[lookout123]

IMO, the US women's soccer program has been so successful because women's international soccer has really only sprung up in the last couple decades as a popular sport. Most nations really started putting focus on the program at about the same time, so a large country (US), with significant assets devoted to play (US), generally equal opportunity for the sexes (US), and a competitive nature (US) would tend to spring to the front of the line.

The exact opposite is true in the men's program. The rest of the world focused on it for 100 years before the US even managed to put together a viable league (MLS). It takes awhile for a country to cultivate it's homegrown talent and bring it up to speed. I feel that the US men's program has about 15 years before it will even be competitive. But our new generation of youngsters looks promising. Adu is overhyped, but good, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Josey Altidore, Jay Demerit, Clint Dempsey... These guys are earning their stripes playing in England, Spain, and Germany. I look forward to the day they push Onyewu and Donovan out of the squad.