I do get very tired of the bashing of the US MNT and U.S. Soccer! I agree we are not on par (YET) with several places in the world however we are making progress and I believe rapidly.

A documentary on Current TV showed how so called agents search poor African countries for athletically talented POOR youths to bring them for their big tryout in Europe. The parents of the children often pay all they have to the agent and send their kids off for the chance of fame. Obviously, the vast majority never obtain a contract and when there is no interest from a club then the agent disappears and the kid is stranded. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 such youths scattered about Europe. Some are homeless and several were interviewed and they spoke of child prostitution and drugs. This is nothing more than human trafficking. Many of the big clubs participate in these recruitment games by sending scouts and participating in the don't ask don't tell mentality.

We may not produce enough Landon Donovan's but.........

I can't speak for mainland Europe but I have not been impressed with the organization of football in England. I think the FA is trying hard to improve things and they have made some positive moves; No 11v11 until U13, No league tables until U12 and more grass roots coaches. However, I took the FA Level 1 coaching course, which ran for several days and taught me very little. It was a total waste of my time.

Overall I was not at all impressed with the structure of coaching in England. Believe it or not there is simply not the organization or participation level that we have in North Texas. We actually have some very good clubs, coaches, leagues and fields here.

In England my son played football everyday at school or at the local park. So they develop their natural skills that way. And the professional clubs provide a stepping stone for those with serious talent.

I get tired of everyone bashing football in the US and North Texas. It really is not like everyone else has it all figured out. I think one major problem the US has is the whole college thing. In England if you are good at football at 18 you will be in a professional youth team. You will know if you have a realistic shot at making it as a pro. Universities don't offer football scholarships so the choice is simple. For the kids here it is a massive gamble to pass up a free education in pursuit of professional football. Until that changes the US will struggle to make it to the pinnacle of world football.