Sanjay Sujanthakumar

proud to graduate having built a team that reps USC in @UPSLsoccer @opencup and is connecting SC with the community on and off the field. There’s no NCAA men’s team here but we’ve created something different and special, can’t wait to watch it keep growing ❤️💛 #FightOn

The Guardian revealed the #USMNT World Cup roster. It still doesn't feature any of the world's best players. Why? I spoke to current and former coaches, academy directors and executives. On catching up, culture, youth soccer, and the first team jump: theguardian.com/football/2026/…

From Sarasota for @ESPNAusNZ & @ESPNFC; The Socceroos have been dealt a blow ahead of the World Cup after confirmation that attacker Riley McGree will miss the tournament through injury. espn.com.au/soccer/story/_… .

Sanjay does a great job curating the most pertinent issues around developing top-level talent. A few anecdotes from my experience to add. On culture and soccer starting at home: the vast majority of parents I speak with and advise have little to no soccer background, so it's safe to say their kids didn't have a ball at their feet at 2 or 3 years old. But the number of kids aged 13-18 playing high-level soccer in this country is exponentially greater than in their parents' generation. When those kids become parents, they'll have a much better sense of what to do and will share their love of the sport. That, I think, will have the greatest long-term impact on soccer in the United States. We just won't feel it for a couple of decades. Marlon Leblanc made a great point that I raise with players and families often. The current MLS roster rules are hurting our ability to develop top attackers. I advise families of high-level attacking players to think long and hard before signing Homegrown deals at bigger spending clubs, because very few get a real opportunity to play early. The Designated Player structure concentrates those minutes at winger, No. 10, and No. 9 -- exactly the positions we need to develop.

just saw the Michael Jackson movie and now those songs will be stuck in my head for a while, likely to be associated w the World Cup in my memory somehow.. reminds me of summer 2009 when he passed away ft. that Confed Cup press conference when the #USMNT were asked about him

What We're Reading Monday • 2026 half-season awards! MVP, Young Player of the Year, Best XIs & more: @MattDoyle76 (TacticsFreeZone) • Can ‘slow progress’ lead the United States to produce a top-20 player in the world?: @tha_Real_Kumar (The Guardian) socceramerica.com/what-were-read…

🚨🔴⚫️ BREAKING: AC Milan have SACKED Massimiliano Allegri. The coach leaves with immediate effect.

Arsenal attacker Max Dowman becomes the youngest starter in Premier League history. He came up in this piece as @MarlonLeBlanc4 provided great perspective on an area 🇺🇸 is falling short in developing world-class players #USMNT #USYNT Full story ➡️ bit.ly/4fnWjBN

@lukegarrott thanks for reading.. think there should and will be some form of it one day for a lot of reasons.. player dev is big, complex topic and while the piece hit macro topics, can only zoom out so much, could zoom in way more on player dev specific things tbh

No mention of the lack of pro-rel or a real US soccer pyramid in this article. Shows how far we have to go to become part of the conversation #prorelforusa theguardian.com/football/2026/…

Cavan Sullivan balled out tonight against Messi and Inter Miami. Sullivan, BVB's Mathis Albert, and Red Bull homegrowns Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall are among the kids giving #RBNY academy director Sean McCafferty confidence 🇺🇸 is closer to producing world-class players. My piece on that challenge ➡️ bit.ly/4fnWjBN

@BrettFavre @danielledsouzag what exactly do you mean by this? Can you articulate it? What if it's possible to like these both of these athletes regardless of their politics? Or do politics have to color everything now? Who made it that way?

@danielledsouzag Agreed 💯

In a world of Megan Rapinoes, be a Jaxson Dart.

🚨 Lionel Messi asked for a sub and immediately went to the locker room. Apparent injury. This is Messi’s last game for Miami before joining Argentina ahead of the World Cup

@Jadentheman1 if US is in next Copa America it won’t be.. otherwise would love it but I don’t anticipate it working w at least one or two of their club situations by then

@tha_Real_Kumar Speaking of this could be the 2028 midfield. Musah and Pulisic want to play Olympics as over age players

the Adri Mehmeti Yunus Musah Cavan Sullivan midfield will be fun #USMNT

talent has been there and decision making been great tn

Good thing this game is on national TV lol

Philly score again to make it 3-1 bc Cavan Sullivan cooking #USMNT

Cavan Sullivan starts it, Milan Iloski finishes it. 👀 @PhilaUnion strikes 3 minutes into the game in Miami.

Great little pass there from Cavan Sullivan triggers Philly goal to take lead vs Messi and Miami #USMNT

Why is there no American soccer factory producing top 100 American men’s players? It’s a complex issue, but ⁦@tha_real_kumar does a really great job of getting at the core problems. theguardian.com/football/2026/…