The U.S. Soccer Federation has "identified what it believes is the root" of its player development shortcomings and "is on the verge of several major changes designed to address it," according to Sam Borden of the N.Y. TIMES. The USSF is "considering outside help" and "plans to authorize a full audit and analysis of its development academies, covering everything from coaching and tactical approaches to what sort of residency model works best." Sources said that U.S. Soccer in order to facilitate the evaluation "has engaged in discussions with a top international consulting firm that has done similar work" with EPL clubs, as well as Germany’s national soccer federation. A group of execs led by USSF Chief Commercial Officer Jay Berhalter "has already had preliminary conversations with representatives from Double PASS, a Belgium-based company which has a strong track record of evaluating and improving individual club academies as well as larger federations." It is expected that U.S. men's national team coach and USSF Technical Dir Jurgen Klinsmann "will be involved" with the organization's audit. The USSF "is also considering a number of other changes to its development structure, including an expansion of its formal academy program to even younger age groups, but aligning itself with an outside agency would be a significant benchmark." The issue of which path is better for young American players "has become a lightning rod, particularly since Klinsmann has often stated a preference for having his senior athletes play in Europe." U.S. Soccer "has made significant improvements to its development structure in recent years and currently has about 80 teams across the country identified as academy clubs." Each of MLS' 19 clubs "operated an academy program" this past season (N.Y. TIMES, 11/18).
FRIENDLY FEES: SI.com's Grant Wahl noted U.S. Soccer when arranging a home friendly match "will occasionally provide one all-encompassing match fee" to the visiting country's federation, which "then makes all its travel arrangements on its own." More frequently, though, U.S. Soccer "will agree in the contract to provide the visiting team with the following: All the ground accommodations for a negotiated number of nights, either three or four, for anywhere between 35 and 50 members of the visiting delegation; all the ground transport; a good place to train; a chance to be on the field in the stadium for an hour on the night before the match; television, radio and Internet rights for the visiting team’s country only (the USSF retains domestic rights and those for any other countries where the game may be broadcast); and a match fee." USSF Managing Dir of Administration Tom King "preferred not to comment on the range of fees paid to opponents." However, he said, "The match fee is a negotiated amount heavily predicated on where that particular team stands within the FIFA rankings or their marketability within our domestic territory. Then in some cases there might be a stipend or it may be a question where we have to cover the cost of the air tickets for the entire delegation coming into the United States." He added that about 35-40% of the U.S.' friendlies "are arranged through an agency that represents the scheduling interests of another country’s federation." King added that it is "very rare" that he "ever deals with an agency that he hasn’t worked with before" (SI.com, 11/17).
FIFA FACING MORE FIRE: A N.Y. TIMES editorial is written under the header, "FIFA's Farcically Shady Behavior." Turmoil "is nothing new to FIFA and has not led to true reform in the past." But perhaps the group's "latest whitewashing attempt" regarding its investigation into possible corruption in the bid processes for the '18 and '22 World Cups, "in combination with human rights abuses in the construction of World Cup-related projects in Qatar, will push the Europeans to do more than just threaten action" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/18).
