How Can More Young Players Make It to the U.S. Men's Soccer Team?

Ali Curtis is now the president of MLS NEXT Pro, a professional soccer league. But when he was about 9 years old, he had a tough moment that almost ended his soccer journey before it began. He tried out for a team full of kids two years older than him and was told he didn't make it — the coaches said he was too small or too young. "In your own mind, you're always probably a better player than you think you are," Curtis said, "but I thought I was one of the top players at the tryouts."

Before Curtis left that day, someone pointed him toward another team about 40 minutes away in Livonia, Michigan. He joined that team, which kept him competing at a strong level with kids his own age. "That was probably the most difficult moment that I had in my career or my soccer journey at the time," he said. "But it happened to be the best thing that ever happened to me." From that point on, his career really took off.

When Curtis was about 14, he made a regional team that needed to take an international trip. His mother said the family couldn't pay for it. His coaches found a way to cover the cost, and that opened the door to the national team and eventually Major League Soccer, which started in 1996. Curtis is now 47, and his story highlights two big problems still in youth soccer: high costs and coaches who sometimes overlook players who grow into stars later.

U.S. Soccer is working to fix these problems. Officials are teaming up with state soccer groups to build a system that costs less and gives more kids a fair shot. Dan Helfrich, U.S. Soccer's chief operating officer, said more young people today have a real chance at a professional career than ever before. But he also admitted the current system — with so many different leagues and competitions — is confusing and expensive for many families.

So how does a young player actually get noticed by the national team? U.S. Soccer officially starts looking for talent at age 14, and youth national teams begin competing at under-15. Before that, players can join Olympic Development Programs, or ODP, in their home states. These programs give kids a chance to be seen by national team scouts or college coaches, even if they're not on a top club team.

In Georgia, about 2,000 boys and girls try out for the state ODP, and around 800 are chosen to represent the state. In Arizona, roughly 1,000 players try out and 550 to 600 earn spots in training pools. Both states hold open tryouts and don't require players to belong to a certain club. Kostas Hatzikoutelis, Georgia's technical director, said one big problem is that nearby clubs often refuse to play each other because they fear losing players to rivals. "The competition is unhealthy and toxic," he said.

One key message from U.S. Soccer is that players develop at very different speeds. A kid who seems average at age 13 might turn into a standout player by 18. Helfrich said he has seen players who looked unlikely to play college soccer end up choosing between a Division I scholarship and turning professional at 19. That is why U.S. Soccer wants to keep tracking players over time rather than cutting them too early.

MLS academies are one of the biggest paths to the national team today. Eleven of the 13 uncapped players on the most recent USMNT roster came through an MLS academy. Most players join these academies around age 12, and they are fully funded — meaning families pay nothing. The academies also give young players early experience in a professional setting, training alongside older players and even pros.

But MLS is not the only path forward. U.S. Soccer now uses video and technology to find talent all across the country. It also runs a program that lets coaches report players they think deserve attention from scouts. Arizona Soccer CEO Jonathan Berzins said a player can be found on almost any team, as long as they keep improving and stay open to new opportunities. "Just continue to review what's best for your family," he said.

Hatzikoutelis talks about a book called 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell, which says that talented people often succeed partly because they were given great early chances. In youth hockey in Canada, kids born earlier in the year tend to be bigger, so they get picked for better teams and training — not because they are more talented. Hatzikoutelis worries the same thing happens in soccer, so he splits players into groups by birth month to level the playing field. "It's OK to be different. How do we not miss those players?" he said.

He also believes U.S. coaches focus too much on following set plays and not enough on letting players be creative. "We are fantastic here in the U.S. at developing robots," he said, meaning players are taught to follow instructions rather than think for themselves. He believes great players need the freedom to make their own choices on the field. His program costs only about $400 for a full year, far less than most club teams, so that talented kids are not left out because their families can't afford more expensive leagues.

Looking ahead, U.S. Soccer wants to create more low-pressure chances for talented players to be seen. Helfrich described a future where players can simply "drop in" to sessions at local clubs, colleges, and pro teams and be observed by coaches. "The more accessible and affordable those opportunities are, the better," he said. "And the more players we're gonna see." The goal is simple: make sure no young soccer star gets left behind.