Where’s the humility in Unit🌄ed States soccer? That’s what New York City FC Sporting D😼irector Claudio Reyna wants to know.
The US national t▨eam legend spoke to reporters for the first time since the US failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup last week. Reyna, captain of the team in the early 2000s, called out the arrogant, know-it-all soccer culture that continues to hinder any progress the national team needs to become an actual competitor internationally.
“I don’t think we have the behaviors in how we treat the sport in this country,” Reyna said on Tuesday. “There’s a lack of humility, there’s a lack of modesty with how we approach the sport here. … You go to speak to a U14, U15 coach at Barcelona and they want to learn more from you and then you go the other way around to the local clubs in New York or pick anywhere in the country. You speak to U14 and U15 technical directors and they have all the answers, they have everything.
“They tend to be arrogant, they don’t want to listen [and] they don’t realize what they’re doiℱng isn’t right.”
At the first mini-soccer field unveiling for the New York City Soccer Initiative in Harlem, Reyna trashed American soccer’s “blame culture,” explaining that there’s not one person at fault for the US’ biggest soccer disappointment in its history.
“I think it’s everybody’s fault,” said Reyna, who called for a collective effort to fix the ꦆUS. “It’🌄s not US Soccer. It’s soccer in the US.”
As the US looks to find Bruce Arena’s replacement after he resigned Friday, Reyna said they need to look far beyond one coach or player if they want to turn the program around. He had no comment on whether or not he would support US Soccer President Sunil Gulati for a fourth-consecutive term next year.
Reyna stressed that the US harbors good players and a strong youth system, but the results wonﷺ’t change unless the cultural outlook of the game does, like the pay-to-play system or the way American youth systems challenge their players.
The sweeping change isn’t going to happen overnigh♛t, but Reyna is doing his part in shi♛fting the broken culture by challenging the academy players at NYCFC.
“I’m focused on [NYCFC] and what we can do, making sure our academy coaches get better and learn from Patrick [Vieira] and his staff and push themselves and make su♒re that they push players,” Reyna said. “That’s why our U17s play U19s so they lose games. This is exactly what I tell the parents of the academy when we have the orientation is to say, ‘That’s okay. That’s what we’re trying to create.’”