North: Why U.S. men's soccer continues to struggle

So I'm talking with retired pro soccer player Landon Donovan on Monday on Fox Sports radio and I found myself astonished, a word I don't use frequently, by his response when asked about the lack of success for men's soccer in the Olympics.

He told us the United States needs 15 to 20 more years of development to succeed.

What?!!

I've been hearing since the late 1970s, '80s, '90s and beyond how U.S. soccer, particularly the men's game, was going to be a driving force.

Can you say misspent money?

Millions and millions of dollars apparently have been wasted because it simply hasn't worked.

According to Donovan, a different structure, improved leadership and better instruction with a focus on fundamentals are needed to succeed.

Well, what have they been doing for the last 40 years?

Basically I was told by the greatest American player of all time that we have been doing it all wrong.

So while gymnastics, swimming, track and field, boxing and other sports are flourishing at the Olympics for the United States, the game of men's soccer has languished.

To quote the great Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi, "What the hell's going on out here?"

It appears soccer's leaders don't even know themselves.

This, of course, is no reflection on the women's soccer team, which believe its players deserve equal pay with the men.

Unfortunately that probably won't happen, but should, because they have been the more successful of the two squads.

The NHL used to be a full Canadian league, but the U.S. hockey programs, along with the NHL, helped the sport evolve and expand to worldwide fame. Its success is evident as Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane was the first American-born MVP this past season.

Does that mean that someday a U.S. soccer player will be ranked the best player in the world?

I doubt it, because no one accomplishes something of that magnitude alone and U.S. soccer lags too far behind.

Kane and hockey are where soccer should be right now in the United States, but it starts at the top and it's obvious that men's soccer has plenty of room for improvement.

Program notes:

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• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.