Shipping November 2019 …
New coaches? New training methods? New leagues? New money?
None of it will get the U.S. men to the top of the soccer world. This book explains the historical and cultural obstacles that stand in the way. And if we’re realistic, maybe we’ll actually fix the problems that stand in the way of making this a great soccer country, even if we don’t get past the semifinals.
Pre-order now:
clients
The Guardian • FourFourTwo • ESPN • Soccer America
Bleacher Report • SoccerWire • OZY • USA TODAY
Fox Soccer • Huffington Post • Popdose • Bloody Elbow
topics
general soccer • women’s soccer • youth soccer
Olympics • MMA • entertainment / social issues
books
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history
B.A.: Duke (philosophy, music) • The Chronicle
M.A.: Duke (liberal studies) • thesis
Work: USA TODAY • KRT • News & Record • Star-News
resume • work history • portfolio
contact
duresport at gmail
Ranting Soccer Dad blog and podcast
- An even deeper dive into U.S. Soccer financesI went into a rabbit hole and kept digging. On Dec. 4, The Guardian published my piece on U.S. Soccer and where the money is going. It was essentially a preview of a board meeting that had the potential to shed light on the federation’s five-year plan to spend its assets down to $50m but … Continue reading An even deeper dive into U.S. Soccer finances
- Podcast: The introduction to “Why the U.S. Men Will Never Win the World Cup: A Historical and Cultural Reality Check”The podcast returns after a long absence with a brief autobiography to explain how I became a grumpy old man, I mean, how I arrived at the perspective I have. Then, 15 minutes into the podcast, I give a dramatic reading of the introductory chapter to the new book. Buy the book from your favorite … Continue reading Podcast: The introduction to “Why the U.S. Men Will Never Win the World Cup: A Historical and Cultural Reality Check”
- Women’s soccer: How about equal spending in general, not just equal pay?Harvard Business Review had a piece on lessons to learn from the U.S. women’s soccer team’s “equal pay” push, which may be premature given that the lawsuit hasn’t proceeded yet (and, based solely on what’s going to end up presented in court, may not go well for the women). Here’s how I responded: I’ve covered … Continue reading Women’s soccer: How about equal spending in general, not just equal pay?
- English pay and what it means for U.S. men’s soccerIn yesterday’s Soccer America piece, I tried to give some perspective on the U.S. men’s soccer team’s collective bargaining negotiations (remember: they’re still playing under an expired deal) by taking a look at national team pay in other countries and other sports. I looked at several examples — English rugby (a considerable amount of money), … Continue reading English pay and what it means for U.S. men’s soccer
- English clubs in danger of collapsing early in the season — why?I can’t claim to be an expert on the “winding-up” of soccer clubs. In my experience, every time it’s imminent, something magic happens to stop it. Something feels different this time for two clubs, in part because of the timing. We’re just a couple of weeks into the season. Could we really see League One … Continue reading English clubs in danger of collapsing early in the season — why?
- Abolish the penalty kick?Ian Plenderleith raises the question at Soccer America: In the majority of cases … the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Minor fouls or unintentional handballs are punished with an almost certain goal opportunity (and even more so now under the dissembling new handball rule ‘clarification’). Replacing the penalty kick with an indirect free-kick would benefit … Continue reading Abolish the penalty kick?
- Equal-pay play: No friendly gap, narrowed Cup bonusesNow that the national team pay calculator is done (more or less), we can run some scenarios. Here’s one: Assumed results: Women win World Cup with 9 points in group stage, take Olympic bronze with 7 points in group stage. Men reach World Cup quarterfinals (7 points in group) one year and take 3 points … Continue reading Equal-pay play: No friendly gap, narrowed Cup bonuses
- Why do I question women’s soccer narratives?I’m aggravated when people denigrate soccer because it’s my favorite sport — and because such sentiments are often rooted in a form of xenophobia in which generations have been expected to be culturally assimilated through our devotion to American sports like football, basketball and baseball. I’m aggravated when people denigrate women’s sports because such sentiments … Continue reading Why do I question women’s soccer narratives?
- Freddy Adu’s next chapter will be worth readingRemember when U.S. men’s soccer was so full of hope? You don’t? Watch this … That ad is so much better than the ads we see for the U.S. women’s team today. The field-level ad isn’t bad, but so much of it is over-the-top hero worship. If we keep putting the women on pedestals and … Continue reading Freddy Adu’s next chapter will be worth reading
- A quick guide to the U.S. women’s soccer pay disputeThis World Cup is going to be quite competitive, today’s 13-0 rout notwithstanding. The bad news is that the USA’s chances of winning are less than 50-50, but the good news is that the reason is the growth of the game worldwide. No one who cares about women’s soccer would want the game in England, … Continue reading A quick guide to the U.S. women’s soccer pay dispute
