When I imagine futsal's future I just look at the progress of professional soccer in the U.S. and Canada

By David Knopf

Futsal World Editor

davidknopf48@gmail.com

I never would’ve imagined 30 years ago that I’d be sitting in a beautiful soccer-specific stadium that averages over 18,000 fans a game, has a wide, neatly manicured grass field, a boisterous supporters’ section and ownership that’s innovative, stable, has deep pockets and loves the sport.

David Knopf

When I was a fan of the Tulsa Roughnecks in the early 1980s, the North American Soccer League was annually on the brink of extinction and Tulsa played in an old football stadium, on a narrow Astroturf surface with a high crown. The dressing rooms were like dungeons; the ownership was always looking for new investors, a breath away from going out of business.

In retrospect, the soccer wasn’t bad – even though the majority of players were over-aged imports from overseas. American players – especially the homegrown variety that Sporting KC and other MLS teams are now developing – were a small minority and rarely played the more skilled positions. The foreign players were said to look down on the U.S. and Canadian kids, probably because they were still relatively new to the game.

That’s all changed today, with most MLS clubs identifying future professionals through the youth ranks and academies. Two of Sporting’s starters are Kansas City natives, and a third player, the back-up goalie, could be a starter for many other teams in the league. At least two other local players are on the roster and one’s been getting significant minutes after coming back from Europe to join his hometown team.

Why bring this up now in relation to futsal? No one in the early Eighties could’ve predicted how far soccer in the U.S. would come in three decades. Things simply take time to develop, and when given the right attention, grow from the grass roots up.

It’s what happened with outdoor soccer, and all signs are that it is happening for futsal. It just takes steady, enthusiastic effort.

Those of us who support the international indoor game are impatient to see this country, Canada and Mexico develop professional futsal leagues that will put us on a par with countries in South America, Europe, even Guatemala, close by in Central America.

Even though it won't be happening in the next Olympics, we’d like to see futsal played as a medal sport there, too. And we'd like to see the U.S. qualify for the Futsal World Cup consistently out of the CONCACAF region, which Mexico did this year.

There are positive signs in North America as we saw in the last newsletter, with a 17-year-old domestic-bred player being named to the U.S. National Futsal Team. In this newsletter, we learn about a young Florida player who was part of a United States Youth Futsal league being invited to live in Spain to be part of Barcelona’s famed youth academy. 

There is also a story in this issue about Barefoot Futsal, a North Carolina academy and league that sent two brothers to South America to train at a Brazilian futsal academy.

More and more soccer clubs and academies are using futsal techniques to develop both indoor and outdoor players. It’s something we didn’t see as often 10 years ago, even five years ago.

Many coaches are realizing that developing technical skills, improving speed of play and encouraging players to take on opponents are more important than chalking up another win in club soccer on Saturday morning.

Judging from the growing number of U.S. players now playing in European professional outdoor leagues – there are so many it’s hard to keep up with them – it won’t be long before a domestic player goes overseas to play futsal professionally. With no pro league here yet, that’s an option that U.S. National Team Coach Keith Tozer has said would improve his national squad.

To date, that team has been made up of walled soccer players who train at futsal a few weeks a year, if at all.

It can all happen someday, and it will because USYF league owners, coaches and futsal visionaries of all sorts are working at the local level to promote the game and help it grow. 

It’s happening, and each improvement is a brick in the foundation. We’ll wake up one day and be surprised to see futsal having come of age, the way outdoor professional soccer has.

I never thought the NASL could eventually evolve into MLS, but now I’m a believer. You plug away in the present, and good things happen in the future. It’s the kind of magic I see every time I go to Livestrong Park in Kansas City and think about old Skelly Stadium in Tulsa and that narrow Astroturf field.

You can write David Knopf, the editor of USYF's Futsal World newsletter, at davidknopf48@gmail.com. We welcome your story ideas, news and photos.