USMNT: Emerson Hyndman story shows quality will grow and grow

Emerson Hyndman recently spoke about his experiences of playing with older players as a teenager. His story shows how the quality of the USMNT and American game more generally will only grow.

American soccer is a very young sport. In comparison to other countries in which the game has been played for hundreds of years at a very competitive level, in America, soccer has not quite taken hold.

Whereas basketball and football and baseball dominated the sporting landscape over the past century, soccer never quite gained the same foothold that it has in other areas of the world. It is the number one sport in most of Europe, South America and Africa. Brazil is married to it, England is now the central domestic league in the world, but it was Spain before them and Italy before them.

It is not a coincidence that no country outside of Europe or South America has won the World Cup. Equally, only four non-European teams have ever won the Club World Cup, all were from Brazil, only of which occurred since 2007.

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America, then, is playing catch-up. It has done from the start, and it should not be surprising when the U.S. Men’s National Team struggles to compete with these far more esteemed and established countries as a result.

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However, there is reason for hope. First and foremost, soccer is the fastest growing sport in America. More pertinently, it is extremely popular among younger generations and has a higher participation rate than baseball among adults. The young, transient demographic of supporter and player means improvement.

This evidenced by Emerson Hyndman’s story. The Atlanta United midfielder’s development was covered by mlssoccer.com this weekend and the details of his early years and his subsequent growth were extremely interesting.

Hyndman had the benefit of playing with professional players as a teenager. His grandfather, Schellas Hyndman, was the head coach of FC Dallas and he allowed Emerson to join in with training sessions. Hyndman provided some explanation as to how that made him better as a footballer:

"“It really makes you play a different way. You can’t really play physically at all. It’s mental. You always have to get open a different way when you’re that much at a disadvantage physically. So it taught me how to use a different part of my brain in terms of the football side and play quicker. Because as soon as you make contact with one of them at that age, it’s a different ball game.”"

This is what the USMNT has missed for many years. Where many countries around the world are steeped in football heritage and the very best kids play against the very best kids, often moving two or three years up the age groups to challenge themselves at a competitive level, in the U.S., that baseline standard has not been established. The amateur level is very poor.

Hyndman had a distinct and unique advantage: he got to play against players who were better than him. In England and many other leading countries around the world, this happens naturally. The best kids play football, so therefore, they play against one another and improve one another as a result. In America, that is not so much the case.

But as the sport grows, the quality of play improves, at the MLS level, on the international stage, and in amateur and youth leagues, so too will the quality of player developed. And that, in turn, will produce a higher quality of competition, which will, in turn, produce a higher quality of player. You can see where I am going with this.

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Hyndman has progressed to be a very capable MLS-level midfielder because he was offered the chance to test himself during his younger years. Many of the best USMNT prospects do not get that chance until they move to Europe. But now, that is changing, and American soccer will only benefit.

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