<a href="https://amzn.to/3I6Ebca" target="_new" rel="nofollow noopener"></a>
The recent World Cup has spawned a number of books that not only look at the recent past of American soccer but what the men’s national team needs to do going forward. Many of these stories are being written by journalists, but it is rare we hear from people who have experienced the U.S. soccer development system that are not on <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/08/06/espn-to-debut-innovative-cameras-inside-goal-posts-at-mls-all-star-game/">ESPN</a> and NBC. That’s why <a href="https://amzn.to/3I6Ebca" target="_new" rel="nofollow noopener">Why American Soccer Isn’t There Yet</a> (ISBN 9781782550280, published by Meyer &amp; Meyer Sport, 2014,&nbsp;www.m-m-sports.com) by Shane Stay is a different take on the question of how U.S. men’s soccer can improve.
Stay is a comedy writer and the founder of the Leaf Dressing Company, as well as being a former professional soccer player. Stay played for some of the best youth teams in the country as a teenager, fell away from soccer during his college years, then had a solid career playing in the lower levels of the U.S. soccer pyramid. He was exposed to youth systems in different countries and different styles of play, which is where he draws his expertise to make the comments he does in the book.
Essentially, Stay believes the U.S.’s struggles internationally come back to our teams – from the youth teams to the national one – modeling their play after the English. We rely too much on crossing and pushing the ball forward, when we should be modeling ourselves on the Dutch and Brazil styles of possession and individual skill. He emphasizes that this is not a crazy idea, as we have the athletes to execute such a system but we need to divorce ourselves from the idea that soccer needs to be played in such a rigid and pragmatic manner.
My major problems with this book can be summarized in two themes. The first is the reliance on Brazil as the gold standard for the style of play he thinks the U.S. should play. Yes, the United States should reconsider its hoof and chase style and under <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/07/13/jurgen-klinsmann-and-his-role-in-germanys-2014-world-cup-win/">Jurgen Klinsmann</a>&nbsp;it has already done so. But he is so wedded to Brazil that he says multiple times that the next U.S. coach should be a Brazilian. Looking at Brazil’s struggles in the past few World Cups, I’m not sure that’s the answer. I think an international coach that knows this style would be a good fit, but tying ourselves too closely to one or two nationalities – he also leans on Argentina heavily – is a mistake. Especially when you consider Germany’s system of player and how fluid and exceptional it is right now.
The second problem is that the book itself is haphazardly written in two ways. The first is the use of statistics outside of context. In chapter 9 on crossing, he throws out international matches played by Brazil and the U.S. as well as the number of crosses in the match. There is no correlation shown between the number of crosses and the result. For example, in the U.S.’s 2-0 victory over Mexico in 2009 they crossed the ball 21 times. If crossing is bad, why the victory? Where’s the correlation versus causation? In fact statistics are used poorly without putting them into a larger context.
The writing is also scattershot and not consistent. Throughout the short chapters Stay meanders from giving coaching lessons – which are quite useful – to criticizing the coaching system, to throwing out examples from his life. When we see a movie that’s poorly edited, we feel disjointed watching it. I felt the same way reading this – the context, not the actual word placement, was so scattershot that I had a hard time being convinced of the point.
Stay brings up a number of valid remarks as they relate to the national team and many of them I agree with. The way he conveys them is the problem. I hope he sticks with soccer writing and refines his craft because if he does we can forgive this book in the future as the beginning of a good career.

A Review Of The Book “Why American Soccer Isn’t There Yet”

A Review of the book "Why American Soccer Isn't There Yet" by Shane Stay, who is a comedy writer and the founder of the Leaf Dressing Company

A Review Of The Book "Why American Soccer Isn't There Yet" - World Soccer Talk

<figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-114630" title="serie-a" src="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/serie-a.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="373" srcset="https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/08/17051118/serie-a.jpg 600w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/08/17051118/serie-a-150x93.jpg 150w, https://images.futbolsites.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/08/17051118/serie-a-300x186.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></figure>
As the trophy was hoisted and the players celebrated a third consecutive scudetto, you could forgive Juventus fans from feeling a little giddy.&nbsp; With one of the best coaches in Italy, an ownership group that seemed interested in boosting the squad for the Champions League, and the spine of the Italian national team under contract, fans looking ahead to the next season could be forgiven for already getting a little excited.
Flash forward three months, and the calculus has changed.&nbsp; But while The Old Lady no longer looks as indomitable as it did last season, it is still the team to chase in the race for the scudetto due simply to lack of attrition.
Programming note: For viewers in the United States, the entire season of Serie A games are being shown exclusively on beIN SPORTS and DishWorld. Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can access those channels via online streaming service&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3301630-11483567?sid=serieareview" target="_blank">DishWorld</a>&nbsp;for $10/month. Read our&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/11/13/subscribe-to-bein-sport-for-10month-via-dishworld/">review of DishWorld</a>. And&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3301630-11483567?sid=serieapreview" target="_blank">sign up for DishWorld</a>&nbsp;via their website.
As it has in the past few seasons, Serie A has been hemorrhaging a number of world-class players.&nbsp; The result has been a league that while internally competitive falls short on the international stage.&nbsp; Juventus, for example, set a record for most points in a season in 2013/2014 but still meekly fell out of the Champions League group stage.&nbsp; Now down to three Champions League places, Serie A does not look to challenge for more.
The upside of the departure of players like Edinson Cavani over the years is that Italian clubs are developing a wealth of young talent.&nbsp; As these players mature, clubs that can both hold on to and build around these players have risen up the standings.&nbsp; They key for Serie A and the clubs themselves, however, is whether they ultimately can hold onto talents like Arturo Vidal and Mehdi Benatia.&nbsp; As the transfer window draws to a close, the fate of their teams may depend on ownership holding tight to them.
As for the teams themselves, maybe the biggest upheaval came from the champions.&nbsp; Prior to the World Cup, Antonio Conte and the Juve brass seemingly worked out a deal where the team would increase spending for players deemed worthy of a run at a Champions League trophy.&nbsp; However, after the World Cup and Italy’s shameful record, Conte ran for the Italy job and left Juventus with Massimiliano Allegri, who had a history of some success in the league but (a) was fired from Milan last season for an abysmal showing and (b) has been publicly criticized for his management by stars like Andrea Pirlo.&nbsp; Whether Allegri will stick to Conte’s plan to move to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 (probably not) we will have to see but the talent cupboard is not bare.&nbsp; The biggest name they picked up is Patrice Evra from Manchester United but the squad will succeed if Carlos Tevez continues his renaissance that began last season, Gigi Buffon and Pirlo continue to defy age, and Juventus can hold on to Paul Pogba and Vidal.&nbsp; While Allegri could screw this up, the defense is still incredibly good and there is talent at every position.
Last season, Roma ran off ten consecutive victories and for a brief time looked to be the class of Serie A.&nbsp; Once Juve righted itself and steamrolled i Lupi, that talk abated but the foundation of Roma is very strong.&nbsp; Walter Sabatini has an excellent reputation as a talent scout and manager Rudi Garcia finally gave Roma the coach it had long been seeking.&nbsp; The most exciting part of Roma is that, like Juventus, it balanced exciting young players with known veterans.&nbsp; So while Francesco Totti scored goals, young Mehdi Benatia held down a stingy defense.&nbsp; Roma strengthened the team all around, acquiring Ashley Cole as well as Juan Iturbe (a player to watch) and a mix of other Serie A skill players.&nbsp; The key for i Lupi, however, is not who they bring in but who they let out.&nbsp; If Benatia and Destro are sold as rumors indicate, the team could lose key players in key positions.&nbsp; Also, can Gervinho keep up his form from last season?
While they were the preseason favorites to challenge Juve last season, Napoli fell behind the two front runners and settled for a Coppa Italia title.&nbsp; While they are still trying to make some major splashes in the transfer market, this team is stacked in attack.&nbsp; Gonzalo Higuain can be supported by Marek Hamsik and Lorenzo Insigne, among others.&nbsp; By bringing in Jonathan de Guzman and Michu (on loan), the team has stacked its midfield as well.&nbsp; They key will be if their defense can play close to the extremely high level of the other two clubs; if so, they are certain title contenders.
Who else could challenge for a scudetto or Champions League place?&nbsp; Fiorentina has an exciting attacking style and good young talent, but has not stocked up in the transfer market to keep up with the big three.&nbsp; Internazionale has acquired big names like Nemanja Vidic, Dani Osvaldo, and Yann M’Vila but still has some deficiencies throughout the squad.&nbsp; Parma and Torino are good stories but do not have the overall talent or depth to contend with the top three (especially with Torino losing Immobile).
Milan is the other big name that is often mentioned, but they are clearly going through a long-term rebuild.&nbsp; While clearing the squad of overpriced players and mostly replacing them with youth players, the Rossoneri are clearly going through a belt-tightening process.&nbsp; Losing Mario Balotelli this week, however, could be a long-term blessing if Stephan El Shaarawy remains healthy and has the playing time to blossom into the immense talent he seems to be.&nbsp; Questions remain, however, on how effective new manager Filippo Inzaghi can be with this staff.
At the bottom of the table, tiny Sassuolo will again try to hang in the top flight after losing a number of quality players in the offseason.&nbsp; Palermo, Empoli, and Cesena are the three promoted teams and of the three Palermo has the money and players probably to make the best run at staying up.&nbsp; Empoli may have the pieces to stay just above relegation but look for Cesena to join Sassuolo and Chievo – as well as a few others – struggling to avoid the drop.
Serie A in 2014-2015 looks top-heavy and still a few steps behind the other European leagues.&nbsp; However, if the teams can continue to develop and hold on to the exciting young players produced, Italy could be a few years away from a true renaissance.

Serie A Preview: Juventus is Still the Team to Beat

Serie A Preview: Juventus is Still the Team to Beat - World Soccer Talk

The #1 Source for Soccer TV Schedules, Streaming Links, Cord Cutting Reviews, Soccer News and Interviews With Broadcasters.

Robert Hay

latest articles by Robert Hay

News

A Review Of The Book “Why American Soccer Isn’t There Yet”

News

Serie A Preview: Juventus is Still the Team to Beat