Former U. S.
men's national soccer team player Taylor Twellman criticized major collegiate athletic conferences on Wednesday for failing to properly develop young American players following the national team's recent World Cup elimination.
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Speaking at a press conference at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort ahead of the American Century Championship, Twellman linked the national team's 4-1 round-of-16 defeat against Belgium on Monday to structural flaws within the domestic player pipeline for athletes aged 17 to 21.
According to Twellman, prominent athletic organizations like the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC restrict the growth of men's soccer due to resource limitations, scheduling constraints, and compliance with Title IX regulations.
He emphasized that the collegiate system must reform its approach to match the developmental environment provided by international clubs.
The current landscape leaves major conferences with minimal soccer presence, forcing programs like Kentucky and South Carolina to compete in the Sun Belt Conference due to a lack of active SEC rivals.
Twellman expressed deep frustration with how collegiate authorities govern the sport.
"The NCAA has to treat it with the right respect," said Twellman.
He noted that the traditional three-month collegiate schedule packs more than 20 games into a brief window, an arrangement unchanged for generations while other sports received modern operational adjustments.
"First off, Title IX, the men's side, we don't have teams in the SEC. So we don't have teams in the big one.
The college landscape, I don't care what anyone says... I know this to be a real league.
