USA Soccer's Global Mediocrity The Result of an Unfortunate Cycle

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Costa Rica 3 - United States 1

Well, there that was.

And don't let what would be a close score in hockey fool you. Their performance on Wednesday was downright abysmal.

Most fans of the men's national team would have told you that coming away with a win at Saprissa would be very, very difficult.

After all the Astro-Turf (Yes, Astro-Turf as in circa the mid 90's) is in awful condition and I'd have to check my facts, but the entire country may in fact have been in attendance last night.

But the fact of the matter is the American side was dominated in every facet of the game beginning with the giveaway that turned into goal within the first two minutes of the game.

So Costa Rica was an underrated team playing in a stadium where they hardly ever lose. The result was painful but not entirely surprising. Pulling back from a fan of soccer to a regular American sports fan, I don't want to see the United States get pummeled by a tiny insignificant country like Costa Rica in anything! (Except for possibly some sort of swimsuit modeling contest.)

I am a big fan of the game, and sometimes I wonder why it has yet to catch on here in the states. I think the real problem is a nasty-bit of a cycle.

We have arguably the best pool of athletes in the world, and yet the majority of our gifted athletes end up strapping on a chin-strap or hitting the hardwood.

And why wouldn't they? The fame and fortune that goes along with being LaDainian Tomlinson or LeBron James is hardly even comparable to the relative obscurity of names like Landon Donovan or DaMarcus Beasley.

This also helps to explain why the women's national team is able to win World Cups and Gold Medals while the men's team continues to struggle.

Without the lure of a lucrative career in the NFL or the NBA (the WBNA is hardly comparable in terms of television exposure) a higher percentage of the country's gifted female athletes are taking to the pitch in hopes of becoming the next Mia Hamm.

So yes, we Americans can again sing "Can't Touch This" to the rest of the world while watching LeBron and Carmello dominate The Olympics, but I can't help but wonder, if soccer was as big here as it is over in Europe, the 6'8, 44-inch vertical leaping freak that is LeBron James would have made one hell of a striker.

For Soccer to catch on in America we have to start dominating at it, or at least seriously competing with the Italy, Spain, and Brazils of the world. Many people won't even bother to watch a single game of soccer, it may actually take "Hmm, a World Cup final against those French S.O.B's? I guess I'll tune that in after Survivor"

Every young athlete over in Europe or South America dreams of being a professional footballer.

To take advantage of our world class pool of athletes, becoming a professional soccer player has to actually be an attractive career choice for the LeBron's and LaDainians growing up right here in the states, and that only comes with winning.

Success breeds Success.

I guess a group of relative no-names like Charlie Davies and Steve Cherundolo will have to get the ball rolling for us....No pun intended.

Okay, maybe just a little bit intended.

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