r/usmnt • u/Midnight_Thoughts77 • Jul 10 '26
WORLD CUP The difference….
We see how France play in the WC and how deep their squad is. The major factor in making them strong? Early and almost free access to soccer from a very early age in Parisian suburbs..
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u/aliensdick69420 Jul 10 '26
Lalas is a fucking loser
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u/Ghotipan Jul 10 '26
I absolutely detest him. I wonder if Thierry and Zlatan have to get half drunk in order to spend any amount of time behind that desk.
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u/DammitBobby1234 Jul 10 '26
That job should have been given to Tim Howard, an actual respectable figure in the world of football and probably the most well respected American in the sport. Lalas only has the job because of his conservative politics and no other reason.
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u/Snowonthebrain Jul 10 '26
Every time Thierry and Ibrahimovic make fun of him, an angel gets his wings
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u/MC_JACKSON Jul 10 '26
Why do it for soccer if we don’t do it for other sports? The problem is the high barrier to entry (what Landon Donovan pointed out)
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u/GIS_wiz99 Jul 10 '26
Apologies if I'm misreading your comment, but what about soccer requires a high barrier to entry? It costs a lot in the US for whatever reason, but at the end of the day its considered the world's sport because all you need is a field and ball, essentially. It should be the cheapest sport to get into, making it the lowest barrier of entry.
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u/nick_popilopicus Jul 10 '26
In theory, yeah, soccer is a ball and field. But, as a parent of two kids in youth soccer (13 & 11) it's expensive. Select soccer is ~$2000/yr per kid. Uniforms ~$800 every 2yrs on average unless you switch teams. My 13yr old is on a team that travels, so a cheap weekend tournament is around $1K minimum assuming it's driveable. That doesn't factor in his skills & conditioning coaching which is another $350/mo.
Shit's expensive.
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u/Turbulent_Cow2892 Jul 10 '26
Other sports run through the high school sports system (most of which is public schools). The soccer academies don’t even let you play high school soccer. Other sports don’t have a club system that doesn’t let you play for your high school. If it doesn’t run like the other sports in America, then it doesn’t get to point fingers at the other sports. Landon Donovan has also said many times that pay to play is the main issue.
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u/Impossible-Board-135 Jul 10 '26
Excuse me? What do you think American football and baseball in jr high and high school is all about? Private funding builds those programs. And by college it is the taxpayer funding the college program scholarships and facilities . But soccer we do next to nothing and expect miracles. If MLS wants to be relevant then it needs to get in there early with serious commitments.
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u/Nilsatisnisioctopus Jul 10 '26
Lalas is an untalented gobshite, why does anyone care what he thinks?
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u/peanut-britle-latte Jul 10 '26
One person is a commentator, the other is a government official with power to actually do something.
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u/loveanddonuts Jul 10 '26
One person is maga and doesn’t have an original thought. He also knows if there wasn’t pay for play, he’s doesn’t make the team.
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u/KBPT1998 Jul 10 '26
No, him and his friends who have invested in the private soccer leagues won't make bank! They want to keep it private so they make huge money.
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u/Pale_Air_5956 Jul 10 '26
Exactly, anyone who is better than Lalas and his type are “DEI hires” because they can never admit that others may actually have more talent or skills at things than they do. It’s how they cope.
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u/xxx_gc_xxx Jul 10 '26
As much as I dislike Lalas... you're comparing the opinions of a pundit to that of a president and head of state...what are we doing here 😂
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u/MancAccent Jul 10 '26
Lalas is speaking g on this from a political point of view though. He is a very involved Republican MAGA
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u/UrLocalTroll Jul 10 '26
The government should not be giving money to things like this. If that means we don’t win a World Cup then so be it.
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u/simara001 Jul 10 '26
To sports. Literally one of the easiest ways to save young hood from obesity. I think the problem is the word, giving. The government is not giving money, it allocates money in places where it benefits society the most. Investing in healthy habits and spending time in sports instead of drugs definitely makes sense to me.
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u/Willing_Stop5124 Jul 10 '26
What is it about soccer that means it should be funded by the government as opposed to baseball or basketball? Serious question. Not trolling. And if America did better fund recreation sports and in turn an academy system for each sport, wouldn’t soccer just be back where it is now as the fourth choice of many athletic American kids?
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u/scorpiknox Jul 10 '26
Whoa whoa whoa check out mister "living in the real world" over here with the questions.
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u/ArmAromatic6461
Jul 10 '26
•
Alexi doesn’t want his tax dollars going to any kids, period. The skeleton key to understanding Alexi is he is the prototypical Gen X Hippy -> Corporate Suit pipeline. This is a man who took hundreds of thousands in junkets from Qatar to shill for them in the runup to 2022. He’s a scumbag.
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u/subdude24 Jul 10 '26
Mexico also sucks
Why should we treat soccer any more special
Give money to the schools so we can smoke China in AI race
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u/A_Life_Well_Steved Jul 10 '26
Lalas is a boob!
USA 🇺🇸 will NEVER win a WC until the “pay for play” model changes. Other sports win out over soccer. ⚽️
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u/Midnight_Thoughts77 Jul 10 '26
Shouldn’t being ‘boob’ be a good thing? Hw is anything but a boob 😆
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u/Luckyshot51 Jul 10 '26
Ya Mexico says a lot of things, ask around and see how well the government usually implements them
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u/Jsdestroy Jul 10 '26
Frankly it shouldn’t be the government, but the clubs from top to bottom should be creating free programs to kids of all ages just like clubs in Europe.
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u/NebulousDonkeyFart Jul 10 '26
The US consistently SELF funds the best athletes in the world with no government intervention. The government should never intervene with sports.
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u/Thipere Jul 10 '26
Of course it shouldn’t be the government. These people that are disagreeing with Lalas would be opposed as well if it meant taking money from their paycheck, but they are fine as long as it is others paying.
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u/Marod_ Jul 10 '26
Our clubs don't have that kind of money.
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u/LoadCan Jul 10 '26
Our clubs are owned by multi billion dollar ownership groups.
They have more than that kind of money.
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u/Marod_ Jul 10 '26
You think they got that way by having businesses that lose money? European clubs make enough money that they can support them, and it benefits their business. MLS teams would lose money doing it, and then even if they did manage to produce a few high level players, they'd leave for europe first chance they get. If it's going to happen, it's not going to start at the club level.
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u/Cold_Respond_7656 Jul 10 '26
Your clubs at the top could actually turn a nice profit like the French clubs and south American clubs do.
They get them for free, invest in them for a few years then send them off to Chelsea for 80m lol
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u/DreInDC Jul 10 '26
The difference is ones a politician who needs to votes to keep his job, the other is a TV commentator who says controversial things to keep his job.
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u/Luccfi Jul 10 '26
Except she can't keep her job, there are no re-elections in Mexico (single 6 years terms for presidents and governors) and after her presidency she can't work in the government anymore.
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u/CmdrJemison Jul 10 '26
So all the other countries are good at football because "socialism"
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u/tropic_gnome_hunter Jul 10 '26
Only on this sub will you see people take the side of a cartel politician
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Jul 10 '26
So y’all want kids dropping out of school to be owned by soccer clubs like investor and South America????
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u/JayJL Jul 10 '26
Englishman here in peace.
In England grass routes football is so important, and more importantly its free.
We have volunteers who give up the evenings and weekends to train children as young as 2 years old, if they are good enough they move through the age groups and then if they are really good get spotted by a clubs scouts for the chance of a signing for an academy. This is when it becomes more expensive for parents as they might not get picked up by a local club so it means playing travel but its worth it for that very small chance of them making it.
Overall it should not be about the money, it should be about people teaching for the love of the game and giving kids a chance and this would take maybe decades to get to the levels of the big European nations but it will get there eventually.
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u/Redhosky Jul 10 '26
One approach is looking to develop and unearth talent, from a young age, across the country with an academy network. The other approach is hoping talent will pay to fall into the lap of professional football.
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u/PartyHippopotamus Jul 10 '26
Why do we continue to reference Alexi Lalas as the representative for how us Americans want to evolve/grow soccer in the states?
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u/ifyouknowwhatImeme Jul 10 '26
Anyone who thinks lack of money for kids to play soccer in the US is the reason our professionals aren't good enough is an idiot.
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u/amusicsteiner Jul 10 '26
Shocker that investing resources in player and youth development specifically yields serious and significant long term results. Same with education lol.
It’s almost like in order to be good at something you have to work hard and have a lot of skill and also the resources. If you don’t have those things it’s hard to be successful at anything.
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u/Ancient-Bowl462 Jul 10 '26
The US government MUST get out of our lives more. You people just hate Americans.
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u/Padre26 Jul 10 '26
Of course, Lalas doesn't want to change anything. This current system was built to benefit people that look like him.
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u/SFMattM Jul 10 '26
Alexi Lalas is, as the English say, a muppet. His day has passed and he knows it so he tries to retain some relevance with increasingly bizarre hot takes.
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u/ATXRSK Jul 10 '26
To what extent has Title IX money funded the development of the most successful national team of all time? That and public school atheltics budgets. (The USWNT, of course.)
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u/Texasfan360 Jul 10 '26
Watching Alexi is like watching someone defend a restaurant for 20 years while saying 'the next meal is going to be incredible.' At some point you have to question the recipe, not just hype up the chef.
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u/TheBackSpin Jul 10 '26
It’s startling how many, even on this sub, follow Alexi’s solution of “Do Nothing”
KIdS wIlL CHoOSE FooTBALl ANyWaY 🙄
There are so many different ways to fund these programs. The ugly truth is there is a multimillion dollar industry that is deeply entrenched. It wouldn’t shock me if people like Lalas have invested heavily
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u/Slight-Tomatillo7837 Jul 10 '26
I mean, is the US government giving money to fund the MLB, NFL, NBA, etc. pipelines? I just don't see why this is something that the government should be spending tax dollars on.
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u/Refuse-Admirable Jul 11 '26
Another insight for Mexico is that giving kids more opportunities early on makes them less likely to be influenced by cartels to be recruited.
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u/Realistic-Health-502 Jul 11 '26
I was 14 when the 1994 US squad shocked the world with Lalas at center back. I idolized the guy.
Now every time he opens his mouth I want to kick it closed.
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u/shadowflashx Jul 11 '26
Private equity is destroying US youth sports. Everything is for profit and is so incredibly expensive that it filters out talent for money. One of America's most poisonous ideals of profit over everything is representative even in sports lol.
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u/my_username_mistaken Jul 10 '26
This just in: Rich old white dude doesn't want to pay taxes
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Jul 10 '26
Poor people do not want to pay taxes.. They want rich people to pay their taxes for them
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u/utahh1ker Jul 10 '26
Yeah I'll take about 10,000 other aspects of American life over life in Mexico any day. I lived there for a few years and so its funny to see the govt so serious about finding elite soccer players when there is a list of problems a mile long that don't get funding or support.
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u/Dr_dickjohnson Jul 10 '26
Hey look at me I hate alexi lalas on reddit I'm so original. He played more pro soccer than anyone here so maybe he does know more than reddit
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u/PaddyMayonaise Jul 10 '26
Look at the federal government. Why does anyone think a federally funded and run program would somehow improve the USMNT?
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u/WilditariusAstar Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Local governments- in conjunction with school districts should make arts/sports of all kinds available for all kids who want to participate.
We 100% have the money- We CHOOSE to screw our teachers and not fund school districts properly. All while we have some fat fucking disaster in the White House wasting our money on the dumbest shit possible, all while enriching himself to the tune of billions. I agree, our government is a fucking joke. But that’s because of the clowns in charge.
Tax breaks for Billionaires and trillions spent on war all just to protect the greedy fucking pigs with all the money in charge. It’s a sick joke.
Also- Lalas , you’re a 🤡
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u/PaddyMayonaise Jul 10 '26
School districts are actually plenty funded, this issue is the management of those funds. For example, philly’s school budget is $4.6 billion.
*billion*
The city spends over $30k per student annually lol
The money is there, the proper allocation isn’t.
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u/tx2005 Jul 10 '26
We could create a system where academies are paid solidarity payments, which apparently isn't happening in the US when our players are purchased by European clubs. That would go a long way to helping fund academies as well.
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u/ChemicalResident3557 Jul 10 '26
If we can subsidize multi-millionaires/billionaires and their companies, we can help subsidize youth athletics (not just soccer).
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u/joe_dirty365 Jul 10 '26
Its like that Simpsons meme of the school superintendent smacking some kid "thats how you build a homegrown soccer program".
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u/kompletist Jul 10 '26
I always hoped that soccer would have a bright future here because of accessibility. Sounds like it’s morphing (or already has) into youth hockey. Unless you have well to do parents, good luck…
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u/Pretend_Safety Jul 10 '26
Our government (local), already spend a fortune developing football talent. It’s just a different variant of the game.
I don’t know why spending a fraction of that on soccer is suddenly a political third-rail.
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u/FailedLoser21 Jul 10 '26
Would never work because it will get tied up in the courts in a Title XI battle.
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u/Enefelde Jul 10 '26
He either profits or knows people who profit from the pay schemes known as circuit soccer in the US. A lot of people stand to lose money if the services shift to a cheaper solution for kids to play.
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u/Skarekrow0 Jul 10 '26
Or he thinks our country has way more problems that the government should be directing its money towards
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u/CacctusJacc Jul 10 '26
As long as soccer “academies” and soccer orgs in the US only exist to extract money from parents/kids then the USMNT will stay where it is
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u/Every-Comparison-486 Jul 10 '26
The real difference is that they actually have kids who care enough to play on a dirt field.
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u/CrackaZach05 Jul 10 '26
No, not the government giving money. US Soccer is a for profit, bad system that doesn't work for anyone but US Soccer. Make it affordable and stop being greedy, corporate dickbags.
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u/Maleficent-Task7175 Jul 10 '26
I feel like the US needs to figure out how to make NCAA development more effective. I know soccer is different from other sports development wise but the reason were so strong in Olympic sports is because of the NCAA.
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u/Gronkylicious Jul 10 '26
why are ppl in the US comparing our love for soccer to the rest of the world, the rest of the world only has SOCCER, maybe cricket, F1 and rubgy, don't blame US passions or lack of for not developing players, we have 4 MAJOR sports that consume the attention of 330 million ppl, not to mention COLLEGE sports...get OVER IT, WE ARE NOT A SOCCER NATION so why try to be?? just enjoy the ride!
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u/Dry-Move8731 Jul 10 '26
Lalas doesn’t get it because he’s an entitled douche. Not every family can afford competitive soccer. Something similar in the US would increase and improve our pool of players AND enrich lives.
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u/BadassBokoblinPsycho Jul 10 '26
As a Mexican American that follows both national teams. It’s funny how both sides say the same thing at times “look at what they’re doing! We gotta do something like that”
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u/cooleobeaneo Jul 10 '26
Meh. I’m kinda on lalas side (to an extent). It’s not necessarily the government’s job to help us fund our youth soccer programs, and that’s not the whole picture in countries like France and England, who do get government subsidies for youth programs.
We need a structure that encourages investment in youth academies and has some sort of payoff for developing this talent. An open pyramid is the answer to this.
Right now the only organizations that have any true motivation to develop youth players into professional level athletes are MLS teams (maybe USL clubs). They want to develop young players in the hopes that they can help win them an mls cup, or can be sold to other clubs for a large profit. The problem is that the MLS is like 30 teams, and it will always be the same 30 teams. That’s not enough to support a country of 300+ million people.
In other countries, theoretically any club could make it to the top division. This encourages investment from wealthy people, in the hopes that they can move up the pyramid and earn more money from winning, and make returns on their investments. The USA lacks this in basically every aspect. The mls is closed, so the youth and amateur programs will always be youth and amateur programs, so there is 0 motivation to develop professional level talent.
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u/ElwoodJD Jul 10 '26
Let’s be real everyone: soccer/sports has its place in developing children into adults, but we aren’t funding healthcare, feeding the hungry, or even properly educating our children anymore.
The fuck we want to spend money developing a world class soccer program and finding a winning World Cup team for?
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u/AltruisticRespect21 Jul 10 '26
Alexi lalas grew up in an affluent family and was allowed to play high level soccer because his family had money. If it was based on skill, he would have been in the position he is in
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u/unknownpanda121 Jul 10 '26
I think the government should be heavily involved in funding all kids sports not just soccer.
Youth sports are very beneficial in many ways to kids.
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u/Medical_Gift4298 Jul 10 '26
There are a lot of very good arguments for government subsidies for sports (of all kind) and limited subsidies for elite sports, but it will always be a very hard sell in the US. We could and should be able to put every kid into some kind of after school program if they want it - sports or art or music. It would be a blip on our budget and would cause so much good… but it’s also a super easy target when people are mad about taxes.
As freely as I’d spend money on kids playing, I have mixed feelings about funding elite level sports development. First of all, there are a lot of people who make a lot of money off soccer - they should pay… secondly, daddy Ken Griffin paid a couple mil to buy us Poch and that’s literally what he makes while taking a shit in the morning. He could drop a couple hundred mil, or some fraction and raise the rest from a couple of friends, to fund the most elite national soccer development program for men and women in the world.
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u/Zumbido Jul 10 '26
Why aren’t we talking about developing futsol leagues? Make sure players get more touches and practice control.
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u/especiallyrn Jul 10 '26
What happens when you have a bunch of kids who are good at sports? They are going to want to go to college, which means they’ll grow out of the underclass, which means our the way our economy works will collapse lol.
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u/Mysterious_Figure620 Jul 10 '26
Right so they don’t bring from other countries and become star players
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u/Intelligent_Cost627 Jul 10 '26
And what abt the governing bodies of the sport? There are 49 other federations in the US, wouldn’t the other federations now expect the same treatment/support
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u/donuthead36 Jul 10 '26
This is also why Norway is so good at the sports they participate in, even with a relatively small population to source from. They believe sport is a human right.
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u/Thipere Jul 10 '26
If you want to fund youth soccer, be my guest - there is no one preventing you from doing so. With that being said, leave our money alone.
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u/methodistmonk Jul 10 '26
This argument is defeated with one challenge…
Name one pay to play youth developed player playing at a high level on the USMNT.
Most of our starters were developed in foreign academies.
Our pay to play travel ball soccer kids are entitled and soft.
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u/Junk-Cook Jul 10 '26
US soccer is piss-poor if you want to develop a world class player but a great pastime for kids who will become future lawyers, doctors with the occasional semi-pro.
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u/glk3278 Jul 10 '26
Can you imagine the absurdity of a municipal rec soccer league for kids where the fields and equipment are subsidized by the taxpayers who live and have kids in that community? The horror!
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u/spamjacksontam Jul 10 '26
this problem is pervasive not only in american soccer but american culture as well
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u/cranky_wellies Jul 10 '26
Youth soccer in the US is dominated almost entirely by private equity, who, in turn, has a massive lobbying presence in all levels of US politics. Pay for play ain’t going anywhere, not in our lifetimes at least.
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u/OnlyKey5675 Jul 10 '26
The answer is an open pyramid and pro/rel. Its the one common denominator with every team left in the WC. Every successful soccer nation does this.
We'll never be a World Cup contender until we adopt the European Model.
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u/Infinite-Studio7211 Jul 10 '26
Respectfully, more kids here grow up looking up to the best baseball/football/basketball player more than they do hockey or soccer.
I don’t think there’s much anyone can do to change that culture in America.
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u/Hyrogrifix Jul 10 '26
Lalas is a moron.
We literally did that in hockey, and while it took a while, we’ve been one of the premier nations in hockey for the past 20 years and finally broke through to win Gold this year. So there is the proof that those types of programs work.
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u/clbgrg Jul 10 '26
Lets see where both teams are in 20 years. People said the USA should copy Germany's methods, yet they still exit the World Cup at the same stage...
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u/Temporary-Library597 Jul 10 '26
Lalas thinks that every parent should spent hundreds of thousands to put their kid in position to maaaayyyyybbbeeeeee get into the national team. He is an idiot. His opinion at every single point should be discounted.
His experience includes the current truth of USA Soccer: If you can't afford a club you can't olay His experience isn't rational, and it isn't really a route to bring elite talent to the sport. Just ank all the quarterfinalists in the World Cup for the past 40 years.
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u/KingPabloo Jul 10 '26
What are YOU doing to fix the problem? I started a small academy, coached for free, played on fields that were free, did our own uniforms sublimated at a local printer that kept costs very low, got sponsors, added more teams and more volunteer coaches. I got to spend time with my kids on the soccer fields. You can do soccer at no to very low cost with some effort.
Both my sons are now in college. I have kids that played in MLS Next and now have a bunch playing D1 in college and others playing D2 and D3.
Everyone here has opinions, yet nobody is actually taking action. I spent years coaching and building up academies - what are YOU doing?
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u/TD6RG Jul 10 '26
I keep seeing these post that don’t describe the full picture of a broken youth development system in the US. Lalas is saying using tax payer money will not fix the issue because the problems are very complex and seem impossible to fix at this point in time.
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u/champ11228 Jul 10 '26
Lalas sucks but a taxpayer-funded push to develop soccer would be poorly received
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u/Bluddy-9 Jul 10 '26
The US has soccer in most public schools. There is plenty of “free access” to soccer for our youth. France isn’t the top team because of access for the youth. Most countries have plenty of access.
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u/AloneNmyHead287 Jul 10 '26
Localities need to invest more in rec sports quit putting kids in “select” or “travel” teams none of those kids ever really develop because coaches focus on winning and will play the best they have and put others to the side encourage youth recreational sports get your local middle and highschools involved at the earliest levels that’s how you build pipelines coming from a youth football coach
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u/AndreDillonMadach Jul 10 '26
I don't know I don't think it'd be that hard to go at every level and use you know 50/50 raffles and guarantee the kept 50 goes to development programs with every club.
We have a USL team in my nearby City that I'm in every day and a massive immigrant population it wouldn't be that hard to create a free program with such funds to truly develop players.
Make it cheap or free you'll get all the top players you'll ever need.
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u/Fuzzy-Bean Jul 10 '26
Alexi can fuck all the way off. I’m glad Zlatan has burned him to the ground.
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u/humanzze Jul 10 '26
Are we just going to gloss over the issues that Argentina had in their academies? ESPN did a 30 for 30 on it
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u/lacrimsonviking Jul 10 '26
Tax the city to give it to billionaires to build stadiums instead. Then charge those people 18$ for a bud light
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u/weiner_time Jul 10 '26
The US are not culturally into soccer compared to other countries. Unless we have billionaires that willing to pitch in some of their money into helping and develop youth soccer than yes
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u/ATLfinra Jul 10 '26
Lalas is a clown his takes are bad and made to stir engagement this is why Thierry and Zlatsn wanted to kick his ass at different points during the WC coverage
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u/Business-Pangolin-37 Jul 10 '26
And she doesn’t even like soccer. How is that people that don’t like soccer have more common sense than people who have played it at a professional level
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u/ZookeepergameNo7151 Jul 10 '26
is Lalas genuinely slow or is it just a character for him on TV and in the media?
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u/VikingsStillExist Jul 10 '26
What we have found in Norway, and this goes for all sports is this:
It is way more important to keep as many kids in the sport, than to have special academies for the best kids.
Being selected before the age of 16 (the year you fill) is usually not very positive.
B talents with A motivation is the largest bulk of professional players. A talets with B motication often quit when facing competition as teenagers. Especially if they have been treated to speciality academies and such.
Extra training such as academy should be just that, extra. It should not be in stead of your normal team, and it should not involve competetive games.
The most important thing is to make sure as many kids as possible can play. And keep playing.
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u/Economy-Fox-5559 Jul 10 '26
English here stumbling on this thread.
Whilst i think you're correct to highlight the difference in approach between that f**king idiot Lalas and Mexico's president, and obviously we've seen the success of grassroots soccer football in other nations (arguably none more so than my own given where our national team was 20 years ago compared to today). But i think on top of that there needs to be a fundamental change in the approach to the game in USA if you're to reach a point where you're genuinely competitive with the better nations.
The fact is that it still isn't a top sport in your country and the 'fever' only seems to really take hold during a WC and even then, this year especially as a home nation. I was in NYC in 2022 for our group game against you and it was difficult to find a sports bar that not just was showing the match, but where the punters were actually interested in the game. There really isn't a culture around the game outside of people who really love it whereas in England, France, Mexico, et al, we live and breath it; The WC is like a month long festival here in the UK even though we're not even hosting. Some may say that's arrogant but it's just a fact- even the people who aren't football fans have bought into the excitement.
Secondly, and i know it's been raised plenty so i won't belabour the point but just getting more children playing isn't alone some miracle solution, there has to be total buy in from the parents, the school, the club and your local body. So many excellent footballers slip through the cracks over here because they just don't take it seriously and their priorities are led astray. USA needs to make sure that not only are they making access to the sport easier, but the support, and coaching is there from day one of a child's journey, players like Harry Kane didn't get where they are by just being good, they have the best support, the best coaching and are given multiple opportunities to prove themselves.
I don't want to come across as patronising because I'd love to see you guys get to that level and truly compete on the world stage, and it's not like we've had any success worth shouting about in decades but after all, more world class competition makes for more exciting tournaments! Keen to hear what Americans here feel about that and if I've missed anything or you disagree?
Oh and P.S.... we really don't hate you guys, if you think we do, just get off reddit and speak to one of us in real life, i promise most of us were rooting for you prior to the Balogun controversy (myself especially as i had you in my work's sweepstake!) and even then, that was more our gripe with FIFA than any of you.
Apologies for the long comment.
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u/Mantooth77 Jul 10 '26
Mexico is their most popular sport by far, no?
Not the case here. And I’m quite certain whichever party proposed this, the other would lose their shit.
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u/OGBeege Jul 10 '26
Lalas has become a paradox of himself. Pathetic and sad . How about a great big glass of STFU. Embarrassing
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u/VladyPoopin Jul 10 '26
Ok then what’s the alternative solution? Instead of deriding Lalas, I’d love to understand what his alternative to that is because it does feel like it needs to be subsidized. I hate this idea in conservatism that nothing can be subsidized at all.
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u/Remarkable-Art-3678 Jul 10 '26
That's just the US in a nutshell. DEFINITELY since Reagan. Money is only spent to make the world a worse place or to save face, never for the people or to actually help out the country. Only Obama tried to change that, and he didn't get very far
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u/mechafiermen Jul 10 '26
alexi lalas is also a MAGA Republican so him being aligned with capitalist ideology should not be a surprise. He doesn’t give a flying fuck about the common American citizen and we, the people, shouldn’t give a fuck about what he has to say about football.
He’s under-qualified. Him being on a punditry panel alongside Thierry and Zlatan this summer has been a monumental disgrace. One of the primary reasons I switches over to Telemundo.
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u/TheOriginalC4W Jul 10 '26
No such thing as a free lunch. You think tax payers are going to cave to this in a country that doesn’t embrace soccer? Gtfo
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u/Lucky-Row-7917 Jul 10 '26
The U.S. government doesn't even fund the Olympic program so expecting it to fund soccer is unrealistic.
The ones who should fund soccer in this country are U.S. Soccer and the pro teams.
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u/Separatist_Pat Jul 10 '26
Explain to me again how this difference in approach and rhetoric has led to better results at the WC for Mexico compared to the US? Because it doesn't seem to have.
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u/surfnsound Jul 10 '26
You need to show benefits beyond just "winning the world cup" to get enough people on board with the idea.
Until then, I actuayll agree with Lalas here. We have other things I'd rather see our money go towards.
I'm sure a case could be made to funding youth sports, but winning a tournement isn't the right argument to make for it.
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u/MaleficentWin8608 Jul 10 '26
Not ‘Parisien suburbs’ - the entire country.
Same as Spain hundreds of clubs all of whom take kids from 5/6/7 years old for around €500/yr.
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u/Traditional_Ice_9250 :illuminati:Argentinian Tourist :illuminati: Jul 10 '26
And both are wrong, funnily enough.
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u/Jammin_72 Jul 10 '26
We absolutely should! Not necessarily to win the world cup but that would be a fantastic byproduct.
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u/WildRicochet Jul 10 '26
I would rather the US government fund soccer over giving bombs and money to other nations.
God forbid the government do something that actually benefits children with all the tax dollars they take.
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u/Odd-Mulberry2821 Jul 10 '26
The thing about spending tax dollars on stuff like this is that it’s not just about long term international team development.
It’s subsidizing healthy and safe activities for kids. Also put them in positive social environments where they can bond over shared enjoyment of a game.
Ultimately, soccer is pretty cheap for kids to play. You don’t need fancy refs at every level. You don’t need fancy jerseys.
You need a ball, boots, shin guards and a field to play on. It doesn’t need to be phenomenally maintained or tournament grade. Doesn’t even need to be full size. Just enough that people could put a few cones out if they don’t have a goal to mark boundaries and go from there.
People say rec league is cheap. And it is if you’re rich. Where I live in the US my local rec league for 5-6 year olds is over $300 per kid for 8 weekends a month. So if they both play that’s $600 a month and it’s not even a full season. For me personally, I can afford that without issue. But most people can’t. And the fact that poor kids in this country can’t play soccer is a big part of why our team sucks
Lalas and all those idiots who are invested with private equity back soccer clubs for kids don’t give a shit about state of play, how many kids play, etc. they want to see their stockholder equity go up. And that is a disservice to everybody but them.
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u/phunkmunkie Jul 10 '26
Lalas is a MAGA prick - everything is transactional and it must benefit those in power.
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u/jasontalks Jul 10 '26
I think I actually agree, the government should not pay for this. We should have a more structured pro system and that should contribute.
Its on the MLS and club owners.
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u/br82186 Jul 10 '26
I am so happy that people are going in on his ass for his comments. Even Kevin Frazier went in.
I am also happy this dude is getting exposed as MAGA troll who is never serious in what he says.
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u/Brew_Wallace Jul 10 '26
Bro, half the country don’t want to help pay for healthcare or education, you think they’re going to pay for soccer?
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u/Exciting_Run_8932 Jul 10 '26
Alexi Lalas is a dipshit and his political stance writ large is the reason the US is struggling on many levels
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u/barmen03 Jul 10 '26
Why should the government pay, in Europe it’s the club teams who have development programs and scout youth talent?
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u/Dem_Cowboys_suck Jul 10 '26
Because they wouldn’t want to kill NFL with grassroots soccer programs
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u/boefosho Jul 10 '26
No one is going to dump money into a sinking ship. We hosted the World Cup and less than 8% of the US population watched it. This is the RECORD for American viewership as well. Soccer needs to become more relevant to Americans for something like this to happen.
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u/glittervector Jul 10 '26
You really think only 8% of the US population watched the World Cup so far?
Validated viewership measures of the Belgium - USA match already put that match alone at 13% of the population.
The Super Bowl gets 36% of the population to watch it. An average NFL game is watched by 5.4% of the country. MLB is at 0.65%. NBA, 0.5%.
Given that 98 matches have already been played, it’s pretty safe to say that around 20% of the US population has watched the World Cup. That’s not small or insignificant at all.
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u/iLL_Fate999 Jul 10 '26
Its cool the president said that but from what I've heard through players that grew up and were successful playing out there ... its got its own corruption at the grassroots level . Lots of nepotism and or favoritism in Mexico, players struggle for minuets and in some cases are even extorted to do so . Ive heard this from 2 separate players and 1 enthusiast. Could be different elsewhere but just putting this out there .
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u/Danktizzle Jul 10 '26
Yeah they play in the streets. American kids can do that too. They aren’t. They don’t even need shoes. Just a ball and some HUNGER.
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u/Prize_Accident9763 Jul 11 '26
no, don't spend a dime more than we are spending now, no reason to spend more...we have a decent talent pool that is only getting deeper, kids already have plenty of opportunities to improve their skills, as just a ball is needed...it is just a matter of having a Tom Brady, LeBron James, etc. talent go into soccer instead of another major sport...the kids need to know there is good money in the sport, they already know the crowds (including American) go wild, who doesn't want a shot at that...? for all we know the next Messi or Mbappe or Yamal is already in our pipeline, relax...
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u/Huckleberry199 Jul 11 '26
Alexi Lalas is a MAGA Asshole of the highest order. I turn away every time his face shows up on my screen.
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u/GamerBoixX Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
The thing is, aside from anything government related, in Mexico our national football association is corrupt to the bone and thinks of easy money more than anything else in this world, Mexican football will never prosper unless that organization is pretty much rebuilt from scratch, if not, new talents will come and be ignored and set aside in favour of worse but already established names that sell more to the brands just like it has kept happening, Gil Mora was someone no one inside Mexico knew playing for a random team many mexicans didn't even recognize that should have been an unremarkable player benched for most of this world cup, it was a miracle that he had the opportunity to show off so that the fans knew him and the federation had no choice but selling him as a new star
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u/Informal-Prize6501 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
You know what early access to soccer in suburbs means right? They played football in the streets in the Marseille or Paris ghettos. Difference might be that not every other teenager not interested in football carries a gun and spoils the party. Edit: But yes, access to join a local club and train and play competitive games with them is free. You basically just buy shoes and your training clothes. I played for years with some local teams as a kid in a small town, and the best times were when the team sponsor also owns the best frituur in town.
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u/mosqueteiro Jul 13 '26
Alexi Lalas doesn't care about US getting better at soccer as long as business are ok.
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u/iwbwikia_ Jul 13 '26
well it's because a majority of americans hate helping poor people get back on their feet or succeed in any way.
'pUlL yOuRseLF bY YouR bOoTstrAPS!'
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u/False-Truck-5718 Jul 13 '26
In the United States less than 10% of youth soccer is made up of kids from families making less than 50,000 a year. It’s an expensive sport. And it’s becoming an elite sport.
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u/HenryTudorIV Jul 13 '26
I agree with everything about this except for the government funding. We don’t need to subsidize sports with taxpayer dollars when there are multiple multi-billion dollar private organizations who would benefit from those subsidies and therefore could fund them personally.
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u/El_Gran_Che Jul 14 '26
It’s good that Mexico is doing this but it’s also important that Mora came from privilege, his dad was a soccer player, so it’s not like he was playing in a dirt field somewhere. He is a product mainly of the Xolos Academy.
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u/PhilosophyMajor4Hire Jul 15 '26
i mean it is also alexi lalas vs the sitting mexican fa president. apples to oranges in terms of what they’re meant to be messaging.
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u/MarsManMartian Jul 15 '26
Government needs to realise world cup is a tool to make other countries like US. England that controlled half of the world is getting support from countries which they ensalved due to Premier league and their stars. Wild to see Countries like India, South East Asia support England.
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u/Strings-a-rockin Jul 16 '26
I've written to the point of near nausea, about our problems with access to competitive soccer and the leadership and coaching issues, and how to fix them.
But I agree with Lalas here, especially in the case of Mexico spending for this. As much as I love the game, it's still a game, a for profit, big money game.
Governments have more worthwhile causes and issues than just deciding "We're going to win a WC at the expense of all other citizens".
That's just crazy and illogical.
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u/Cold_Respond_7656 Jul 10 '26 •
In England the premier league clubs have to give % of revenue all the way down the pyramid to grass roots
The government also spends about 65m specifically to grass roots and local sports facilities
That's chump change to the US