A Tale of Two Teams: Why the USWNT and the USMNT are so different

In this three part series, we will tackle the success gap between the United States Women's National team and their male counterparts.

There is an ever-growing success gap between the United States Women’s National Team and the United States Men’s National Team. The difference, if simplified, is culture.

Culture, defined loosely, is a collection of beliefs, customs and habits by a group or society.

For the women’s side, their culture is based on success. They are expected to win, they expect to win, and they do win. The men, on the other hand, are about trying not to lose.

How did these two teams take diverting paths? It begins with player development.

DEVELOPMENT

How did the culture of success develop? Consistency. The USWNT players grow up in the same developmental system duplicated across the nation. The elite players, who must be just as committed as they are skilled, are orderly funneled into youth national teams, and largely attend the same colleges.

As an example, all 22 players on the USWNT vs Ireland roster played with a youth national team at some point in their careers, From there, 13 of the 22 players attended either UNC (6), Virginia (3), Penn State (2), or Stanford (2).

The result of this system is a large but condensed pool of talent easily accessible and assessable by Jill Ellis and her staff. Talent is as far as a domestic flight, and she is able to judge the players in similar circumstances.

As systematic as Ellis’ program is, Jurgen Klinsmann’s is as chaotic. Put more politely, the the USMNT culture is one of inconsistency.

Klinsmann chooses to cast a world-wide net that often seems more like an expedition to find foreign soccer players with loose American ties than a search for homegrown talent. This was put on center stage when Klinsmann chose several young, foreign born players for the 2014 USMNT World Cup Roster. A notable casuality of those audacious selections? The all-time leading goal scorer in USMNT history; the great Landon Donovan.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the men’s developmental woes is that Klinsmann's experimental approach appears to have only one constant; the coach himself. Unlike the player driven culture of the USWNT, the men’s side is about finding players conducive to Jurgen.

The result? In the past two years the Men’s national team has seen limited success with 65 different players suiting up for the stars and stripes. By comparison, the women’s team has only had 42 players dress for game day in the same time span. And, oh yeah, they won the World Cup.

This inconsistency ultimately leads to insecurity. The players are constantly worried about their next call up or roster spot. That in turn leads to poor team chemistry- something antithetical to the USWNT's pride in collective greatness.

That leads us to the next fundamental difference between programs: mentality.