Let’s be clear – the United States is still a generation ahead of Canada when it comes to the state of the game. The 1994 World Cup propelled that country’s development to the point where they are the clear No 2 country in CONCACAF.
The arrival of MLS in 1996 finally gave the American’s a place to channel young talent, while the failure of the CSL to stick here made for a bleak decade of spinning wheels.
However, MLS only went so far – largely because the Americans only took it so far. Our friends to the south remain hopelessly addicted to doing things their way. Forget that soccer development techniques have been perfected elsewhere, the United States seems hell-bent on finding its own, unique path.
Sheer size allows Americans to trick themselves into thinking they can do it. The country is so big and there are so many players out there that some are bound to stick. If you throw enough mud at a wall some of it will stick and some of it will even look like art.
A lot will hit the ground though – its potential forever lost.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It’s a better situation than Canada, and most of CONCACAF, but it can only get you so far. To take the next step, the Americans need to harness more of their unlimited potential. It’s unclear if they will ever do it.
Canada has nowhere near the potential. To even compete in CONCACAF it is imperative that we harness every last bit of what we have. And, for the first time since the late 1970s, we are starting to come close.
As we saw on Saturday night we are closing the gap on the Americans. The 2-0 win over the much heralded USA Olympic Team In Waiting was the second time in three years that a Canadian youth team has stunned the Yanks in a competitive game.
Ironically, we are doing it by taking full advantage of the system they set up for themselves. The MLS academy initiative should be the tipping point that allows the USA to finally break into the world’s elite, but so far it’s proving to be more effective for Canada.
Americans remain obsessed with college soccer. Even though they have this wonderful system set-up now, they are not utilizing it. Normally impressive MLS management teams talk nonsense about protecting their academy player’s NCAA eligibility. Meanwhile the Canadian clubs just get on with the business of producing professional soccer players.
Recent Canadian youth teams have featured focused, confident players that act like professionals. The US, meanwhile, is still giving it the ole’ college try. Hell, they even hired a college coach to manage the U23s. That coach had his ass handed to him by a CSA old boy Saturday.
The American players are more athletic and more famous, but the Canadian players are footballers now – or, at least, becoming much closer to being so. With a majority coming from the two biggest academies – TFC and Vancouver – our youth are even starting to benefit from familiarity. It’s a model the Latin American teams have used for a generation to punch above their weight class.
The USA will always be big and the will always be in he mix, but until they get over their NCAA obsession they will never reach their potential. Since they don’t seem close to ready to shift that focus it says here that they won’t reach their potential anytime soon.
It also says that for the first time in more than 30 years the Canadian potential is on a greater upward trajectory than the USA. The Americans are still better now, but by 2018 and beyond all bets are off.