Throughout history, successful professional soccer clubs and national teams have had some unique players on their team who could truly be labeled as heroes. These individuals would repeatedly come in favor of the team. He or she at the end had more good days than bad on the field. These players made things happen. They even drew crowds to stadiums and games. Spectators from other nations and clubs expected to see them perform even against their teams. When these special players receive the ball, you can anticipate that they will make the most of it. When they played against weaker teams, you could tell the difference in their skill level compared to those who were assigned to score them. They punished weak teams and were competitive against strong teams. They were the ones the team could trust. They made the right decisions with the ball. They understood their positions and played it well and aggressively. They were strong and brave. They wanted to win. They wanted to score and they knew how to score or they knew how to get the ball to others to score. They did not waste many opportunities. To be specific, I am primarily referring to a scorer or someone who creates scoring opportunities. I think the US men’s soccer team needs such a player.

Some of us have seen these types of players before on the American side. One that has impressed me the most has been Mia Hamm. I didn’t see a lot of Michell Akers matches as football wasn’t making the headlines when she played, but I know she was amazing too. But the type of American player that stood out was Mia Hamm’s. She brought enthusiasm to the game. Players like her are one in a million. Put them in with other experienced players and you have a great team that draws excitement like American women did in the 1990s. The men’s team needs such a player to compete successfully in the big tournaments to help the team move forward. to the next level convincingly. Some may argue that we already have someone to fill that role, but those of us who have played the game somewhat competitively and successfully will tell you otherwise.

The US men’s team needs a big name of their own like Pele, Cruyff, George Best, Maradona, Zico, Rossie, George Weah, Scalachi, George Barnes, Romario, etc. More recently, players like Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Marta, who can compete well in international competitions. When you see them play, it will be obvious that they stand out. This is a name where someone in another nation immediately knows who they are when it is mentioned. Some soccer nations have those players, some are lucky enough to have more than one team, but the US men still need this player.

Youth soccer players spend 2-3 days a week in soccer practice and weekend games and tournaments. They go to camps in the summer. Some have received private soccer sessions. Time and money have been spent developing players for decades. Hopefully some of those “talented players” can be inspired. Hopefully we will see the fruit of this in the future. US Soccer as a nation has been on the rise. Since 1986, we have been to every World Cup. This is great. Now we are looking for that player who takes us further. Hopefully, one day we will have a ‘World Player of the Year’ from the US men’s national team. When it comes, then US Men’s Soccer would have arrived.