USA Soccer: Why the Women Can Compete, and the Men Can't

   The USA Women's National Soccer Team defeated Brazil this morning in an incredible, exciting, legendary match. The Americans scored the latest goal in Women's World Cup history, in the 123rd minute, to tie the game and send it to penalty kicks. After a phenomenal save by U.S. keeper Hope Solo and five straight goals by the United States team, they eliminated Brazil from the tournament and now move on to the semi-finals.
   But why can the USA Women's National Team compete with the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, France, and Spain, while the Men's National Team had to fight tooth and nail to beat Slovenia in last year's World Cup?
   The answer turns out to be, unsurprisingly, talent. The best male athletes in the United States end up playing football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, with a few here and there going into the MLS. Soccer is the most popular sport among high school females, and youth soccer organizations like the AYSO boast millions of female athletes. The USA Women's Team is an international powerhouse because of hard work by players, encouragement and guidance of coaches, the wholehearted devotion of countless fans, and every woman and girl who play the game from the backyard to the World Cup.
   The way to get the Men's Team to be as competitive globally as the Women's is to replicate in America the emotion and investment that fans everywhere have in their teams. We need to fall in love with the game of soccer, just like the whole world.
   And to do this we need to prove that America has the talent and the endurance to make exciting plays and win big matches in extraordinary fashion. Ladies, thank you for showing the nation and the world what we can do. With our 300 million people and our love for sports, we can win every Men's and Women's World Cup for the rest of time, but only if we make soccer the sport that binds us to the world.