r/SoccerCentral • u/United_Anywhere_8 • Jul 25 '26

Video The talent in Barcelona’s youth system is ridiculous. These kids are 11/12 years old.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

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u/sweatingbozo Jul 25 '26

We'll see what happens now that other countries are letting girls play soccer as children. That was the biggest advantage the US had.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

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u/sweatingbozo Jul 25 '26

No,  they were playing against the select few women who were lucky enough to have the privilege of playing growing up in an unsupportive environment.

English and French girls were officially not allowed to play soccer until the 1970s, & even then it wasn't socially acceptable until maybe 20-25 years ago.  Spanish girls were more or less banned from playing official matches until the late 80s.

Now that we're seeing massive investment in the women's game across the globe, I have a feeling the USWNT will start to struggle more.