Why is the US world cup team full of foreign players?

[Monello]

Originally Posted by dr.strangelove

Well, since that is an opinion, which as you know are like buttholes, everyone has one, it is free to be yours. But you clearly are an american. This would be the same as saying the Yankees are the gold standard of baseball because they won the most WS in the past. Which I think any baseball fan would laugh at. Every year in sports is a season. Every world cup tournament is a separate tournament. If you were to ask WoSo fans from England, Germany, Sweden, France, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, if they thought the USWNT and its program was better than theirs, they would all justifiably say no. Past is Past. Money is Money. When the US was the only team spending tens of millions of dollars on women's soccer, literally paying the salaries of the USWNT players on the NWSL teams, propping up a league and developing good players, of course it won. That has changed. They did not win gold medals in the past two Olympics and ask anyone but Fox and they are not the favorites going into the next WC. This is a fact, not an opinion. Maybe they showed the standard for investing in WoSo and the results it could achieve, but no one thinks they are the standard now. That is just a badly informed opinion, but you are entitled to it. Live in the past if you want.

Also, the NCAA comment shows how little you know of world soccer. Outside the US, the only players in college and school level soccer are the ones not good enough to play professionally. UITs not a development program like it is in the US. There are no drafts outside the US for college kids. Its like say the USA has the best flag with 50 stars in a blue field on the upper left corner and 13 red and white stripes running horizontally. Sure that is true, but what is the comparison. Maybe you like to take victory laps after winning a one person race, I do not. Lets instead look at who has the best academy development program for women, its the UK, without question. The US instead relied on college. Its why the field has been leveled. ITs also why US players go over to the UK to play for real competition.

I'm not even a casual watcher of women's soccer. My opinion, while probably badly informed as you say, is based on the available articles I find online. I have no dog in this fight.

I was living in Naples when the local club finally won the scudetto after signing Maradona to a contract. The city was a non stop, 3 day party. After 65 years of futility, unbridled celebrations. And I found that level of fanaticism intriguing. But that's where my interest in soccer ends. I respect their system that relegates poor performing teams down to the lower divisions while elevating successful teams. That is actually a brilliant strategy. US teams would benefit greatly from a similar system. But the complexities of the different leagues would make that impractical.

Are the fifa rankings credible? Because as of this month, they have the US women's team ranked #1.

Top 20 rankings as of 9 December 2022
Rank Change Team Points
1 Steady United States 2078.5
2 Increase 1 Germany 2073.73
3 Decrease 1 Sweden 2057.9
4 Steady England 2052.9
5 Steady France 2025.85
6 Increase 1 Canada 2003.97
7 Decrease 1 Spain 2000.31
8 Steady Netherlands 1996.79
9 Steady Brazil 1983.32
10 Steady North Korea 1940

I hope the US never gets into the academies. At least the way that the few places that are doing them now operate. They are tied to education. Just keep the 2 fields separate. They have IMG Academy somewhere in Florida. In the end, the educational aspect takes a back seat to the sports part. Which is fine if you turn professional. But if you don't then you are left with a mediocre education.

FWIW, my son has represented Italy twice in international competition. Both times being nominated by his parent team for the U19 national teams. He played both baseball and American football as that is what they refer to tackle football over there. Sadly both of those sports are severely underfunded. But the players that participate show an incredible level of passion for those sports. And in the end, I think that is the essence of sports. Love the sport you play and do it with passion.

[dr.strangelove]

Originally Posted by Monello

I'm not even a casual watcher of women's soccer. My opinion, while probably badly informed as you say, is based on the available articles I find online. I have no dog in this fight.

I was living in Naples when the local club finally won the scudetto after signing Maradona to a contract. The city was a non stop, 3 day party. After 65 years of futility, unbridled celebrations. And I found that level of fanaticism intriguing. But that's where my interest in soccer ends. I respect their system that relegates poor performing teams down to the lower divisions while elevating successful teams. That is actually a brilliant strategy. US teams would benefit greatly from a similar system. But the complexities of the different leagues would make that impractical.

Are the fifa rankings credible? Because as of this month, they have the US women's team ranked #1.

Top 20 rankings as of 9 December 2022
Rank Change Team Points
1 Steady United States 2078.5
2 Increase 1 Germany 2073.73
3 Decrease 1 Sweden 2057.9
4 Steady England 2052.9
5 Steady France 2025.85
6 Increase 1 Canada 2003.97
7 Decrease 1 Spain 2000.31
8 Steady Netherlands 1996.79
9 Steady Brazil 1983.32
10 Steady North Korea 1940

I hope the US never gets into the academies. At least the way that the few places that are doing them now operate. They are tied to education. Just keep the 2 fields separate. They have IMG Academy somewhere in Florida. In the end, the educational aspect takes a back seat to the sports part. Which is fine if you turn professional. But if you don't then you are left with a mediocre education.

FWIW, my son has represented Italy twice in international competition. Both times being nominated by his parent team for the U19 national teams. He played both baseball and American football as that is what they refer to tackle football over there. Sadly both of those sports are severely underfunded. But the players that participate show an incredible level of passion for those sports. And in the end, I think that is the essence of sports. Love the sport you play and do it with passion.

That is a great story about Naples. I wish I could have seen it. It is what I love about this sport, and why I believe America will never be able to truly compete. Soccer is ingrained into the local level in Europe and south america, its growing that was in Africa. Watch the show about the 5th level english team that the actor who plays Deadpool bought. Wrexham. Its incredible to understand what soccer means to the local communities. These local towns with small clubs are communities that are inside the TV areas for major clubs like Manchester or Liverpool for example. But their support of a small local club is incredible. I would have liked to have been there for that unbridled celebration. I also adore the promotion/relegation system. But we do not have that type of system that could support it.

On WoSo, I think the FIFA rankings credible, though they are like all sports, based on a formula that looks at the past. For WoSo it looks at the past 18 months and applies a matrix of values for wins and weights it on the type of match and the level of the opponent. Your rankings listed are interesting not for the places, but the points next to them. On 1/1/19, 4 years ago and going into the France 2019 world cup season, the US was also first, but was 120 points ahead of the second place team, Germany. Right now, all of the top 10 teams but Korea are within the point difference that 4 years ago was between 1st and and 2nd place. Think of that global change in WoSo over the last 4 years. Going into the last World cup season, we were so far ahead of 2nd place, that now, almost all of the top 10 are within the same striking distance that 2nd place was a mere 4 years ago. The rankings are based on a past that does not exist anymore. The gap has closed completely. In fact, if the US has the same year in 2023 that it had in 2022 and the other teams all stay the same, we will fall down to 6th place. We need to be better, but its not easy if you play the other good teams. We just are not better than all the teams anymore. We are not the gold standard. We are a good team, but we are merely competitive with the other good teams now. I hope we win in NZ/AUS, but I will honestly be pleasantly surprised if we do. England and Sweden are the teams to beat. Germany is amazing too.

I disagree on the USA and academies. I hope the US joins the rest of the world. IMG Academy is not a good example of a worldwide soccer academy. IMG costs $75k a year or close to it depending on the sport. Its a money maker. If Real or Atletico selects a student, its free for most, and some pay a nominal fee of a few thousand euro a year. But education in Europe and South America is mostly free, very different form the for-profit education in the US, though it is called non-profit. Also, I disagree that the european and south american education that the academy students receive is mediocre. In fact, I have only heard rather wealthy english people say its less than the education the students would get a expensive english private schools, which I do not doubt. I understand it is considered by all to be better than the well respect public educations the students would get in these locations.

Wow, that is impressive about your son and Italy. Twice in international competition is a huge achievement and I think your are justified in the pride you and he feel for that accomplishment. I agree that both of those sports are severely underfunded. I also agree with your last statement, "Love the sport you play and do it with passion."

[jsha7277]

Originally Posted by Davy-040

Top 20 national teams with most foreign born players at this World Cup:

1. Morocco
2. Tunisia
3. Senegal
4. Qatar
5. Wales
6. Australia
7. Cameroon
8. Ghana
9. Canada
10. Croatia
11. Portugal
12. USA
13. Serbia
14. France
15. Switzerland
16. Poland
17. Spain
18. Germany
19. Ecuador
20. Mexico

That Top 3 is very interesting. I guess they are players born in France from immigrant families, and not good enough to play for France? Or do they actually choose to play "their roots" vs. playing for France?

[dr.strangelove]

Originally Posted by jsha7277

That Top 3 is very interesting. I guess they are players born in France from immigrant families, and not good enough to play for France? Or do they actually choose to play "their roots" vs. playing for France?

France is a good example. Only 37% of the French players in this WC played for France. But France was a colonizer. Its former African colonies are still very tied to France, just as the Caribbean former UK colonies are heavily tied to the UK. The "choice" rules are clear. I posted them in an earlier response and you can find them. Players may indeed qualify as a player for more than one country, and they do indeed get to choose in those cases at a very early stage in their senior career.

[AfricanLad]

Originally Posted by 7express

The thing is this happens everywhere, not just the US. The guy that scored the goal for Switzerland today was born in Cameroon but plays for Switzerland. Kevin-Prince Boateng was born in Germany, but plays for Ghana.

Well his father is from Ghana...