This maybe the most glaring similarity there is US Soccer and US Polo very week on the World front . Especially on the Men’s side . Very easy to see the same pattern. Soccer we have something like 9 million kids playing it from 5 to 15 and we are beat by a Country the size of Corpus Christi , Texas. Not only that all the teams in our group are much smaller and less people. Like Polo in the USA we have no finish to our great youth programs. None . I had no idea that Soccer also like Polo is so very expensive to get to upper levels in our Country like Polo. This is where the Country can help by taking care of the young people who have talent and desire to be pros the Wealthy enough to continue can and will but this is where it changes do the Pros who do not have to do it to continue have the same desire to be the best ? Maybe not in either sport maybe not it is much safer and a lot less work to find someone else to do it . I know it Polo it is true a Century ago the only 10 goal Players here were Wealthy because the other people could not play and 20 years ago we had 20 Patrons 3 to 6 or 7 goals now ? There for the big part 1 goal a couple at 2 but are they , now they hire the Pros and not from here in the US and I am sure same as Major league Soccer not from here in the US. WHY they are better and WHY is That ? They have been playing at a much better level and this is where we mess up there is no protection for the young players on either side. In Polo the youth program is very helpful but several holes in it first it does not reach out until to late mainly young Men 18 to 20 while foreign Players are coming here at 2 goals 15 yrs. old and playing in the best Polo and our program has no venue for our young players they cannot get Quality Horses because they cannot get a job to pay for them so either groom or get a real job and goodbye Polo . In Polo it is a glaring fact we have not had a player go to 10 goals since 2003 Adam Snow and before that Mike Azzaro I think in 1993 . I think we now have 13 players 6 goals or more and 1/2 of them are over 40. How do we fix it simple 3 Americans on ever Polo Team and 8 Americans on ever Soccer team so they get a chance to make a living and improve to compete. To me it is simple many think it is all about winning BUT the fact is and you can see why we do not compete anymore in either sport if it is not you an American playing with friends or Country men how long does it last they have no connection other than the paycheck and why not there here and away they go and it always happens , In Polo we have the huge Egos who want to win but never exist without there checkbook and in Soccer the same they are there for a while but then GONE. WHY it is simple they want to be the big Guy and then when no one relates to it , Why am I doing this ? ADIOS World Cup Soccer spent a billion dollars trying to compete and WELL where did that money go??????? Not to make young men want to make money doing what the could as I am sure with a million plus players we could have found a way to pay the 60 best and they might have stayed around and we would compete but know all the Chiefs got there share and skipped the Players. Same way in Polo but a 100 th of the money and people we have lots of programs for the young people to play but God forbid we spend money on them getting an opportunity to become real players if they do not pay . However they like to say how much money they have for the future well there is no future so where is the money going. I used to think these old far– do not see the future back in the 1990’s when it started to be no Americans now 30 yrs later I am an old Far- and nothing has changed much we are still doing the same . However maybe it is changing we have some old but real People from Polo doing things now Tony Coppola not a giant in some ways but a man who made it in the real world Jim Newman did not come from Trump Castle Mike Carney who was as tight as my Mother and Bob Puetz a Chaicago Butcher ‘s son I think maybe they see the World of POLO and CAREEE about the future ! They dropped the foreign alliance of 26 goal Polo and now have a 16 team tournament they have 2 players from US on all most all teams needs to be a rule in 5 years maybe we can be like England the British won there own Open all Brits .
just my opinion and would like to hear YOURS
c ya