46 Friday Sports Friday, October 13, 2017 US World Cup failure prompts call for soccer ‘revolution’

COUVA: When soccer holds its world’s fair in prospects,” Commisso said in a statement. Russia next June, the American pavilion will be “The leadership of U.S. Soccer has failed all of glaringly absent. A bumbling, stumbling, tum- its stakeholders: players, fans, sponsors and bling World Cup qualifying campaign ended those of us who have invested in professional Tuesday night with a calamitous 2-1 loss to soccer. Getting back on track requires funda- already eliminated Trinidad and Tobago, the mental change in the structure and manage- 99th-ranked nation in the world, when merely ment of the sport in our country, starting with a a tie was necessary to eke out the final auto- change in the federation’s leadership.” matic World Cup berth from one of soccer’s While fans fulminated over the front office, weakest regions. the next national team coach must instigate a “Unacceptable,” tweeted former Health and ruthless roster purge. The /Clint Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, a US Dempsey/ era is over, and Soccer Federation pretty much any play- board member. “For us er older than 26 will in US Soccer more be past his past his than a wake-up call. Fallout surely prime when the World Time for revolution. Cup in Qatar kicks off Need long term plan will lead to a in November 2022. that is smart.” After new coach The Americans won’t American soccer’s even play a competi- Waterloo, the fallout tive match for nearly almost surely will lead two years, until the NEW YORK: In this April 10, 2017, file photo, Sunil Gulati, to a new coach and 2019 CONCACAF President of the Soccer Federation, attends a possibly a new USSF Gold Cup. news conference. — AP head. There also figure to be calls for a reex- By then, , at 19 already the amination of the player development structure, top American, should be surrounded with other from youth teams through academies designed players on the rise, such as 19-year-old mid- in,” he said. “We will look at everything, obvi- preseason exhibitions across the pond, grow- with the hope of producing elite prospects. fielder Weston Mckennie, who has started ously, and all of our programs, both the ing the sport’s audience. “There is no denying that this is a setback Schalke’s last three games in the German national team and all the development stuff. American sponsors started treating soccer for all of us involved with the game in our . Haji Wright, a 19-year-old winger But we’ve got a lot of pieces in place that we like a major sport, if not at the level of the NFL, country,” said in a state- loaned from Schalke to second-division think are very good and have been coming baseball and the NBA, at least as prominent as ment. New York Cosmos owner Rocco Sandhausen, is another top prospect along along.” The US returned to the World Cup in the NHL, golf and tennis. Still, the national team Commisso, chairman of the lower-level North with forward Josh Sargent, who agreed last 1990 after a 40-year absence, and soccer grew peaked with its quarterfinal appearance at the American Soccer League that has sued the month to sign with Werder Bremen on his 18th at an exponential rate, helped by the US host- 2002 World Cup. The US failed to qualify for USSF, called for federation President Sunil birthday in February and ing the tournament in 1994. Major League the 2012 and 2016 men’s Olympic soccer tour- Gulati to resign along with board members and Cameron Carter-Vickers should be tested in Soccer launched two years later; cable televi- naments, a generational talent gap evident senior administrators he put in place. defense as the team reorients to 2022. A sion and the Internet brought top European when a creaky defense repeatedly broke down “In the almost 12 years during which Sunil shocked Gulati was measured in his reaction. clubs to American televisions and later laptops during qualifying. There were no young goal- Gulati has been the USSF’s president, little or “You don’t have wholesale changes based and cell phones. European clubs discovered keepers considered challengers to Howard and nothing has been done to enhance our on the ball being 2 inches wide or 2 inches there was huge money to be made by playing . — AFP

Norbert Elgert, coach of Schalke’s Under-19 Inside Germany’s team, told AFP. football factory Have a ‘Plan B’ “Athleticism and skills as a team player are all important. Then there are also things which are often overlooked-character, personality, GELSENKIRCHEN: Schalke 04 are a sleep- desire to improve. “You have to have the con- ing giant in the German league, yet their fidence to elbow your way up in a squad of youth academy is one of Germany’s most suc- 25 to 30 players, or you have no chance, but cessful, producing World Cup winners, then you still have to be a team player.” Bundesliga stars and exports. The 60-year-old has seen an impressive Germany has just qualified for Russia 2018, list of names roll off the production line at where they will defend the World Cup title Schalke since 1996. Elgert is passionate about they won in Brazil when four former members coaching and, with his flowing grey locks, of Schalke’s academy were in the squad. adopts a father-figure role. “We put a lot of Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, emphasis on education, right up to ‘Abitur’ Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, Juventus (university entry qualifications),” he said. “We defender Benedikt Hoewedes and Paris Saint- encourage that because what percentage Germain Julian Draxler all came actually make it? — Four or five percent through the Gelsenkirchen club’s youth set- maximum will be Bundesliga footballers. GELSENKIRCHEN: German coach Norbert Elgert, in charge of up. Schalke 04 are nicknamed “The Miners” “Whenever I speak to a player about their the Under-19 team at the Schalke’s youth academy, poses at due to Gelsenkirchen’s industrial setting and future, I always ask, ‘what is your Plan B?’ the footbal club’s training grounds. — AFP their youth academy, called the “Miners’ “We have to look past football, for those who Forge”, has a long list of talented alumni. don’t make it, get injured or get sick.” His suc- Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, 21, cess with Schalke attracted an offer a few be organized, we were overtaken by countries ting talent-like the teenage Ozil. In fact Elgert Liverpool defender Joel Matip, 26, and years ago from Bayern Munich, but Elgert, like Spain, Holland or Italy. “The German receives a text message during the interview- Arsenal left-back Sead Kolasinac, 24, are just who was born in Gelsenkirchen, opted to stay. Football Association (DFB) has been very he smiles as he shows the caller ID that reads some of its graduates. The latest starlet to He said Germany’s ability to produce talented innovative with the academies and always “Ozil, Mesut”. “He was playing an Under-17 rise from the academy to Schalke’s senior young players stems from the lessons learnt kept an eye on what is going on in other trial here, which I was overseeing as part of a squad is 19-year-old Weston McKennie, a from mistakes in years gone by-namely Euro countries.” He clearly has strong links to his school project,” said Elgert. “It wasn’t just the future US international in the making. But 2004, when die Mannschaft failed to qualify former players and eagerly asks how Ozil and way he controlled the ball with great tech- what attributes make a future professional or from their group. “It was important for us to Kolasinac, who joined Arsenal in June, are nique, it was the way he could read the game. a World Cup winner? “Talent is important, learn from the past,” said Elgert. regarded in England. “He was always looking where his players but that only gets you through the door,” “It wasn’t just enough for German teams to His eyes light up when he describes spot- were and making good decisions.” — AFP