US program has reached a plateau

It all seemed so simple for U.S. soccer supporters in the 90s and into the next decade: the national team was marching inexorably forward. The boys in red, white and blue weren't "there" yet, but they were en route, speeding down the highway toward a bigger place in the global order.

But lately it seems more like the U.S. is sitting on the side of the road, stalled. Maybe even missing a tire, gazing backward to spot the next truck that might roll by with valuable replacement parts.

This moment of realization has become something of an annual rite. It seems like every year now objective observers are arriving upon the same conclusion, that the U.S. program has reached plateau status. The program is hardly in a terrible place -- but stalled progress is never something to hang your hat on.

We had this conversation during the ups and downs of the 2009 Confederations Cup, when many observers arrived at the conclusion that the United States was susceptible to wild swings of form, a side capable on any day of big prosperity or rank poverty. We saw it in last summer's World Cup in South Africa, where heroic rallies distracted us slightly from those slow beginnings. We sure saw it during the just-completed Gold Cup.

And for all the Bob Bradley critics out there, here's some bad news: It's not his fault.

Nor is it USSF president Sunil Gulati's fault. As principals at the top of the organizational chart, they certainly share some blame. But the issues are bigger than two men. Everybody wants simple solutions because it's comforting to believe "easy buttons" exist. But these are complex issues with roots than run much deeper.

It's about player development, about the continued effort of to take all that raw talent and affix a higher functioning soccer brain.

And it's cyclical, too. Likes waves on a beach, the superior crops of talent will roll in and recede regularly. If we're honest, the reason this conversation has reached a fever pitch is because Mexico is currently enjoying the fruits of its "up" cycle, where a generation of sensational young attackers threatens to create a yawning gap between the two countries.

This is really nothing new. Everyone paying attention has long said the mechanisms that identify and cultivate U.S. youth talent are deeply flawed. But it's hard for media and supporters to accept the reality in the big picture: establishing the beachhead was one thing, while getting our troops off the beach, moving inland and taking some ground in world soccer, will require more complex solutions.

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