The idea that America is going to win the World Cup in the next thirty years is delusional. The United States qualifies from a ludicrously easy confederation. Effectively your position in the World Cup finals is guaranteed.

The first step for Americans is a bit of realism. That realism might be introduced by merging CONACAF (the football federation that the USA is in)with CONMEBOL (the South American football federation) it is true that this would create the risk of non qualification; but USA teams that got to the World Cup finals would have been blooded in matches against much better teams. Currently the only good team that the Americans play in qualifying is Mexico. If you had to play Argentina or Brazil or even Ecuador or Uruguay in order to qualify it would be a great assistance when Team USA reached the finals.

While this would be good for the USA it would be even better for Mexico who are actually a good side. No chance of it happening but until it does you will only be kidding yourselves.

Bitter Irishman

As an American who has traveled most of the world, lived in England and France, and who loves and enjoys all the cultures of the world, I resent the implication that I don't like soccer because of some cultural defect due to being American.

America is not a monolithic culture. Many people in the States like football (soccer), others don't.

There have been many good points here about improving American soccer. Most of them have some truth to them, i.e. living and breathing soccer, soccer being available to all classes, etc. I hope for the fan's sake, America's sake, and the world's sake that the States learns to engage "the story, rather than the outcome", as someone so eloquently wrote.

However, for me, it doesn't matter. Despite my love for the different things of the world, the people, the food, the ways , I find soccer to be just about the most boring game ever.

Why do we American's think we played well against Italy? These are USA's stats according to FIFA in that match - can you tell the difference?

0 USA shots on goal vs Italy's 3

24 US fouls vs Italy's 13

2 redcards vs Italy's 1

46% posession vs.Italy's 54%

Carry on with the myth all because of an old goal by an Italian that led to a draw, and he wasn't even under pressure by a US attacker at that instance. Another good US myth!

I think there are several reasons, including:

-Lack of prestige. A kid who plays soccer well in a top-soccer-playing nation will be admired by his whole peer group, not just his soccer team. This is particularly true if he's good enough to make it into a club's 9th division (which very, very few kids do).

-Lack of parental/social pressure. If you come from a top-soccer-playing nation and your kid is very good, chances are you are going to push him to continue (not that you'll need to) - for bragging rights if nothing else.

-Lack of club structures/professional opportunities. In top-soccer-playing nations the club structure is there to take in the best young players, train them, condition them and give them career opportunities, both within their own lower-division ranks, and in other teams.

-Cost. Playing soccer at the team level can be very expensive for kids in the US. The cost of equipment, travel, fees, etc. usually falls on the parents - who may be less than willing or able to pay for those costs year after year.

But most importantly:

-The dreams of making it to the first division. I don't think it's that different from kids in the US who play basketball. If you have the attributes and talents for being a basketball star, with all that means in the US, would you really quit?

I recognize the game CarlosT describes. All this talk of 'athletes' is emphasizing the wrong thing, it seems to me. In Europe at least, you just wouldn't think of a top footballer as an 'athlete' (even though he is one). He's a FOOTBALLER first and foremost. He has spent years developing the ball skills and the instinct for the game that you must have. This is the most important thing for a footballer. Sure, you also need to be a good athlete to succeed, but how do you become an 'athlete'? Well, 90 minutes of non-stop football is damn good exercise and if you grow up playing football every opportunity you get, through school and local clubs, as well in the park and on the streets, you're going to be part way there already. Good coaching and training can do the rest.

And why is it that, apparently, so many American kids grow up playing football (soccer) but then switch to other sports? If you love playing football and are good at it, why do you switch? I'd genuinely like to know the answer to that one.

And, please, where I come from anyway, it's a 'draw' and not a 'tie', and 'offside' not 'offsides'.

The kids in the US who stick with soccer do have the same commitment as the kids in other countries. They have played soccer 10 months/year since they were 10. They just aren't good enough athletes to compete with the top athletes from the other countries.

In a subsequent letter you question why the top basketball players are considered better athletes than the top soccer players, at least in the US. It's because the top basketball players were also the top soccer players before they gave up soccer.

We produce world class basketball players with far less commitment than is required for soccer. The AAU basketball season starts when high school ball ends in March and runs through July. Four months. There aren't any contracts or leagues, everything is tournament play.

Yes, America loses a lot of would-have-been soccer stars to other sports. The reason is simple. Almost every single one of the very best atheletic kids gravitate to the major American sports - basketball, baseball, American football, track and field - leaving soccer to pick up the left-overs.

Even within America, some sports like baseball, and boxing have lost most of their talent pool (especially boxing) since the rise in popularity of the NFL and basketball.

Think of all the great corners, safeties and wide-receivers in football, and all the great small guards in basketball, with their fantastic foot-work. Just a small fraction of these playing soccer, would have made a big difference in United States soccer. To become a great soccer player, one has to first, have great foot-work, and then work to acquire other necessary skills.

As soccer grows in popularity and income, so will it's talent pool. Now that we are engaged into world soccer and wetted our appetite, we will get better, very much better. The only question is when.