Key facts
- U.S. Soccer is using AI to scout potential players globally.
- The system aims to identify talent among 50-70 million teenagers.
- AI will analyze video feeds to identify players based on positional profiles.
- Human scouts will assess intangible qualities that AI cannot detect.
- This initiative is intended to improve the U.S. national team's performance.
U.S. Soccer is leveraging artificial intelligence to address a long-standing challenge: reliably finding talented players for its national teams. With American-eligible players scattered globally, the federation aims to scout up to 70 million teenagers using AI-powered video analysis. Dan Helfrich, COO of U.S. Soccer and former CEO of Deloitte Consulting, described this as a 'paradigm shift' that will overcome the limitations of traditional human scouting networks. The system trains AI models on positional profiles and deploys them across video feeds worldwide, allowing for the identification of players regardless of their location. This AI-driven approach is complemented by human scouts who will assess intangible qualities like player communication and body language, which AI cannot yet fully interpret. The initiative is seen as crucial for improving the on-field product of American soccer, especially with the upcoming 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup hosted in the U.S. The sport has seen significant growth in popularity, with research suggesting it has overtaken baseball as the third-most popular sport in the U.S.