This was in the Charlotte Observer a couple of weeks ago:
Academy wants players fulltime
New policy forces athletes to choose between high school and club competition
Elite male soccer players must choose this fall between high school and club competition. A policy established earlier this year by the U.S. Soccer Academy will not allow club players to compete for their school teams. The U.S. Soccer Federation, which oversees all of the men’s and women’s soccer programs in the U.S., introduced its developmental academy program in 2007 in partnership with the top clubs in the country. North Carolina has four clubs in the program: Charlotte Soccer Academy and North Meck Soccer Club, and Carolina Fusion (Greensboro) and Capital Area Soccer League (Raleigh). There are about 3,000 athletes nationwide in the program. Charlotte Soccer Academy and North Meck Soccer club each have academy teams for ages 15-16 and 17-18. Rosters are set at 20 players with 18 allowed to play in matches. That’s 80 athletes in the program.
Under the policy, the developmental season runs from September to June. Postseason play continues into July.
The format is similar to elite soccer programs around the world. Some academy teams in Texas and on the West Coast have gone to the 10-month schedule. The goal, some officials say, is to close the performance gap between this country and other elite soccer nations. In the past, North Carolina academy teams started play in December. Bill Finneyfrock, Providence Day School’s head soccer coach and executive director of Charlotte United Futbol Club, said the change is not needed. Charlotte United Futbol Club is an independent local organization. “High school soccer might be some of the biggest games of their lives,” he said. “It only hurts the kids,” he said. “It puts the players in the middle of two competing factions. Whether it is from the influence of a high school or college coach or the academy coach, the player could be pulled in the wrong direction.” Finneyfrock said not allowing athletes to play high school soccer will erode the fan base of the high school teams and hurt rivalries. Jeff Mercado, head soccer coach at Ardrey Kell High disagreed. “It’s about time,” he said. “It is the right decision for the game.”
Jack Miller III, a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School, decided to play for his high school rather than for the academy team. “We did not win a state championship last year,” Miller said. “I want to help my team compete and win a state championship this year. Plus, my education is important to me. I do very well in school but practicing four nights a week, traveling out of town for games and competing both days might hurt my school work.” He said the coaches at Charlotte Soccer Academy supported his decision.
The current N.C. High School Athletic Association season starts in August and, based on playoffs, runs into November. The academy season use to start the following month. “The teams would travel to a showcase in December,” said Brad Wylde, Charlotte Soccer Academy executive director. “We get the high school players approximately two weeks prior to the showcase. … They begin to play higher-level teams. Our players are often fatigued, out of game shape and poorly trained.” Wylde said he understood both sides. “Representing your school is important,” he said.
He said high school coaching is not up to par with developmental academy coaching.
“When these players come to us at the end of their season, they have to catch up,” he said. “We want the players all the time. This has been a cause for contention.”
Finneyfrock said “My coaches here at Providence Day School are all USSF ‘A’ licensed coaches. If we do not know what we are doing, then it’s the federation’s fault. There is rarely a high school coach not qualified to properly train and prepare the players.”
The 10-month season will allow training three or four times per week. Another advantage is the ability to play matches against high-level competition in front of college recruiters. Jay Vidovich, the men’ soccer coach at Wake Forest University, said top soccer players need to be seen in as many quality games as possible. He said the academy provides a better environment to help players improve and players are more advanced than non-academy players. Vidovich said his incoming freshmen are either products of the academy or European players. “If you are looking to compete at the highest level in college, you have to be in this program,” Wylde said. “Division I college coaches prefer the developmental showcases and national championship matches. Some lower-level Division I coaches will travel to regional soccer matches.”
Finneyfrock said academy soccer showcases do help college coaches recruit. These coaches can travel to a few central locations and see all the players instead of watching high school matches or club matches, he said.
“Being the 15th player on an academy team does not mean you will play for a major Division I soccer program,” Finneyfrock said. “Charlotte United Futbol Club has a U-18 team with as many Division I players accepting scholarship offers as North Mecklenburg Soccer, Carolina Fusion, or other academy teams. “Why can the United States product professional football players, professional basketball and baseball players and do it through high school,” he said. “We do not hear these sports saying that high school athletics are terrible.”
