Mitch Albom: Soccer is just not our country's thing − and that's OK

It was the Gershwin brothers who penned, “They’re writing songs of love, but not for me.” You could reprise that tune for U.S. men’s soccer, now that the World Cup is in its final stages and our team, once again, is home on the couch.

Another four years, another crash and burn – despite all that buzz about how good we were this time around and how home country advantage would work in our favor.

Pundits are wringing their hands. Analysts are dissecting our failure. Sadly, you can count on this national debate every World Cup, like clockwork, because the same thing keeps happening; the U.S. men have exited the round of 16 in their last three appearances.

“Why can’t we ever advance? We’re one of the biggest countries in the world!” The questions are always the same.

Well, here’s a reminder for the checkered ball crowd: The answer is always the same, too. Most of our players, like the Gershwins, grew up in America.

And in this country, unlike the ones still playing in the World Cup, our young men put soccer behind football and basketball in popularity and watch the U.S professional version (MLS) less than they watch the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, golf, auto racing or, in some cases, bowling.

Our best young athletes are shooting hoops and juking linebackers, not working on their Elastico footwork.  They’re imagining a Lakers jersey or a Cowboys helmet, not a Paris St. Germain kit.

It’s not the talent that’s in short supply.

It’s the dreams.

And by the way – sorry, soccer elitists – there is nothing wrong with this.

Where are our stars?

That’s the first thing we should accept. It’s OK that America doesn’t win the World Cup. We don’t lose our place at the United Nations. We’re not damned for eternity. If Kylian Mbappe makes you scream, “Why don’t we have a guy like that,” ask him to throw a football through a tire from 30 yards away.

We produce some of the greatest athletes in the world. But they get funneled into other sports. We can bemoan this. We can celebrate it. But we really should accept it. Because this every-four-years head banging is going to lead to a concussion.

Which, by the way, you can get a lot of in soccer.

Just saying.

Speaking of Mbappe, I was watching his winning goal against Morocco last week. It was a thing of beauty. He got the ball off a sudden short pass, sprung into action with defenders closing, and lined up his footwork as only a guy like him can. He side-footed the ball past the defense, in an angle that looked like it was going to miss the net altogether, until it curved back just inside the post and barely out of reach of the Moroccan goaltender’s hand.

Not many players in the world can create that shot that fast and that accurately. And − don’t take this the wrong way − nobody on the U.S. team can. We simply don’t have guys this good. We don’t have a Mbappe, a Lionel Messi, a Ronaldo, an Erling Haaland.

There’s a reason three of those four were still playing in the semi or quarterfinals. Stars shine in international competition. And in soccer, where one goal is often the margin of victory, the guy who can get you that one goal is primary.

So where is our future Mbappe? Any number of places. He could be running a football past the other kids on a sandlot. He could be banking in jumpers against a wooden backboard on a telephone pole.

The thing is, he’s probably not kicking an old, half-inflated soccer ball down a dirt field under the moonlight. Starring in soccer isn’t the dream that motivates our kids the same way it does in so many countries. Pelé, as a kid in Brazil, was so poor he kicked around socks stuffed with newspapers. Diego Maradona did pretty much the same thing on the impoverished streets of Argentina.

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In many poor neighborhoods in many poor countries, soccer is the easiest sport to play. One ball, a bunch of kids, and a makeshift goal. Anyone can take part. Sometimes, out of this massive participation, a star emerges and is nurtured along by clubs or the government.

But in the U.S., we seem to have the opposite problem. Soccer is perceived to be an expensive, elitist activity, particularly as kids get older.

And, according to some, that’s keeping the door locked on our national team getting any better.

Is it really the money?

In the aftermath of the U.S.’s awful 4-1 loss against Belgium (a country nearly 30 times smaller than America), experts like former star Landon Donovan said soccer is too expensive in America.

“Only 2% of kids who were playing organized soccer in America came from households that made less than $50,000,” Donavan said in podcast, “meaning if you don't make $50,000, your kid cannot play organized soccer. And think about how many kids you're missing out on in this country because they can't afford to play the game.”

Others note that nations who do well in international soccer have professional clubs that pay for the development of young talent or government subsidies that cover training, travel, coaching and equipment expenses.

Meanwhile, here in the U.S., youth soccer has turned into a lucrative private business, with travel teams and tournaments often costing thousands of dollars a year. And, the argument goes, these for-profit entities box out kids who just want to play the game but can’t afford the ticket.

All this, critics say, contributes to a nation short on encouragement, and therefore, every four years, short on international success.

Maybe. But if this were absolutely true, why do our women do so well on the international stage? The same expenses exist for girls travel teams and development.

Could it be that while the girls who excel in eighth grade soccer continue on in hopes of a college scholarship, the boys, upon hitting high school, gravitate to shoulder pads and basketball courts?

Could it be that when high school boys call out a name while playing sports, it’s “LeBron!” or “Cade!” or “Puka!” or “Gibbs!” and not “Lamine Yamal!” (Look him up. He’s going to be massive.)

If our culture doesn’t treasure soccer the way other nations do, that’s just how it is. It’s not an insult to anybody. And it doesn’t make us inferior. It’s no accident that even on the U.S. World Cup team, some of our best players – Folarin Balogun, Malik Tillman – grew up overseas, where soccer is king.

You can’t force dreams. When our kids regularly sit locked in front of a TV set for a Chicago Fire match instead of a Chicago Bears game, or wear a Haaland jersey to school instead of a Tyrese Haliburton one, we will see better talent and better results on our World Cup teams.

But if we don’t, we shouldn’t torture ourselves. Just remember, as good as Messi is, he still can’t dunk.

Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates on his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow @mitchalbom on x.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom: Soccer is just not our country's thing − and that's OK