The U.S. Soccer Federation believes it is on the verge of establishing a unified vision for the sport’s national developmental ecosystem.
USSF CEO JT Batson told The Athletic the federation is working toward the launch of its “Pathway Strategy” and has secured the support of critical stakeholders from youth clubs to key sponsors to MLS, NWSL and USL.
Few details of the plan have been made public. But Batson told the outlet that "early-stage memorandums of understanding have been signed, with timelines and deadlines for actions to come into effect."
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“We agree we need to work together,” Batson told The Athletic. “We agree we need to make soccer more accessible. We agree we need easy, simple-to-understand pathways for kids to decide what journey they should go on. We agree that we need to get some of the funding and resourcing models right. There’s a belief that there needs to be a whole lot more opportunities for kids to play soccer close to home, and local models and regional models that provide an opportunity for kids to play much longer, much easier and much cheaper than what exists today.
“There’s buy-in around the U.S. way: a sporting strategy around player-centric development and best practices. Clubs can have different playing styles, but it is about having a core philosophy around how we make sure that every kid is put in a position to be successful.”
USSF Sporting Director Matt Crocker discussed the need to establish a “U.S. Way” earlier this year.
But he also estimated that 95% of American soccer development occurs outside the USSF’s direct purview — a reality that requires cooperation across a fragmented landscape with many competing and conflicting interests at play.
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