2024 Recruiting: Liam McNeeley

[Rico444]

Humans were given 10 fingers and 2 arms for a reason. Sports that make it a rule not to use them are just plain weird.

Track is just running around in a circle?

 

[Matrim55]

Best sport in the world. Just because Americans aren’t good at it dont make it untrue.

The US women's national team has won 4 World Cups, twice as many as any other country, and 4 Olympic Golds. No other team has won more than 1. We're basically Wooden-era UCLA.

The US men's national team has made the knockout rounds (top 16) at the World Cup five out of the past 8 tourneys, including in 2022 with the youngest team at the event, have made the quarterfinals of the past four U20 World Cups (no one else in the world has done that), are regularly sending players to the top club teams in the world, and have been utterly dominant in the region under Berhalter. We're basically mid-90s era UConn.

You need to update your priors.

 

[upstater]

That's particularly prevalent in most girls sports and boys lacrosse for whatever reason in my experience. But especially girls soccer. When I worked in a rich area, the girls in town were constantly playing soccer. I coached their team one year even though I hate soccer and know nothing about it, and we didn't lose a single game. My current school in the hood couldn't even get enough girls to try out to form a team. Middle and lower-class families aren't investing in those sports for whatever reason.

This is my experience as well.

I coached a travel team while my kids played premier. One year I joined with an investment banker in town, former D1 player from Brazil at Cuse, and we went over to the poor side of town to start a new club. I brought along a HS football coach whose daughters were all playing soccer on my kids' teams (by the way, ESPN did an hour long feature on this family, because they qualified for the US National wrestling team, but were not allowed to compete internationally because they wanted to be covered neck to toe in sports clothes as Muslims). We coached an all ages group (7th through 11th grade) of mostly immigrant kids from Central America, Somalia and Burma. The parents worked 3 jobs a day, and we had to take turns picking up kids at their home since the trek to the field was a 45 minute walk through the city. We packed them into cars like sardines on gameday. The HS football coach was tyrannical and ran practices like bootcamp. No lines, no stopping, when we weren't doing tactics with one group, they were moving.

Anyway, the whole experience lasted only 2 years. The kids dropped off because of the commitment and we were spent ourselves. The investment bank guy kept at it by taking the competition down a notch into a House League.

My sense was that getting poor kids from the city (even if they come from soccer culture backgrounds) to train and organize required a great deal of resources and dedication. I'm not proud to say we gave up.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

The US women's national team has won 4 World Cups, twice as many as any other country, and 4 Olympic Golds. No other team has won more than 1. We're basically Wooden-era UCLA.

The US men's national team has made the knockout rounds (top 16) at the World Cup five out of the past 8 tourneys, including in 2022 with the youngest team at the event, have made the quarterfinals of the past four U20 World Cups (no one else in the world has done that), are regularly sending players to the top club teams in the world, and have been utterly dominant in the region. We're basically mid-90s era UConn.

You need to update your priors.

More kids who are our best athletes are starting to play because football is off the table for a lot of parents. Pay to pay is slowly being eliminated, and obviously a lot of hispanic-americans are involved.

This is our best generation talent wise, and the next one will be better, and so on.

 

[upstater]

Around the world it’s the cheapest sport, but America has made it fairly expensive

Even when we do it cheaply though, there are huge impediments. Yes, kids aren't playing street soccer. And fields are hard to come by. BUT most top soccer players in the world come through clubs, and even they have a tuition fee. I think it's cultural.

 

[connVA]

His mother played D1 basketball. At Rice. And she's a single mom. So that's a couple reasons why she's probably heavily involved.

Just keep her away from Mrs. Flagg.

Mama Flagg and her Laettner jersey are on the prowl for more five-stars to add to the Duke practice squad to help Cooper get to the semis of the ACC tourney next year. Compelling sales pitch really.

 

[Matrim55]

More kids who are our best athletes are starting to play because football is off the table for a lot of parents. Pay to pay is slowly being eliminated, and obviously a lot of hispanic-americans are involved.

There are now roughly 35 free-to-play academies in the US (all 26 US-based MLS teams and a few USL sides). A decade back there were two.

It's incredibly hard to break into the top 10 teams in international soccer -- over the past 50 years, only Portugal has managed to do so and stay there over multiple generations. But we're doing all the things necessary to make that leap over the next 20 years.

It's fun and exciting.

 

[upstater]

It is the cheapest to technically just play - you just need a ball. You can set up shoes as goals or whatever you want. However, in the U.S., to become a great player you need coaching and coaching is extremely expensive at the highest levels. A local youth club near me charges $3,000 per player per season (3 seasons, so $9,000 for the year). If you want to be seen by college coaches and play in showcase tournaments, etc. you need to play on those elite teams. College coaches don't pay any attention to high school teams because high school soccer is abysmal.

When I was playing in the 2000's, clubs cost about $1500 - $2000 per year, and prices have skyrocketed since then.

$9k is way beyond what we do locally in Buffalo. Even our top clubs in the MLS Next and ECNL are still under $4k.

BUT those MLS clubs are free if they have a parent team. Our team is just in the league so we end up competing against clubs that give out free tuition. Chicago Fire for instance. They're drawing from 10 million people while we draw from 2 million that are willing to pay $4k.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

There are now roughly 35 free-to-play academies in the US (all 26 US-based MLS teams and a few USL sides). A decade back there were two.

It's incredibly hard to break into the top 10 teams in international soccer -- over the past 50 years, only Portugal has managed to do so and stay there over multiple generations. But we're doing all the things necessary to make that leap over the next 20 years.

It's fun and exciting.

Unfortunate we have Berhalter at the helm

 

[UConnSwag11]

Unfortunate we have Berhalter at the helm

He’s so bad

 

[StllH8L8ner]

If you really want an annual financial punch to the testicles, have your kid play travel hockey…

 

[KembaRunner]

Humans were given 10 fingers and 2 arms for a reason. Sports that make it a rule not to use them are just plain weird.

I agree. And for a very similar reason, I hate basketball.

 

[Matrim55]

Unfortunate we have Berhalter at the helm

It's really not. The way he was hired was gross but the team's results under him have been very good, and the process has been excellent.

 

[husky429]

I agree. And for a very similar reason, I hate basketball.

I hate basketball too. Unfortunately my only other hobby is getting punched in the face and my wife says I can't do that any more.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

$9k is way beyond what we do locally in Buffalo. Even our top clubs in the MLS Next and ECNL are still under $4k.

BUT those MLS clubs are free if they have a parent team. Our team is just in the league so we end up competing against clubs that give out free tuition. Chicago Fire for instance. They're drawing from 10 million people while we draw from 2 million that are willing to pay $4k.

When I was a teenager and still committed to the sport my parents unwillingness/inability to fork out the cash for the ODP process was pretty much the end of the story.

 

[Greedo]

If you really want an annual financial punch to the testicles, have your kid play travel hockey…

And put some serious wear and tear on your car.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

It's really not. The way he was hired was gross but the team's results under him have been very good, and the process has been excellent.

Copa America will be telling. He’s beaten up on the worst Mexico team in generations.

 

[UConnSwag11]

When I was a teenager and still committed to the sport my parents unwillingness/inability to fork out the cash for the ODP process was pretty much the end of the story.

ODP was a pain. Seemed to be more political than anything else. The whole system of the sport is terrible in America. The MLS is front and center of it

 

[UConnSwag11]

If you really want an annual financial punch to the testicles, have your kid play travel hockey…

Being much older now, I really appreciate all the time and money my parents put into soccer when I was playing. All the teams, gear, tournaments, etc.

Incredible amount of money

 

[superjohn]

The US women's national team has won 4 World Cups, twice as many as any other country, and 4 Olympic Golds. No other team has won more than 1. We're basically Wooden-era UCLA.

The US men's national team has made the knockout rounds (top 16) at the World Cup five out of the past 8 tourneys, including in 2022 with the youngest team at the event, have made the quarterfinals of the past four U20 World Cups (no one else in the world has done that), are regularly sending players to the top club teams in the world, and have been utterly dominant in the region under Berhalter. We're basically mid-90s era UConn.

You need to update your priors.

The biggest reason the US women were so good was because the rest of the world was so bad. Women's sports were taken so much more seriously here than elsewhere. When we were legally enforcing equal opportunity for female and male athletes there were plenty of countries who continued to make women's sports illegal.

 

[connVA]

So, connecting the dots here, we’re apparently recruiting McNeeley for basketball, soccer, and track? Kid’s going to be busy.

 

[Drame]

It's really not. The way he was hired was gross but the team's results under him have been very good, and the process has been excellent.

Hard Disagree. We have the best generation of players ever. He IS NOT above replacement level as a coach. We dont need someone for 2026 that is also learning on the job. He does not have one signature win. We've beaten the teams we're supposed to beat and that is it.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

It's really not. The way he was hired was gross but the team's results under him have been very good, and the process has been excellent.

We’ve beaten Mexico, but we don’t have the results against top teams consistently under Gregg. We don’t create enough chances through build up, it’s only really on the wings. I don’t think his philosophy fits our strengths.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Hard Disagree. We have the best generation of players ever. He IS NOT above replacement level as a coach. We dont need someone for 2026 that is also learning on the job. He does not have one signature win. We've beaten the teams we're supposed to beat and that is it.

Take the soccer talk elsewhere please?

 

[Leebo]

Guess I'm out of the loop... McNeeley plays soccer now?