The State of U.S. Soccer- What's wrong ? "Everything"

     The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) will be holding an election next year. Sunil Gulati, the current president of USSF, will face for certain one challenger in Boston attorney Steve Gans. To clarify, Sunil Gulati has not yet stated whether he will run for reelection, but I don't see why he wouldn't. Gulati can ride on the 2026 joint bid to host the world cup along with Mexico and Canada. If the bid is successful-at the moment it looks like the only serious and favorite contender- Gulati could solely run on that platform for reelection. It may not be the best scenario for the state of soccer in the US if Gulati runs on that platform only, due to the multiple problems the organization needs to address, but it would be a difficult task for an opponent to run a successful campaign against a person who brought the world cup to America.
   
     Reading articles on the upcoming election and the rumors of potential candidates to challenge the current sitting president ignited my thoughts on what are the issues that the US soccer governing body is currently facing. In the past elections Sunil Gulati has run unopposed, but with a certain challenger forces any candidate that runs to lead US soccer to have a plan. Whether that plan is a broad message or a detailed agenda, the candidates will have to lay out a plan, any plan, in order to be competitive in this race. Full disclosure, it is still a bit early and candidates can join and drop out before the election any time and Gulati could potentially run unopposed again, but I am basing this "insightful knowledge" on today's current situation.

     I have a list of issues I hope will addressed either because it needs improvement and/or there isn't a clear direction on a particular issue.

1.  Coaching 
2. Rid of Turf fields 
3. Youth development
4. equal pay transparency

I am well aware that coaching is a general topic, but bare with me here. The issues I see with coaching in the US is that coaches that are considered good and at times great seem lost to me. To be more specific, coaches don't tend to have teams demonstrate their intended styles. That's assuming a coach has a particular example. When I think of coaches who have managed the U.S. teams in the past such as Bob Bradley, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Bruce Arena I don't really know what they are doing. Not to say they don't manage games well or lack of knowledge and experience of the game. My Point is when those 3 coaches come to mind and are compared to other coaches their influence over a team tends to be head scratchers.  (i.g. Jose Mourinho's defensive approach, Arsene Wenger's fluid ball movement, Pep Guardiola's Tiki-Taka, and Conte's and Diego Simeone's extreme tactical approach). I am aware that the former and current US coaches are being compared to club coaches who have a lot more time with their respective teams to mold them into their preferred styles. However, one can look at past international teams such as Spain, Holland, Brazil, and Germany teams that influenced an era based on their style of play. The US international team could have that influence, perhaps not immediately at the international stage, but certainly domestically. MLS coaches tend to not have any style. Caleb Porter Portland Timber's head coach, is the only coach who comes close to having a style influence over his team. He has stated that he wants his teams to have an attacking style and score plenty of goals. Porter's first two seasons his team finished 3rd on goals forced and 16th and 11th the following years. The overall point I am making is that coaching in the US is ambiguous and needs to be addressed. Whether it's on coaching development and education or hiring a national team coach that knows what he or she is doing.

Second, a candidate could get a lot of support if they address this topic. The women's national team SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PLAY ON TURF FIELDS. Plenty of players on the women's team have vented that they do not enjoy playing on turf. They have expressed their feelings on social media and multiple interviews. I personally loathe playing on turf. It sucks. This one is simple. Who ever is the next president, fix it.

Youth development has similar issues as the coaching. For both boy's and girl's academy there should be a style implemented on how to approach the game. What ever style that may be it should be up to those in charge, but clarity is needed.

My last point is simple. Address the pay difference between the men's and women's national teams. Be transparent about it. Why do the men get paid a certain amount and women another. Whether the president has to explain each individual contract or sponsorship agreement so be it. It is a PR disaster that should be avoided. A bold candidate could come out and suggest equal pay or something "crazy" like that to solve this issue.