"U18 Girls
CESA 89 Premier 1
IMG Soccer (Florida) 2

Does anyone know details from the game?"



Hard fought game - CESA was down 2-0 early in the second half after giving up a penalty kick due to a foul in the box. CESA scored shortly after that and had several opportunities late in the game - had a corner kick go awry in the last 3 minutes. CESA played a defensive strategy much of the game, looking for an offensive chance. It would have been easy for them to fold after being down 2-0 - strong showing despite the loss...

U18 Boys
CESA 89 P 1 - 1 CUFC Elite
LCSC United 89 6 - 0 Fort Smith Express

The rankings of teams participating in Regionals are based on points earned from tournament appearances.

The first opponent CESA 92 Premier is ranked #6 in Florida based on tournament points, but they actually earned the Florida USYSA State Championship as of May of 2008.

A well played, physical match by both teams who left everything on the field. CESA had much better ball control, possession and opportunities than their opponent, but came up short on this one.

Looking forward to the match on Saturday against South Charlotte Soccer Club, who defeated South Texas State Champion by a score of 2-0 today.

At least two D1 collegiate head and assistant coaches were watching this and the South Charlotte vs South Texas matches. A great experience for all teams.

discoveries have an excellent chance of appearing in the final

On the girls' side, after 2 rounds complete, CESA 89G, CESA 90G, and CESA 93G all have fairly good chances to advance. In u16s there are no results posted for today yet so it's still too early to tell for the CUFC Elite team.

In u14s, CESA 93G needs a win over Mississippi and either CASL or Dallas Texans Red to beat the other. If CASL vs. Dallas ends in a tie, CESA 93G needs to win by 3 or more goals. This must be the u14G Region 3 version of the 'group of death.' According to the Region 3 website, CESA 93 is ranked #2 in the region, #3 nationally and CASL is #3 in the region,#5 nationally. I'm guessing Dallas Texans Red is way up there, too. Really tough group.

In u17s, CESA 90 can go through with a 2 goal or better win over Arkansas and a Sting Dallas Royal win over Louisiana, which isn't too improbable.

In u18s, CESA 89 has a very good chance to go through with a win or a tie against an Alabama team (PL Central).

Some South Carolina parents in the local news....

http://www.wilsondaily.com/News/Local/Story/Soccer-descends-upon-Wilson--

Day 2:

CESA 89 Girls Premier - 2

Mississippi Fire - 0

Day 3:

CESA 89 Girls Premier - 6

PL Central (Alabama) - 0


CESA 89 Girls through to the quarters.

Congratulations to CESA 89G and CESA 93 girls on getting it done to get to the quarters. Both teams had solid victories today, CESA 89G with their 6-0 win and CESA 93G with a 3-0 win over Mississippi state champ. Both teams have already done well but I think both have AT LEAST one more victory in them. I think we will see one or both teams in the semis. Great talent, hard work, personal sacrifice, great preparation, great coaching.

CESA 90G fell a goal short of reaching the quarters with a 1-1 tie to Arkansas.

Good luck to all the SC teams still vying for a Region Championship.

Also congratulations to DSC 90 Boys and CESA 89 Boys on getting through to the quarters. If CESA 91 Boys can win or tie tonight SC will have 5 teams in the quarters.

Would love to see some posts from some people who are there to let us know how it's going. How are the fields? How well has the tournament been run (seems like they handled the weather delay well last night)? Has Raleigh been welcoming? What are some of the overall impressions of the tournament in general, the competition? I know the experience must compare favorably with last year's nightmare in Oklahoma City but how does it compare with 2006 in Little Rock? Anyone have any feedback???

Congrats to all the teams who got to make the trip to represent either SC or PL East and hope it was a good experience.

Let me know who the CESA 89 and CESA 93 Girls play next, and I'll tell you whether I think they have one more win left in them. I'm pulling for them as I know girls who play on both teams.

Good luck (and I hope the teams you draw next don't end in "TX")!

CESA 93 Girls play Charlotte Soccer Club 93G.

CESA 89 Girls play BUSA Angels 90 (Alabama). I believe this is the former Mt. Brook Angels from Birmingham area.

Hurst:

CESA 89 Girls play BUSA Angel 90 (Alabama State Champs)

CESA 93 Girls play Charlotte Blue 93

Live and Learn...

Bad weather yesterday caused a number of games to get rescheduled. I'm here with the CESA '89 Boys. They were scheduled to to play at WRAL yesterday at 6:00 but the game was delayed until 8:30 and then finally moved to 10:30 pm at the fields in Wilson which are an hour away. They got beat by Solar 4 - 1 and the game didn't get over to 12:15 and we got back to the hotel at 1:45. Hard to believe that the closest fields that were used for these regionals were an hour apart. Fields were nice in Wilson but too far away. We had to return to Wilson for a noon game today. The boys advanced to the Qtr's and play back at WRAL tomorrow. Nice opening ceremonies but the biggest draw back of this whole event is the distance between the two sites...don't care how nice the fields are.

CESA 89's seem to have a favorable draw and should have a great shot at taking out the team from Alabama.

As for the CESA 93 Girls, they have a competitive match. I know they beat CSC Blue in Disney 1-0, (on a goal scored against the run of play) over a year ago. How did they do against CSC Blue in the R3PL? This should be a good one.

Good luck to both CESA teams.

I gotta say I saw something at these Regionals I'd never seen before. Player on the Girls U17 Sting Dallas Royal 91 team representing North Texas had the words "BAD A**" written in what looked like a tattoo at the base of the back of her neck. She got into a "verbal discussion" with the referee at one point during a game and flipped her pony tail up so the referee could clearly read the words. I was amazed. Not sure how I'd have handled it if I was the referee. There's no law of the game dealing with tattoos but the thought crossed my mind that action was tantamount to lifting a jersey to display writing on a t-shirt underneath the uniform, only difference being this appeared to be permanently engrained on her neck! Certainly brazen on this kid's part - no doubt made her parents especially proud. I've never seen anything like it...

Suggestion on regional site. Why not Manchester in Rock Hill? Close enough to charlotte for hotels and food. Could use the Winthrop fields to have some games. Seems like a great place here in SC to host!!!

manchester is not even close to being big enough to host.what fields are at winthrop besides the game field and the track?

When the work is complete at MESA, it will be the nicest complex in SC hands down.

It may be the biggest, but Manchester Soccer Complex will ALWAYS be the best and have the nicest fields hands down. I don't think anyone else will spend $13 million on a soccer complex in SC.

How about a joint effort between SC and NC in the Charlotte area? Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill and Ramblewood in South Charlotte are only about 20 minutes from eachother. That would be about 20 top-notch fields.

How many do you need to host a regional?

Congrats to BridgeFA 93 boys after a loss to Texas come back and win 2 straight to advance to the quarterfinals. They play Concorde Fire at 4:00 today.

anyjones:
What good is Manchester complex if no one is allowed to use the fields? It takes a large complex like MESA to host quality events. If anyone hasn't had a chance to see the progress at MESA, you'll be suprised.

As info. SC 7 wins, 14 losses, 8 ties.
DSC green 2-1-0 best on boys side, Cesa 89 girls 2-1-0 best on the girls side. No SC team top in a bracket. Good luck to these hope they make it thru.

Congratulations to Bridge FA 93B on making the quarters. My apologies for overlooking them. I didn't realize there was another SC team in the u14B besides CUFC 93B. Good luck to them!!!

Marcus,

If you need 16 fields, there would be 8 at Manchester. I can't believe that there aren't 8 more within a 25 minute radius?

the only fields within 25 mins would be in charlotte.
i think for regionals, manchester would not be able to line up 8 fields and have room for the fans. it would be nice to maybe have state cup there. i was at mesa lately and sweet is right.it is going to be nice. they may need to expand the rest rooms and such to host something big.

Quater-Finals:

CESA 89 Girls - 0

BUSA Angels 90 - 2



CESA 93 Girls - 0

Charlotte 93 Blue - 1

PK's

CESA took a well prepared and tested '92 Boys Premier team to the Southern Regionals where they faced outstanding competition within their group from FL, NC and South TX. All games were lost, but much was learned in the process. Congratulations for such a great run in 2008.

Looking forward to 2009!

Sorry to see both CESA girls teams go out in the quarter-finals. Congratulations to both on a great year.

Looks like the 93's have developed a nice rivalry with Charlotte Soccer Club Blue.

The '89 CESA Boys were the only SC U18's to make it out of their bracket. Unfortunately they gave up a goal with around 4 minutes to play in the 2nd OT. They had a PK blocked in the first 15 minutes and dominated play throughout but Team BOCA from Florida did what they needed to do and game away with the victory. I was impressed that Charlotte SC was able to beat Solar 2 - 0. Solar looked very impressive in the match where they beat our boys 4 - 1.

Great run for a great group of kids...many fond memories.

As we all know, sometimes the score doesn't tell the whole story. In the case of the CESA '92 Boys, the team played fast paced, technical soccer with great movement off of the ball generating superior possession and wonderful combination play in all thirds of the field.

Over the past 12 months this team has had 1 win & 1 loss to quarter finalist South Charlotte Soccer Club, defeated semi finalist GSA in 2 of 3 meetings and tied the 2008 finalists CASL Elite once and Dallas Texans twice. They've proven they're ability to compete, but unfortunately lady luck just wasn't on their side during this tournament.

Coach Finotti and the team corrected the problems of the first two matches as evidenced by the game they gave South Texas on Sunday. STX was held to just a couple of threatening shots from outside the 18 and awarded only two free kicks, one of which was bent around the right side of the wall at about two feet off the ground into the inside of the back post and then the net. It was an incredible strike and I'm sure the kid didn't sleep all night thinking about it.

I can't say how many saves the STX keeper had to make, but it was easily five or more with one volley hitting the crossbar. The team will learn from the experience and be better for it.

As to the failure of the CUFC '91 Elite team to break out of their group, anything I would say would be pure speculation as I didn't see any of their games. They do have a ton of talent that came together very nicely during the Fall to win Region III East.

Of the 11 States participating in Southern Regional competition South Carolina is the only State to completely suspend club play during the Spring. All other states have rosters which are not frozen and to my knowledge each of them enter the tournament coming off of their own State Cup competition.

This may be a great example of two very talented teams entering top level competition without the benefit of having maximum "team chemistry" working for them. Such chemistry only comes from extensive preparation. A couple of weeks of training at the end of high school seasons certainly doesn't compare to the preparation each team had leading up to their respective Fall seasons where they were so successful. Not an excuse, just a factor worthy of mention in the overall scheme of things.

I suspect these teams will identify the common denominators associated with their failure to advance, make adjustments and have outstanding Fall seasons.

http://www.southernregionals.org/

Best of luck to both of them!

Of the 24 teams competing today in the various boys and girls finals, 15 are from Texas (11 from North Texas and 4 from South texas), 5 from NC, 3 from Georgia and 1 from Oklahoma. On the girls side, only two age groups (U18 and U19) were not all Texas finals. On the boys side, NC did very well, placing a team in all of the finals except U18.

Sounds like another wasted year by SC teams at Regionals! When will we ever break the barrier?

I assume you have been @ Regionals and have seen the play. If so, to make it to the quarterfinals in that event is a major accomplishment. When you compete against clubs that come from a population center of 500,000 plus such as Dallas, TX(more like a million), SC teams do extremely well based upon population of the cities that some of our teams come from.

Having had a two sons appear @ regionals over the last 8 years, our SC teams have done an outstanding job. To call their hard work this past year in preparing for regionals, "wasted" is an unfair comment to those players.

They leave everything on the field. Sometimes as previously said, it comes down to the last few minutes of play.

I applaud all the SC boys/girls teams for their hard preparation that was done after the HS season was completed in trying to practice, get scrimmages in and compete together as a team again.

Not trying to make any excuses for the SC teams, or take anything away from the other teams, but you also have to remember that most of the other states in our Region just finished up their club seasons prior to Regionals. We have our State Finals in December and then go play HS soccer. Sure we have some scrimmages and practice sessions leading up to Regionals but I certainly would have rather been heading off to Regionals right after having won a State Championship...oh well...it is what it is.

Congratulations to all the teams from SC on their success at the southern regionals.

GVLSoccerDad
I totally agree with you about the layoff, however using your logic the SC teams are at a big disadvantage due to coming off the HS season. What does that say about HS soccer?

Sweet Feet...my comments were not directed towards HS soccer. However, the young men that were on the U18 CESA team come from a minimum of 10 different HS teams from the Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and Columbia area. Most of these players were considered the top players at each of these respective schools. Also some of these boys play one position at the club level compared to what they play in high school. The discussion has occurred on this site, and most likely will again in the future, comparing Club Soccer to High School soccer. All I was trying to say was that it is hard to expect optimum results from a team that has not played together competitively (at the level of Regionals) for close to 6 months.

with sc having its state in dec you get locked into your roster months before reginals. do these other states that do not have their states until spring get to add to their rosters up until that time.
for ex. if a good player moves into one of these states in lets say march,are they still allowed to be added to the roster of a team that hasnt played their state at that time and may be able to go to reginals.in sc you would not be able to pad your team for reginals.

That is correct. Our rosters are frozen as they were during Fall State Cup competition, while others are not until just prior to their respective Spring State Cup competitions.

Well said...the disadvantage of playing right at the end of HS soccer doesn't come from the quality of soccer; it comes from the fact that these players haven't had a chance to practice together AS A TEAM during that time. In order for any team to be at the top of their form, they need opportunity to practice functioning together--in the positions they will be playing, and interacting with the other players they will be depending on. Putting well-trained players on a team together doesn't produce the best results unless they've had a chance to train together, as a unit, and that's the element that is sometimes missing when these players come back together after months of playing separately on their respective high school teams. Dead on target, GVLSoccerDad.

As I said in my earlier post, 6 other states in Region 3 play high school soccer in the spring. That includes Texas. How do those other states do it? And again, why does SCYSA have our state cup in the fall when other states who also play HS in the spring have their state cup in the spring?

I don't see how we can call playing high school soccer in the spring a disadvantage for SC club teams at regionals when most of the other states play HS in the spring as well, including the states who have the most success at regionals.

On the girls side - other than goals and ball size , there is no comparison between HS soccer and playing club ball at the regional level.

Its been mentioned before by many others that the best players need to be together as much as possible to develop and high school puts a tremendous strain on that over a 3-4 month period. When the state is already behind in level of play/players, as well as, having a close proximity of its high school season to Regionals, then the recipe for club success in June is not good.

As far as North Carolina, there is probably no coincidence the male teams have a better history at Regionals since their high school season is farther away (Fall) from Regionals then the female teams (Spring).

I stand corrected regarding the hs seasons of other region 3 states. hs soccer may be a much bigger thing in sc than it is in other states. Winning is important but the bottom line really comes down to being competitive as a result of the individual and team commitment to improvement. SC collegiate programs seem to do a great job of scouting players within the state via the combination of club, odp and hs programs.

Having said that, it sure would have been nice to break into the Semis. Next year the 92s will do it.

GVL SoccerDad
Boys HS state cup final was May 19th that was 32 calendar days before the first regional game. Out of those 32 days, how many days did your team train?
Seems like more than enough time and days to get ready. College training camps are shorter.

Many variables come into play @ regionals as you know. Weather, injuries, and of course the initial all important bracketing. For example, U-18 boys were in the bracket with last years National Champions, DSC u-17 boys lost in the quarterfinals to this years Regional Champions by a score of 2-1. I would guess when examining the scores of the SC teams, the majority were either won/lost by a slim margin. This makes SC competitive.

A few other things happened at regionals this year which may have given an advantage to certain teams. For example, a NC team in its 3rd game knew they were advancing regardless of the outcome. In the 2nd half they began pulling off their players one by one until only 5 were left and the ref called the game. Not only did it benefit them but also their opponent. Another bracket had a team that had to forfeit midway thru their 1 game since the coach got a red card and no backup on the roster to coach. Therefore, every other team in that bracket got a day off.

32 to days to train as compared to 5 months with tournaments, etc. No comparison. Team chemistry and roles/positions players have on their HS is totally different than club. Level of play is totally different on club vs. high school.

While I understand the logic of having a team together for a period of time leading up to Regionals, our experience has been, by the time a player is U17 or U18 age, if they can't receive a ball or pass accurately, it makes little difference how long a team is together prior to Regionals. The same players will make the same mistakes.

Younger & less-experienced teams - say U14/U15 - ok, I'll agree with the board's consensus. But the older kids - it makes no difference. If a kid has had strong fundamental training at a young age, those skills will still be prevalent regardless of how much time a team spends together. An older player should be able to walk into any playing situation and play with minimal exposure to the team environment.

I agree with dad's comments..but it would be interesting to see how the teams would do if everyone did play club ball leading up to regions..Some states age groups are calender year like odp and not from july to june..Rosters should be frozen at the same time for everyone..The playing field should start the same for everyone..Our rosters have been frozen since last fall...ODP is the same way..when our teams are trying out..other states already have six months of training under their belts..How do you compete with that when our numbers are not favorable? Yes..there will be a successful age group here and there but for the most part we are at a disadvantage

>>[Coach P] However, individual technical skills are typically not the deciding factors for high level teams above U14, especially for teams that have qualified for regionals.<<

Having attended the last four regional tournaments and watching a lot of games on the girls side, I very respectfully disagree.

Do the better athletes ever win?

All other things equal (skill, technique, coaching.....), doesn't the team with the best athletes win?

>>[Coach P] So are you saying that games are decided at that level by poor first touch, inability to pass accurately, etc, as opposed to being decided by good play off the ball, combination play, set plays etc? I must say that surprises me.<<

Yes. This may absolutely change in the regional finals or in national play, but between South Carolina and the states that consistently go to regional finals and national play, I'm respectfully stating that that is my opinion.

If you slow the speed of play down, most players have an okay first touch, they can pass pretty accurately, etc. As the speed of play increases, the best players at the regional/national level are able to "scale their game up." The more competitive states have far more players per team that are able to scale their game up, and demonstrate superior technical skills, than South Carolina.

Most South Carolina parents think a player is wonderful when they are fast, or when they are big and physical, they can score a lot of goals against weak competition, or they can carry the ball against weak competition. The problem is that when you get to regional/national level competition, there are a lot of players who are fast (etc.) The best players are those that combine superior athletic skills with superior soccer skills -- and South Carolina has far, far fewer per team than the states that typically go farther in regionals and nationals.

I'd love to blame the coaching...but I can't. I don't see smarter coaches (on average) than are in South Carolina at regionals. However, I do see better players (on average) than are in South Carolina at regionals.

If you want to make South Carolina soccer more competitive, there needs to be more kids starting at the foundation -- in recreation, then academy, then classic, then challenge, then premier.

I agree with the speed of play..As far as girls soccer in S.C. We make alot more mistakes but the other thing I noticed at regions this year is that the stronger teams still play as a unit.I seen to many players from S.C. trying to do it themselves and there is no way that is going to work in that atmosphere

Totally agree with everything Shibumi said. Also, what Hyslop does with the talent he has is amazing.

>>[Coach P] I just want to clarify that I was not referring to coaching as the difference either. Good technical skills and good tactical play can both be influenced by good coaches in training.<<

I apologize if I implied differently.

In my opinion, what's needed in South Carolina aren't better coaches (and again, I'm not trying to imply that you're saying that) -- what's needed are more/better full-time executives in our youth soccer clubs that are incented and driven to increase the penetration of soccer such that more players are attracted to the sport at a young age. Again, just my opinion.

>>[cht] I agree with the speed of play..As far as girls soccer in S.C. We make alot more mistakes but the other thing I noticed at regions this year is that the stronger teams still play as a unit.I seen to many players from S.C. trying to do it themselves and there is no way that is going to work in that atmosphere<<

I'm with you on this. It is incredibly frustrating to sit on the sideline, see 1-2 open players on the 20 to the right, and see a player on the left carry the ball and try an impossible shot -- and beyond frustrating when all the parents cheer.

I used to think the primary motivation of this was simple greed implying a lack of teamwork. But I don't think so anymore (or at least I don't think this is the primary reason), I think the fact is that at speed many more South Carolina players tend to lose the scope of their field vision and just can't respond and plan quickly enough.

Please note that I believe there exist players from South Carolina who absolutely have the capability to scale their game -- just a few examples from the past are Kimmy Gillespie, Lindsey Beam, Julie Bolt and Blakely Mattern. But on an average, per-team basis, we just have far fewer.

Again, just my opinion.

If a kid can't receive a ball or make a pass, it doesn't matter how much tactical training a team receives.

Almost a sweep by Texas...

Champions | US Youth Soccer Region III Championships
Girls
Under-14* D'Feeters 94 (NTX)
Under-15* Lonestars 93 Red (STX)
Under-16* Sting Royal 92 (NTX)
Under-17* Dallas Texans Red (NTX)
Under-18* Sting 90 (NTX)
Under-19* Challenge 89 (STX)
Boys
Under-14* SCSA Gold (NC)
Under-15* Dallas Texans Red (NTX)
Under-16* Triangle United Gold (NC)
Under-17* Andromeda 91 (NTX)
Under-18* Andromeda 90 (NTX)
Under-19* Solar 89 (NTX)

Good points all around...I think the big lesson is that it takes a combination of factors for a team to be at its best, not just one element. Sometimes we fall into the trap of arguing about what "the" deciding factor is, when the truth is, there are many factors that work together (or against one another) to determine how well a team performs.

The key, I think, lies in Hurst's "all other things equal" question. All other things equal, yes, one element can be the deciding factor. All other things equal, yes, the team with the better athletes will win. All other things including athletic ability equal, the team with better tactics will win. Tactics, athletic ability, individual skill, and all other things equal, the team with better motivation and desire will win. It's hard to find a situation, though, where "all other things are equal"...little differences in all of those elements are cumulative. Some build on each other, some cancel each other out.

One of the "beautiful" things about soccer is that it's a team sport; there is plenty of room for individual achievement, but it takes a combination of players to create winning situations that take full advantage of individual skills. Knowing how to send and receive a pass at top game speed is crucial; it's next to impossible to succeed without this. Knowing how to ANTICIPATE the pass because you know what your teammates are going to do before they do it and you're in position before the ball is even in play...that takes the game to another level, and it takes enough experience and practice with the players around you to know exactly what to expect from them. Accurate anticipation will create a higher effective game speed than pure reaction every time, but it requires time spent with the people you need to anticipate so that knowing their actions as well as your own is just second nature. Players aren't like high-performance auto parts that you can just "drop in" and expect them to be at peak performance. It takes a bit of time for even the best players to acclimate to a position, a playing style, the speed and tactics of their teammates, etc. There are plenty of times when you watch an all-star game (not just soccer) and see amazingly talented players looking awkward and even downright foolish because they don't correctly anticipate what their unfamiliar (yet equally talented) teammates are going to do. Sometimes if you want to create results on the field, the key lies not always in the best individual players, but in the players who work best together.

So...I think the original question was whether coming back from a separated high school season affects the play of a club team who hasn't been together in months. Would a team who has practiced and played together for the months prior to region playoffs be able to beat a team with better athletes who hasn't? Not necessarily...all other things aren't equal. Would a team who has practiced together in the prior months enough to work seamlessly stand a better CHANCE than one who hasn't? All other things equal, yes.

In my opinion, the primary reason South Carolina hasn't been more successful at Regionals is because we don't have enough kids who are fundamentally comfortable handling the ball. Larger MSAs who have more kids to draw from have a better chance of fielding an entire team of fundamentally sound kids. Our experience has been that the regional teams we've been on have, by necessity in order to get numbers, been supplanted with kids who aren't fundamentally sound. There are enough of those kids playing that SC teams are at a disadvantage when playing stiffer competition.

The same fundamental problems still exist during league play and scrimmage situations. The strength of regional play just exacerbates the existing situation. Fundamentals need to be taught and stressed at younger ages or kids won't have skills necessary to play at older ages.

Soccer at the top level has to be all about speed of play, vision, team chemistry, having a sense of urgency in all thirds of the pitch and a player knowing what he/she is going to do with the ball before receiving it. Time spent developing such skills as a team and individually must be the foundation of team excellence.

It's a given the players must have exceptional technical ability to advance during regionals.

If these factors are not ALL working simultaneously a team has no chance of being a serious contender at the regional level and beyond.

Manchester - AMEN!!! What you and Coach P are saying SHOULD be exactly true, especially with older age teams. Play at that age should be about those things that differentiate a really good team from a mediocre team....the problem we've experienced is that all players don't have exceptional technical ability....if a kid can't receive a ball or make a pass, nothing else matters...speed of play, vision, etc....gotta be able to handle the ball to be effective....

>>[Shibumi] If you want to make South Carolina soccer more competitive, there needs to be more kids starting at the foundation -- in recreation, then academy, then classic, then challenge, then premier.<<

By the way -- one last observation from the last four years of regionals -- I don't think that the people sitting in the golf carts, talking on cell phones, barely (if at all) watching the match, and being stone-faced regardless of what occurs on the field at the South Carolina regional matches really give a darn about increasing the number of kids playing youth soccer. I think that they care about getting all of the free travel, SWAG, and perks that come with their "unpaid" positions.

If youth soccer ever really takes off in South Carolina, it will be because there are people at the club level that strive to make it happen.

From my observations..I totally agree..It seemed like more a vacation than a representation of our state..One rep did watch our game but it seemed like he was just going through the motions..

It really is hard to get young people fully invested in something unless you have adults who lead by example. You sometimes see some of these issues at levels long before regionals. You're quite right; for youth soccer to grow, we need responsible adults to create both a program and an atmosphere that young people can feel proud of being a part of.

CASL gets even more serious about soccer-
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/06/23/daily40.html

Shimumi,
Then you should step up an help cover the representation of SC at Regionals. I know for a fact that these people worked tirelessly to prepare our tream, as well as others for regional competition. Making sure all our ducks were in a row so to say. They left the coaching to the coach and did their jobs tremendously well. I appreciated their presence "Behind" the scenes. They are not there to showcase themslves, but the players on the field.

soccermrs:
Next time you see a SCYSA rep ask them the outcome of teams in Regionals, I bet they can not tell you other than maybe a team from their district. "Most" of the Reps could careless. the SCYSA is about 20 years behind other states when it comes to making the best descisions regarding youth soccer.

>>[soccermrs] Then you should step up an help cover the representation of SC at Regionals.<<

I've been involved both at the club level and the parent level for a long time now -- so let me ask you, specifically what do you mean by this statement. What specifically does "help cover the representation" mean?

>>I know for a fact that these people worked tirelessly to prepare our tream, as well as others for regional competition.<<

There's no doubt I could be wrong; however, I know no such thing, and again have been involved at a club and parent level for a long time now. What specifically was done to prepare a team and others? What are these "facts" to which you allude but do not present?

>>Making sure all our ducks were in a row so to say.<<

What ducks in what row, i.e., what specifically do you mean here?

>>They left the coaching to the coach and did their jobs tremendously well.<<

Again, what was "their jobs" specifically?

>>I appreciated their presence "Behind" the scenes.<<

I'm sure that you did. But perhaps you could highlight specifically why you appreciated this "Behind" the scenes presence.

While you're doing it, you might answer the following. Why is it that folks in an organization that basically taxes club for the right to participate in their league -- why is it that they couldn't actually get out of their golf cart and pretend as if they had an interest in the game -- or even, perish the thought, get out of the golf cart and talk to the players and parents that paid their airfare, lodging, meals, etc.?

Look -- if the answer is that they're so awesomely busy arranging things that they just don't have time -- well -- from the vantage I and others have had over the year -- it just doesn't seem to be well represented factually.

>>They are not there to showcase themslves, but the players on the field.<<

If they weren't, then they should get off their golf carts, get off the cell phones, get off their hands, and actually pay attention -- or at least pretend like they are. But there are far fewer golf carts than players -- so regardless of their intent, they "showcased" themselves quite well -- and have been doing so for years.

I had multiple players -- not just parents -- but players -- say how lame all of this preening was. So why don't you do everyone a service and specifically lay out the tremendous job that these folks did and why it is that they're misunderstood.

Because respectfully -- otherwise you just come across as someone with a friend or a relative who is one of these people. Now I'm sure that's not the case -- I'm sure that you're being completely objective here -- but it might help someone reading what you wrote if you'd actually use specific facts to make your case rather than relying on emotion and innuendo.

I want to know how they prepared our team for regional competition..

I am Glad CASL did not have to change their colors

Shibumi,
It's obvious you aren't ill with soccermom... so Specifically what ax do you have to grind? Please be specific with specific facts .

In regard to "Cover the representation", I mean YOU personnaly step up and accomplish what it is that you desire it to be. It's so easy for you to sit on the sidelines and be critical of others. They are not there to be cheerleaders, but to be available to HELP run the tournament. If YOU want cheerleadres, bring them with you to the game.

Ok, here are a few "Facts" to back my OPINIONS. Our team was granted accesst o play in the tournament through Region III. I was contacted by Mr Barry Bynum, who by the way does not have a child playing on any State teams at this time. He and his wife sacrificed their time to make sure we,the team, had all the inforamtion we needed in regard to accomodations, paper work etc. Steve Cothran did this on behalf of the State Cup winners. As a parent and team manager who had never been to regionals, I found their advice and direction VERY helpful from January until the time we departed from Raleigh. They might not have been physically present, but their support of our team was evident to me. If you have never been a part of the paper work nightmare, then you Shibumi have no clue what all goes on BEHIND the scenes of regionals.
Another "Fact"
We had to get additional SCYSA passes for bench personel at the last minute, they stepped right up and got the credentials proccessed in record time. They attended meetings prior to registration to gather information regarding expectations for teams while in Raleigh, they were at the registration to assist us with any difficulties we had with our paperwork. They attended the Opening ceremonies, they were in attendance at the complexes in Raleigh and Wilson from before 0800 until after 10:00pm EVERY DAY OF REGIONALS.

If you think this is no major task, then YOU step up and do it.

As for your comments on their interest or should I say the "lack of interest", I know the representatives at our games were interested. They made comments about our play whenever I approached them. If they were not paying attention, then how would they have been able to form an opinion about the game??? Did you ever seek on of the representatives out during your games? Did you extend a hand of thanks for a the job they were doing? Did you offer them any advice about how you expected them to behave at regionals? My guess would be NO. It's easier to do it in an anonymous forum, right?


And lastly, I do not have any personal relationship with "These people". I have a working knowledge and appreciation of the tremendous job they do.

Thanks to the many folks who actually stepped up to participate in the preparations for and service to the Regional Tournament.

As for you shibumi, you need to get a grip and maybe a perscription for some happy pills. Life it too short to get so worked up about the things you do.

Cindy Arneson
CUFC '91 Boys Elite

>>[Solomon] Shibumi, It's obvious you aren't ill with soccermom... so Specifically what ax do you have to grind? Please be specific with specific facts . <<

It's funny -- I keep wishing I had the time I used to in order to post -- and yet the few minutes I'm able to spend on this each week is always fascinating and sometimes just plain fun...

Attempting to parse your post, I'm interpreting what you're asking for are "specifics" and "facts" associated with your belief that I have an "axe to grind." I'll try to accomodate -- but do so in a limited amount of time.

I believe that the SCYSA does a disservice to South Carolina youth soccer in that the organization has failed for years to provide the leadership and support to grow the sport. I've been pretty consistent on this position for several years now; but got much sharper in my criticism a few years ago when they made a ruling that limited parental choice by creating out of whole cloth a ruling that allows further balkanization of youth soccer. But that ruling was only the overt manifestation of a consistent disregard and neglect to grow youth soccer.

However, I want to make this clear. The SCYSA could make a ruling that all players have to wear patches that say "SCYSA: Nepotism in action" and I wouldn't have a problem -- IF we were seeing significantly higher growth in the sport.

Is this specific enough? For more facts, do a search back on SCSoccer.com and you'll find a lot of data I've posted regarding South Carolina youth soccer penetration as compared to Region III states and other benchmark states.

soccermrs: Thanks for the post. I think that your expectations are much lower than mine in terms of what the hundreds of thousands of dollars each year that clubs send to the SCYSA achieve for our children; I'd like to see services and growth and penetration significantly better than other states, you're pleased that there are folks to help team managers. While I may not agree, I understand your position.

Regarding your opening: "In regard to "Cover the representation", I mean YOU personnaly step up and accomplish what it is that you desire it to be. It's so easy for you to sit on the sidelines and be critical of others. They are not there to be cheerleaders, but to be available to HELP run the tournament. If YOU want cheerleadres, bring them with you to the game."

I'm still a bit confused as to how sitting on a golf cart on the edge of the field apparently being bored out of their mind contributes to helping run the tournament -- but perhaps it's all a bit too Zen for me. I guess they're waiting on that emergency call from a team manager needing an extra pass -- got it.

Truthfully, the golf cart stuff is just the trivial outward manifestation of a deeper ill. In a sense, it's like criticizing the blemish of a person with a terminal disease -- the blemish isn't what's going to do you in.

It was superficial of me to repeat the same thing that I heard over and over again at regionals about the SCYSA and the golf carts; what I should have done was to write the SCYSA representatives themselves and note to them respectfully but with candor what was said about them. I know that's not your point -- but if it were your point I'd absolutely concede to it. Okay -- now that I've attributed to you a rational argument, let's go back to your post. [<- Note: I am really just kidding here with that last sentence.]

I'd agree with you that someone who isn't willing to help with youth soccer in the state might want to first do that before "casting a stone"; however, I'm not in that situation. I've done the parent thing, I've done the volunteer thing, I've done the fundraising thing, I've done the board thing -- not for 1-2 clubs but for multiple clubs and for literally thousands of hours -- both in the USYSA structure and the USCS structure. My advice to someone who wants to make a difference? Help your club.

It's funny -- the club that has helped the SYCSA the most in the past few years was Bridge -- because they were willing to expand beyond the USYSA structure and thus contributed to a situation where in the last year or two you can see increased opportunities for South Carolina teams and players. I think that's where we are in terms of the SCYSA and USYSA; the only thing that's going to get them to offer better services is competition. The only alternative I see at this point is just to write off the fees that clubs have to pay to the SCYSA as "a cost of doing business" (kind of like paying the Mafia for protection) and ignore it.

Regarding your closing: "As for you shibumi, you need to get a grip and maybe a perscription for some happy pills. Life it too short to get so worked up about the things you do."

I always loved the quote from Charles De Gaulle when asked if he was happy -- "What do you take me for, an idiot?"

Leaving aside my own ignorance as to what a "perscription for some happy pills" might be (I was tempted to make some allusion to a Reagan-esque "just say no to drugs" but felt that I have been soundly defeated in terms of triteness), might I make an observation from someone who has posted a lot over the years and is posting less these days? I've noticed that when people engage in "debate" on this message board, that the last refuge tends to be helpful philosophical hints as to how to live life. That -- or an obscenity. They're pretty much the same thing after you've read a few thousand posts...

While I wish that I could honestly believe that $300K+ (from memory, please see pasts financial analysis posts for more detail and accurate numbers) of revenue that the SCYSA receives due primarily to their monopoly on the USYSA regional/national championship series and on the USYSA ODP process was well spent promoting and growing the sport in the state, I've been unable over the years to convince myself of that.

Do I think that the people in the SCYSA are "bad?" No. I just think that they have low expectations on themselves and a vested position in maintaining both their own positions and the interests of their real customers, the clubs. Since only a minority of clubs are interested in real growth in the sport rather than servicing the immediate interests of the parents who pay the bills, we get stuck in the place we are now.

Might I humbly and respectfully suggest that the best thing for all of us, both on the SCSYSA and those who just pay the bills, might be to raise our expectations just a tad? Further, rather than just worrying about our child, or our child's team; instead think through how well these types of organizations are spending the money sent to them and the energy of their people to accomplish their mission.

A wonderful testament to youth soccer from longtime supporter Jim Victor of Aiken. This is a reprint in its' entireity with permission from Jim. (Thanks for sending this!)

Kevin,

I hardly ever wrote (if ever) into the message board, but I was in Portland, Oregon last weekend and read that the Region 1 tournament was to be hosted there this week. It made me think of some of the good times I had at regionals. I looked to see results on scsoccer.com and found the whole thread on the subject.

Since I am not a member I can't post, but if you think it is worthwhile you can post for me.

Success at the regional tournament takes the following (in no particular order)

Athletes, teamwork, discipline, trust, skill and luck!

My son played with the Aiken Fire from U10 through U19. To finally win the state championship at U14 it took a slighter higher talent level than the team had in the previous 3 years. The coach, Justin Rhodes, did this by adding three players from Augusta and one from Columbia to an already fairly talented team. They won state in the spring and just had normal practices leading up to regionals. At Regionals, U14 Aiken Fire won their group and made it to the semis only to lose a close game to a Texas team.

At U15 4 more players from Augusta joined the nucleus and the team played well all year in several of the major East Coast tournaments. They won state in December. Most were freshman in HS and played for their HS teams in the spring. They did practice together on weekends a few times a month in Feb through April. As soon as HS was over they were back to 3 or 4 times a week starting in early May. Once school was out, it was almost everyday practice with two a days several times a week. Justin also scheduled a "boot camp" type week in Fripp Island for 6 days two weeks prior to going to Little Rock. Practice and conditioning at 6:00 am on the beach in the sand, beach soccer, tennis soccer, team runs, crawling through the wet sand during drills at 6:00 in the morning, etc. I thought it was borderline ludicrous! They all slept and ate together in one house. When they left there I have never seen a team as tight and focused. (It reminded me of the football movie, Remember the Titans). The parents and players went together to Little Rock on a chartered bus. It may sound crazy but as the bus arrived each day at the field, the atmosphere in the bus as the boys walked from the back of the bus to the front past their parents and siblings to cheers and clapping, they knew what they came to do. They won the finals in PKs defeating a CASL team I don't think they had ever defeated before. (This same CASL had won the region the previous year as U14 and lost the previous year national championship in PKs to the Maryland team led by Freddie Adu!) The bus ride home was electric. Even the bus driver adopted the boys. He scheduled around his own vacation and broken foot to be with them at Nationals. Again, the same black bus was secured. They lost their first game at nationals 6-2 to the NY team. (The NY team had lost their state championship, but got an invite to regionals as an at large team and went on to win Region 1 that year!). After the 6-2 drubbing, Aiken Fire had a closed door meeting with just coach and players for three hours. It did some good as they won game 2 and tied game 3 to advance to the finals to play Rochester, NY who had beat them 6-2 on day one. The final was a different story. As I recall, back and forth play and 0-0 at the half. NY netted a goal early in the second. From that point on, Aiken Fire picked up play and had a couple chances to equalize but either missed the shot or the shot was snubbed out by the NY keeper. With less than a minute to play Aiken Fire got a though ball to a striker who was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty kick to tie the game. It was a good kick, not quite upper 90, but almost. The NY kicker guessed right and punched the ball wide. The ensuing corner kick was header over the cross bar by Fire and the whistle sounded ending the game. The NY keeper later said he had studied film of Aiken's regional final PK shootout and went the same way the kicker had gone previously.

A heartbreaking loss, but indication of the fight and determination of this team.

At U16 tryouts several more talented kids appeared and a few were added to the team. Similar results in the fall with the state championship game going 3-2 in favor of Aiken over CESA (they may have still been St Giles then). A tremendous game with the game winner coming with less than 5 minutes to play. The spring was the same with sessions on a few weekends Feb through April, then 3 times a week through end of school and everyday (including 2-a-days in June). The "team boot camp" was in the mountains of NC with all the boys in one house and eating all their meals together. After midnight runs and early morning fitness and drills they had the same bonding as the previous year. They were ready to go again. One point I remember was the pre-tournament talk with the SC cups and games director. He reminded the boys about the fair play award. One of the captains was smiling and was asked, "Why are you smiling?" He promptly answered. "With all due respect sir, we aren't here for the fair play award". At regionals, they got the to final only to lose to Dallas TX 1-0 in the final. Two straight years to the finals. This team was special!

The u17 tryout year brought even more players from far away places. Another from Atlanta, one from Athens and a few from the SC coast. In my opinion this was the most talented team. The fall season went well. I think they were either first or second in the R3PL and won a few tournaments. They won state 2 or 3 nothing over CESA. Justin had lined up friendlies in the spring with SC, Clemson, Furman, PC, Wake Forest and a few others. During April, they went to Dallas for Dallas Cup, won their group and were beaten 3-2 in the qtrs by the Tigres of Mexico. I think the Tigres went on to win the tournament. It was a great experience as the tigres played like professionals! Justin asked the boys not to play HS ball so they could train together for these matches and to prepare for regionals. It was a disaster as parents and players and coach all argued the pros and cons of doing such. In the end, they all played HS and some chose not to play in the friendlies because it was too much. It was a lot of games to play in the spring with HS and these college games. After the HS season, practice as normal, the "boot camp" took place again, this time the boys staying in Aiken together in one house with just players and the coach, no parents except to prepare meals. They went to Texas in cars rather than a team bus. The feeling just wasn't the same. The spring took its toll with some players not getting over the decisions and commitment level of others. The first two games saw Aiken dominate play but come up with two ties. They lost the third game to their old CASL nemesis 1-0. As crazy as it sounds, the second place in the group was tied and we waited 2 hours to go to PKs to determine the runner-up in the group. Aiken missed 3 of 4 and was eliminated from the tournament.

Sheer disappointment, but typical when a team doesn't have the chemistry and bonding. I felt that the players didn't have the respect, and closeness of prior years. Also, most of the luck at that year's tourney was bad!

At U18 tryouts some of the disgruntled players left the team, two went off to college and several new faces were on the team. In the Aiken Cup in August, one of the key strikers tore his ACL. In the last R3PL game of the season, the center back tore his ACL. This team didn't have the depth nor the passion to overcome these injuries and were defeated in the state semis to a fine Columbia team.

At U19 with almost everyone back in college they decided to try for regionals one more time, especially since it was back in Little Rock, the same site as their U15 championship (and by the far the best venue for the regional tournaments that we attended). We invited everyone who had EVER played for Aiken Fire for the U19 team. At one time we had 20 rostered and I think we had 18 show for the two games versus CESA in Columbia. We had one tear his ACL in this game and a few change plans at the last minute for Little Rock. We took 14, with a total of 3 parents and no coach. Of the 14, at least 10 had just finished playing in college or were going to play as freshman the next year. The boys pretty much coached themselves with two dads on the bench and one mother in the stands for support. What a difference at U19! The passion was back and the boys advanced to the semis only to play the Dallas Texans (who had beaten Aiken in the u16 final 1-0 and had won the national championship at U18!). To top it off the only GK that Aiken had rostered got called up to play for the U20 national team in Canada and left the day before the semi final game. The guys moved a field player to goal and shuffled players around the best they could. Remarkably it was 0-0 after regulation. Two full OT's were played but the lack of players caused severe fatigue. They gave up a goal, then adjusted to push players forward and gave up two more. The regional experience was over for them. I think every player was glad they did it one last time!

These guys played 5 regional tournaments and lost a total of 5 games!

As I look back these players/team had an intangible thing... the ability to find a way to win.

I am sure I missed some important points, but I go back to:

Athletes, teamwork, discipline, trust, skill and luck!

Jim Victor, manager of Aiken Fire U10 through U19

National Championsip Winners

Strength of Texas shows. Of interest, in the u-17 Boys, Andromeda 91 is the team that beat DSC 90 in the 94th minute of the regional quarterfinal in order to advance to the regional final and now they are crowned National Champions.

Under-16 through Under-19 Champions Crowned at 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships
July 27, 2008 | Last Updated: 7/28/08 12:23 PM ET


Under-16 Boys: Dallas Texans 92 Red (N-TX)
Under-16 Girls: Dallas Texans Red 92 (N-TX)
Under-17 Boys: Andromeda 91 (N-TX)
Under-17 Girls: Dallas Texans 91 Red (N-TX)
Under-18 Boys: Andromeda 90 (N-TX)
Under-18 Girls: Colorado Rush (CO)
Under-19 Boys: Solar SC (N-TX)
Under-19 Girls: Force Football Club (MI)

6 of 8 Champions are from North Texas. Impressive!

The field additions at MESA should enable that venue to host.

slight correction, fanofthegame, andromedia scored the second goal against dsc in the 95 minute, but what's a few seconds....