb moment.

1,248 players were rostered for the 2026 Men’s World Cup. Of those, want to guess how many are pure amateurs? Well, New Zealand’s Tommy Smith plays “non-league” football, but that is semi-pro. Cabo Verde fielded players who have a primary job outside of soccer, but in both of these cases the players were developed in a professional setting, by…professionals.

MLS has 30 teams. Ready for another guess? How many of their youth academies are FREE? Yep, all of them. Add in fully funded USL academies and the opportunity for the pro’s to develop the next generation of pro’s is extensive.

I recently heard a youth soccer leader tell a well-meaning parent that the reason we are not going to win the World Cup is that it costs $5K to play for FC Dallas. The confusion comes from FC Dallas running an MLS Academy (FREE) and offering a youth competitive club (PAY FOR PLAY). Two very separate endeavors. One is designed to develop professional players and the other should be about fun but, well see above.

Let’s go further. The US Under 19 National Team is currently playing in our confederations Under 20 Championship. The team has 21 players. William Lodmell (Sporting Lisbon) is currently on loan; Din Klapija plays for RB Leipzig; Xanti Oyharçabal is at Athletic Bilbao. Everyone else is with MLS or USL clubs…plus one collegiate player (Furman). ONE COLLEGE PLAYER. Notice there are not any players from the local amateur club in your town that promises “elite” player development. No, the pro’s need to do exactly what they are best at…develop pro players and American Youth “Competitive” Soccer Clubs should focus on FUN.

1 Solution

ONE – Parent Education

The consumer always shapes the market even while businesses do their very best to influence potential consumers.

How much influence does your $5k get you? When coaches behave badly do you have a say in what corrective action should be taken? Do you have influence in the tournaments your team participates in or does the club require you to travel to far off lands because they have a reciprocal deal with your destination? What would happen if you raised your voice to lobby for a local league instead of chasing “National” league logos?

If you have gotten this far and you still think, “Lance seems well intentioned, but he just doesn’t get it,” we can still be friends but I would encourage you to read the article out loud to your child and get their feedback.

Blindspots happen because we don’t know what we don’t know. They become safety hazards when we willfully remain uninformed. Going with the flow sometimes drags you into the current that will beat you against the rocks and drown you. I encourage you to do your own research and that research starts with your child. What do they want? 

There are players who love the grind. They cannot get enough training and competition. These are the young people who should become professional soccer players. In most other countries around the world they stick out to scouts and are invited in for a trial session with professional clubs. If the player, their parents and the club find a good fit, wonderful things can happen. Of the 8.3 billion residents of planet earth around 0.0018% play soccer professionally.

100% have a chance to fall in love with the Beautiful Game. Universally, parents love their children. Across borders, cultures, socioeconomic structures and any other metric you can dream up…parents love their children and want what is best for them. I encourage you to make the best choice possible by educating yourself. If I can be of any help on your journey please don’t hesitate to to reach out xi.soccer

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