Among all the host nations that were in the World Cup this time, observers expected the United States of America to go the furthest. Especially having to face teams that didn’t look their best. But after crashing out in the Round of 16, there are some serious questions about the structure of the whole soccer system, especially the youth system.

“I just think it can’t cost $5000, $10,000, $15,000 a year to play,” said former USWNT star Megan Rapinoe. “You’re going to immediately cut out the majority of people… If you’re having to pay that much… they are sort of required to, like, win… That’s probably not the best for development. I think, especially on the men’s side, like we’re doing the same thing and expecting a different result.”

The USMNT endured another painful World Cup after suffering a 4-1 loss in the Round of 16. And the quality difference between Belgium and the United States of America was so vast that many believed that soccer in the USA can’t produce top stars.

One of them had pointed out that this is because players in the youth system simply choose other sports like football, basketball, and baseball over the world’s biggest sport. 

As Rapinoe says, this majorly results from how American Soccer is run. The youth system in soccer runs on a pay-to-play model, but soccer is not a sport where this system is going to be successful. Soccer is a sport where players develop skills through countless matches and training sessions from childhood.  

But it is something that not every American family can afford because instead of the club, the family will have to take care of the expenses of registration fees, coaching, tournaments, uniforms, travel, hotels, and private training. And that is exactly what is stopping quality soccer stars in the US. 

When you look at the costs, we can see the difference. For recreational soccer, it will usually cost between $100 and $600 every year. But when we jump to competitive soccer, the price ranges from $1,500 to $6,000 before adding hotels, flights, and tournaments. And if we got to the top level like ECNL and MLS NEXT, it would cost anything between $8,000 and $15,000 before extra expenses. 

Money.com had done a survey with a family where it cost around $20,000 in total for one child. These costs are a major reason many talented young players never reach elite soccer pathways, or drift toward sports with cheaper, more accessible structures.

It wasn’t only Megan Rapinoe who raised her voice against this.

“I think it’s all about the youth system…” Alex Morgan said in her interview, “And in a lot of ways, been made like a business. And I really want the youth system, that’s really fractured right now, to be repaired and really harness kids growing up and getting and giving them opportunities.” 

Hope Solo, Briana Scurry, and Landon Donovan have also questioned this system. This World Cup has not raised questions; it has confirmed what many thought about the youth soccer system. And until that changes, America is not going to be seeing the best players set foot onto the team.