The Title IX Narrative
The U.S. Men’s National Team suffered a 4‑1 defeat to Belgium in the recent World Cup, a result that has reignited discussion about the factors behind the squad’s inconsistent performances on the global stage.
Analysts attribute the team’s struggles to a combination of a pay‑to‑play youth model, the migration of athletic talent toward sports such as basketball and American football, and a broader cultural lag in soccer development across the country.
Yenor’s Argument and Its Flaws
Among the more provocative explanations is a claim by Scott Yenor of the Heritage Foundation that Title IX is responsible, arguing that the federal law forces institutions to cut men’s soccer programs in order to fund women’s teams.
That argument does not align with the historical record of the USMNT, whose most notable advances — a Round of 16 appearance in 1994 and a quarterfinal run in 2002 — occurred both before and after Title IX’s 1972 enactment, suggesting a weak causal link.
The Real Development Pathway
Developing elite soccer talent requires training that begins far earlier than college eligibility; European prodigies such as Kylian Mbappé entered professional academies at age six and honed their skills in structured environments long before university.
In the United States, the rise of Major League Soccer academies and European‑based pipelines is beginning to eclipse the traditional college route, a shift documented by research from Samford University’s Center for Sports Analytics that shows only a handful of players on the projected 2030 World Cup roster have college experience.
Professional environments provide daily coaching, individualized technical work, strength and conditioning, nutrition plans, video analysis, and reserve‑team matches — components that college soccer cannot consistently deliver for top prospects.
While Title IX has undeniably expanded opportunities for women’s soccer, its impact on the men’s game is marginal; the success of the USWNT is more closely tied to the same legislative boost for female participation, as illustrated by trailblazer Olivia Moultrie, who turned professional at a young age.