Youth Soccer

The American women’s game has been on a roller coaster of a ride over the last 14 months. From winning the World Cup to individual player scandal; failing to win an Olympic gold for a record fourth time to successfully completing a fourth season of league play for the first time. 

While all of that is happening at the highest level, the NWSL’s Seattle Reign and U.S. Soccer are quietly working to build the next generation of league and USWNT stars. 

Christian Pulisic seems to be the name on the lips of every American soccer fan following his brace against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The young American soccer player is being described as a potential future great. Yet, for most USA fans, the likelihood of seeing Pulisic in action is slim to none — unless you’re planning on taking a trip abroad.

OK, let's get the qualifiers out of the way before we jump into any analysis: St. Vincent is terrible at soccer and so are the Grenadines. You can't really learn anything from how anyone played in a game between such mismatched opposition.

We can learn, though, from who played. Because Clint Dempsey is out, USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann started Bobby Wood up top with Jozy Altidore. Both scored.

In an event that’s hardly newsworthy, Barcelona’s academy is great. They’re so great that they’ve just won the Junior Soccer World Challenge. What’s newsworthy about this match isn't the talent of Barca's U12 team, it's the reaction from their kids towards their extremely distraught opponents.

You can tell what it meant to the Japanese youth side Omiya Ardija Junior to play against Barcelona. They obviously watch a lot of the Barcelona senior side, and the chance to play and defeat their U12s was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the boys.

To say things have been a bit rocky of late for one of the giants in world soccer would be a massive understatement. After three consecutive runner-up finishes at the World Cup and two Copa Americas, Argentina find themselves in a place where few international powerhouses have ever been. They can reach their ultimate goal, come near enough to touch it but they just can’t take the final step.