Basics for reviving U.S. soccer through colleges

The 21st Century Model basics:

• Redistribute the season across two semesters instead of cramming as many as 25 games into four months from August to December, reducing the countable hours per week from 20 to 18 across 132 days.

• Start preseason in late August, regular season in mid-September. Break from Thanksgiving through mid-January, when training picks up again. Regular season starts again in mid-March, with the NCAA championship the first weekend of June.

• Reduce the maximum number of games from 25 to 23, with 14 in the fall and nine in the spring. Maximum of three midweek games.

What about the women?

Women's college soccer isn't pushing for a change because with limited professional opportunities, most players won't play beyond college. Those who do are already set up to succeed, since the U.S. is the world's best soccer development environment for women. While other countries are catching on, the U.S. advantage in youth and collegiate soccer opportunities the past several decades have helped the U.S. national team win three World Cup titles.

"The U.S. has been the standard," Gophers coach Stefanie Golan said. "And any time they don't win at that level, everyone's like, 'Oh, what happened?' "Megan Ryan