Link via NYTimes
A telling quote:
Klinsmann’s broader point is that homegrown American players need longer, tougher training. The American talent pool is, quite bluntly, stagnant after decades of developmental programs. The federation has brought in two young German players with American fathers, Danny Williams and Tim Chandler, who demonstrate more skill and aggression and feel for the game than almost anybody coming out of the expensive suburban soccer programs all over this rich vast land.
How much of it is training, and how much of it is the more lucrative opportunities offered to U.S. athletes in football, basketball, and baseball?