In an interview on SportsCenter Friday, former US Men's National Team star Landon Donavan supported comments made by former MLS MVP and current ESPN Analyst Taylor Twellman. Twellman said in an interview that the MLS games show the issues of the youth soccer system in America. When named manager of the USMNT, Jurgen Klinsmann said he would work to improve the development of these players.
"A lot of the players coming through the system lack personality and character on the field," said Twellman in an interview with ESPN. Donovan's appearance helped reiterate these opinions.
"Taylor makes a good point, last time I checked we haven't developed a Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo or a Neymar. The goal is to develop players that can play at that level," said Donovan.
Some people will look at these comments and see that a change is needed in the developmental system of the United States. Others might look more into the history of the two teams and think Donovan might just still be unhappy about being left off of the 2014 FIFA World Cup roster. Either way, two U.S. soccer stars have now made comments on the state of youth soccer in America, and at some point we may need to look deeper into the worries of these players.
Donovan did defend Klinsmann during the interview, saying, "Klinsmann can not be on every youth field teaching coaches what to do." He also commented on new restrictions to headers for players in the youth program in America, claiming that he hadn't seen very much heading from players under 11, and instead suggested proper heading technique should be taught to young players.
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