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US Soccer Federation has announced the addition of two clubs for the 2010-11 season. http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Development...011-Season.aspxSouth Carolina United FC has had an excellent year in the pitch. The U-16's are in first place in the South Conference and have qualified for the playoffs. The U-18's are third place in the South Conference and are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. We have placed one player (Joe Amon) in the US Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Fl. Three players have been invited to National Team Camps. Four players were chosen for Select games at the Winter Showcase in Phoenix. The training, coaching, competition and exposure in the Decelopment Academy is unsurpassed in elite youth soccer. To learn more about South Carolina Untied FC go to www.southcarolinaunitedfc.com 2010-11 Tryouts will be posted online shortly. 2010 Tryout Dates: April 25th – Charleston (location & times TBD) May 1, 2 –Columbia (location & times TBD
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will there be a boys u14 academy? and if yes, will the u14 boys still have a option to play on club team?
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As I understand it, plans for incorporating another year or two of ages into the Devolpment Academy are still under consideration, but it won't be done for the 10-11 seasonal year. I expect that there will continue to be some training and games for the younger ages as was done last year. They will continue to be free to play with their club of choice.
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So does anyone know why CESA isn't joining the Academy? For sure not really effecting their 92's....who are very well established. But below that....
Top level of play is clearly Academy. For CESA not to join means either they see it as too expensive, short lived, or the status quo is just as good. Is there another reason?
Just don't understand. I think they are making a big tactical mistake. There are parts of the country where Academy hasn't taken hold for some reason. But the SE isn't one of them. Not sure where CESA plans on getting top level competition without some serious traveling.
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Clubs don't "join" the Development Academy. They apply for admission and are evaluated on the basis of the criteria mentioned in the article linked above. The scuttlebutt was that CESA was going to apply this year. Whether they did or not, I can't say. If they did, they weren't accepted. If they didn't, I wouldn't know why.
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As Happy mentioned, 2 clubs were added this year to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. What he didn’t mention, is that more than 200 clubs across the country applied to join.
Big, I’m not sure if they actually applied or not, either, but word has it they promised a good number of parents that if they would just be patient, cesa would be in the Academy in no time.
The sad part is not only the ones who were “assured” they would have an opportunity to play on an Academy team at cesa in 2010 (and thus wasted a year they could have been playing Academy), but also the ones whom I’m sure will be told the same thing this coming season.
I just wonder how long they’re willing to wait…
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Quote:
Clubs don't "join" the Development Academy. They apply for admission and are evaluated on the basis of the criteria mentioned in the article linked above. The scuttlebutt was that CESA was going to apply this year. Whether they did or not, I can't say. If they did, they weren't accepted. If they didn't, I wouldn't know why.
If CESA wanted to join, they would have applied. And had they applied they would have gotten in. To assume otherwise is absurd. Great club, with great facilities, strong leadership, and an enviable track record on the field.
3 Academy progams in Atlanta....1 of them good, 1 of them ok, one of them.....uh, not so good. Perhaps thats the answer....
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Big Daddy,
I believe that CESA has applied twice, including this year, and has not been admitted. As you can see from the link in the first post, US Soccer admitted 1% of this year's applicants. There is a lot more to getting an Academy spot than winning state cups. I'm sure that many of the other clubs that were unsuccesful applicants are big dogs in their states too.
Whatever the reason is that CESA hasn't gotten in, the fact is that South Carolina has one Development Academy club and that's where the top players need to be playing.
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Come on Big, I think you’re giving cesa way too much credit. You honestly think that if cesa wants something, that’s all it takes, and they’ll get it? You think US Soccer is just sitting around waiting and hoping for cesa to apply to the Academy - and then once they do, it’s a done deal? Right…
Not sure why you bring up Atlanta again…it was discussed several months ago…
But, if it’s that important…according to US Census Estimates (for 2008):
4,479,800 (South Carolina)
9,222,414 (North Carolina)
9,685,744 (Georgia)
24,326,974 (Texas)
One website I found showed the following (2006) population for the Atlanta area:
3,813,700 (what they called the 10-county Atlanta region)
4,917,717 (what they called the 28-county Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area - notice this is larger than the entire state of SC)
According to the same website, "in the past six years, the [Atlanta] metro area has added more than 142,000 people annually." (that's more than the population of Columbia) So, that’s some information on populations…
Big, you seem to know more about the Academy than most people on here, but I don’t think you did your homework on this one.
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I've got to agree with Belli. If I was looking to admit 2 applicants out of 200...South Carolina would be on the lower end of the list, CESA or no CESA. Population-wise, the likelihood of being able to field of more than one Development club in such a small state is much lower than in a larger, more populous state. They probably look at the application and think that there's promise there, eventually, but are looking elsewhere for now. Greenville/CESA kids have Development teams in Columbia and Charlotte if they want to play at that level.
I would honestly be surprised if CESA gets accepted within the next two or three years without SC teams suddenly bursting onto the national scene to prove that we could field more than one USDA club and be competitive. SC just isn't a very enticing sell at this point and, again, there are USDA options in Charlotte and Columbia already.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; [it] is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
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Didn't SC "suddenly burst onto the national scene" last summer?
U-16 boys? U-18 boys?
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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IF they played in October 2010, who wins this match - CESA 92 team vs. SC United U-18 team?
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Quote:
Didn't SC "suddenly burst onto the national scene" last summer?
U-16 boys? U-18 boys?
I guess I should have been more specific, lol. How about "Unless SC shows staying power as a nationally competitive soccer state"?
We've had sporadic teams that compete well regionally and, now, nationally, but not steadily enough to provide supporting more than one Development club.
Mind you, I'm not trying to put us down as a state because I do think we're improving and climbing the ladder, but I'm trying to think like the people who're making the decisions.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; [it] is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
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IF they played in October 2010, who wins this match - CESA 92 team vs. SC United U-18 team?
. That game would be EPIC but IMO I would say SC united would most likely win.
Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
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What does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?
If you are not one of the top 3 or 4 players on Academy team or on the CESA team playing R3PL/ECNL, you probably are not even getting a sniff at one of the top D1 programs anyway and how many SC players have been capped over history? Still can count on one hand?
If Amon played on a CESA team or if Eggers played on an Academy team, it would not change what type of player they are. They would still be considered because of the player they are.
Just enjoy the beautiful game and be thankful the top players in the lower/mid/upper state have somewhere to play against other good competition and go talk smack on the high school board as the kids probably enjoy playing for their colors more anyway.
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Dirty,
Probably the majority of subjects discussed on this board don’t really “matter” in the grand scheme of things (which is very subjective, btw), but this is a soccer bulletin board.
Maybe you should try the Grand Scheme bulletin board.
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Pretty easy
CESA 92 in a blowout
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Quote:
Big Daddy,
I believe that CESA has applied twice, including this year, and has not been admitted. As you can see from the link in the first post, US Soccer admitted 1% of this year's applicants. There is a lot more to getting an Academy spot than winning state cups. I'm sure that many of the other clubs that were unsuccesful applicants are big dogs in their states too.
Whatever the reason is that CESA hasn't gotten in, the fact is that South Carolina has one Development Academy club and that's where the top players need to be playing.
I really have a hard time believing this.
I don't have a hard time with USSF looking at VA, the Carolinas, GA, AL, and FL....and saying we have enough Academies in this region.
The next question is....have they been distributed properly? Regardless of population, Atlanta hasn't shown it can handle 3 Academies. CESA has shown it can build and develop and recruit....the question to me isn't about South Carolina so much as its about the GSP area and whether the CESA infrastructure can support it. I think it can and that CESA would be a far better Academy selection than the #3 Academy in Atlanta.
Consider it promotion-relegation.
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Quote:
Pretty easy
CESA 92 in a blowout
If CESA were Academy their u18 team would be the 92's with a handful of 93's. Their u16 team would be a mix of the 93's and the very good 94 team.
Does anyone really think those 2 teams wouldn't be highly competitive in Academy?
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Beenaround, having never seen this team play (or maybe once at bb&t, very early in the season) how can you be so confident about that? But even if it were to happen, would a cesa '92 win over the Academy U18 boys somehow justify your decision to drive all the way to Greenville?
Besides, what difference does it make? The Academy players will continue to be seen by National Team staff on a regular and consistent basis, and the cesa players will not.
Daddy, you're asking if cesa can handle the infrastructure of the GSP area? You seriously believe that people in Atlanta would rather drive to cesa/Greenville than play at a local club? You really are eat up with them, aren't you? And you still haven't done your homework on this subject.
It's a done deal. For the 2010-11 season, cesa is not in the Development Academy, whether they applied or not. Now they just have to figure out how to appease all those people they made empty promises to.
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Does Developmental Academy cost more than R3PL?
Assuming it does, CESA can easily appease me by telling me I'm going to save hundreds (or thousands) of dollars. My kid can still receive quality training, play on a competitive team, and be seen by college coaches at regionals, Disney, College Showcases, etc.
That's all my kid and I would need.
Unless, somebody were to blow smoke up my butt and tell me my kid was national team material, and really needed to play Academy if they were ever to make it at ManU or Barca.
Then, as on overzealous parent, with more money and time than I really have now.......I might consider Academy.
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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Big Daddy,
I know its really hard to deal with the fact that CESA can't offer a soccer program that someone else does and has absolutely no control over getting it, but guess what? As Belli said, SC United has it and if your son wants to play the most competitive soccer in sc there is only one place to do so.
There was a wise man called Raekwon\many other names that once told me if I would like more info to call CESA DOC's. I'm sure they will be more than happy to give you their "strategic" reason for not having it.
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"Daddy, you're asking if cesa can handle the infrastructure of the GSP area? You seriously believe that people in Atlanta would rather drive to cesa/Greenville than play at a local club? You really are eat up with them, aren't you? And you still haven't done your homework on this subject."
My point isn't whether people will drive from Atlanta to GSP to play for CESA. Actually, they already do. My point was......that CESA could more than handle Academy competitively and structurally. Certainly better than at least 2 of the 3 Atlanta clubs.
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"As Belli said, SC United has it and if your son wants to play the most competitive soccer in sc there is only one place to do so. "
York county kids can play Academy out of Charlotte and several kids do. SCU is not the only Academy option for SC kids.
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Parent’s ego is the driver……..my kid plays at the highest level and plays at a higher level than your kid. With the exception of a few there is enough comp and quality to go around in r3pl vs. flying to vegas to get in a few games. Heck some teams fly out west (tx, nv, wa, ca) and play the same teams they would have played in r3pl. crazy
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Would you call if parent EGO if CESA was selected as one of the two clubs to be added in the Academy League? Probably not.. For whatever reason CESA was not selected. South Carolina United is in the league that has National recognition. For the people taking part in it there is a benefit regardless if their kid would make the national team or not...
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Daddy,
I'm fully aware that SCU isn't the only option for SC kids (who knows, some GSP parents may even drive to ATL for it), but as the name of this thread states - it is the only place in SC that offers such a thing.
Bottom line here is that CESA's plan was to be in the Academy but it was shut down by their failed application. By applying they are in essence admitting that USSF is the best program out there. If they didn't believe such then they would not have applied. Any other notion would just be a spin. It is what it is.
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Hurst, did anyone at cesa make any promises to you in regards to the possibility of them joining the Development Academy? If not, then I was not referring to you, and thus, no appeasement would be necessary. If they did, what exactly did they promise you?
If you have gone to the Academy website, and fully educated yourself on the benefits of playing for an Academy team, and then wish to remain at cesa, by all means do so. I have always advocated doing what is best for your own child. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: The Academy is not for everyone; cesa is not for everyone; but the Academy currently provides benefits that cesa cannot.
Regarding the costs of the two – that has been discussed fairly thoroughly...but, if you’re talking about a player on, say, the cesa 92 boys team, who also plays ODP, I believe your costs will be very similar to Academy.
Daddy, you say “that CESA could more than handle Academy competitively and structurally.” I’ll try again – you’re making the same comments, asking the same questions, but you really have not done your reading on the subject. Really, if you’ll take a little time (probably as much time as you’ve spent repeating yourself) and look around the internet some, I believe you can find the information you’re looking for.
Letme, you said your “kid plays at the highest level and plays at a higher level than your kid,” but you don’t say who you’re talking to, or what you’re talking about. What are you talking about?
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my comment was a general statement not specific to sc soccer or player, cesa or any other club. i think everyone gets my drift. fyi-parents are the funding source to showcase their kid.
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Do we know for a fact that CESA applied for the academy?
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One thing that needs to be understood, USDA is not in Columbia, but is based in Charleston. The name changed to SC United but it is still mostly Bridge, especially the younger team. Most of the practices last year were in Charleston with a some at BB&T and then Orangeburg at SC State. The practices in Charleston had to be moved from Charleston Southern on the North end of town to James Island. Not sure what they will do in the future. I guess it will depend on where most of the players come from. Most of the players from the previous year that returned were from the coast and hence practiced in Chas. The very successful U-17 team from Cola United that moved to Academy practiced in Cola most of the time.
I have to agree that SC may have a hard time getting another Academy team in the state based on population. But if you look at 1.infrastructure: facilities, full time coaches, # of kids playing in feeder programs(rec,select, etc) 2.success in state level play and premier league and 3. success in placing players at colleges and universities to play soccer, I find it hard to deny that they do not deserve to be considered (if they want to be). Maybe more so than the other Academy program in SC.
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again..I will ask..do we know for a fact that CESA applied for the academy?
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This is my question also, CHT. Belligerent and utd4life....
do you know for sure?
Also, Hurst's CESA player is a daughter.
None of my kids play at CESA, altho my son played there 1 year and we have several very good friends with kids there. We also go way back with Nick Finotti. My arguments on this are not emotional, but logical. They are so clearly the top club in SC and one of the top 6-8 clubs in the SE.
My son is in the Academy program and I see what I see. For anyone who knows anything on both sides of the ball to not understand that (where CESA fits) is ludicrous.
CESA either chose not to apply or USSF has decided that they are fully saturated in the SE and CESA will need to wait until a current Academy club loses its franchise (for lack of a better word).
Belligerent....give me a hint on the "reading" i'm supposed to do. 'Cause I have no clue what you are talking about.
Last edited by Big Daddy; 04/05/10 10:49 AM.
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Parent’s ego is the driver……..my kid plays at the highest level and plays at a higher level than your kid.
Hyperbole (pronounced /High-per-bowl-e], from ancient Greek ; 'exaggeration') is a rhetorical device in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.
I got your meaning 
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Interesting question. From the academy page at US Soccer:
"To maintain a focus on training, Academy teams do not play in any other leagues, tournaments, State Cup competitions, ODP or All-Star events without written permission from Academy staff. Full-time Academy players can only participate on their designated Academy team, with only 2 exceptions: high school soccer and national team duty"
If CESA were to become Academy would they not lose their stranglehold on SC cup play? Well on the boys side at least. Seems like they would have to shift the top players(teams) to Academy and then likely drop the sweeping of state cup. Not saying they could not field some good cup teams, just that inorder to win like they have been they have needed their top teams playing in Cup. Seems like the status quo has worked well for them to build their club/system.
Right now in SC CESA draws players from all over the state becasue they are precieved as the best place to play at the highest level if other clubs started winning the "in state" competitions could they not make a better arguement to keep more players local thus hampering CESA's efforts to expand.
As a disclaimer I am not anti CESA or pro SCUFC just asking a question as to what benefit/harm Academy could provide CESA.
(by the way Charlotte has two different Academy club options for players; with a metro population of 1.7 mil vs Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which in 2006 had an estimated population of 1,203,795 with none.)
Last edited by The Chief; 04/05/10 11:41 AM.
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Big, to quote myself... "Big, I’m not sure if they actually applied or not…" If they did not apply, why would they have told so many parents who were contemplating leaving cesa for an Academy team, to just be patient and wait until the list of new Academy teams came out?
CHT, you can ask on here til the cows come home (don't hold your breath). But to quote utd4life, "There was a wise man called Raekwon\many other names that once told me if I would like more info to call CESA DOC's. I'm sure they will be more than happy to give you their "strategic" reason for not having it." So, pick up the phone, and give them a call.
dropkick, when you say that SC United "is still mostly Bridge, especially the younger team," the last part of that statement is technically correct, but barely . The statement, as it is written, is not even close. This took all of 5 minutes:
51.7% of current U16s are former Bridge
48.3% of current U16s are not former Bridge
28.6% of current U18s are former Bridge
71.4% of current U18s are not former Bridge
The overall club numbers (rounded):
40% of current SC United players are former Bridge
60% of current SC United players are not former Bridge
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so what is the plan for SC United since CUFC has taken over? they don't have any fields in charleston so will they move to columbia?
i don't think cesa applied or else they would be in.
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South Carolina United FC didn't create the elite boys soccer landscape that currently exists in America, US Soccer did. The Federation determined that we needed to change the way we train and compete in order to develop the best possible National Teams. The philosophy inherent in those changes is player-centric, not team-centric. Naturally, team play is important to individual development, but the emphasis is on developing and identifying excellent players, not teams.
There is a Federation requirement that teams train at least three days per week, with a strong preference for four. The competition is designed to be strong - every game weekend. They have certainly accomplished that. While the strength of various clubs tends to fluctuate a bit from year to year, the quality and competitive balance is remarkable. You just don't see blowout games in the Development Academy. (Of course there is the odd exception, but it proves the rule by being such an anomoly). The officiating seems to me to be much closer in quality to what you see in college games than RIIIPL.
Half of the regular season games are attended by scouts for the National Team, many of whom are college coaches. It has been the exception to play regular season games without at least a handfull of college coaches in attendance. The two Showcase events are attended by 200-300 college coaches, in addition to many National Team scouts. My experience with USYSA events is that attendance by college coaches is rapidly declining, most noticeably at Regionals. This impression is confirmed by many conversations with college coaches. They all tell me that they are almost exclusively focusing on Development Academy games and events because of the concentration of talent and limitations on travel budgets.
I don't dispute the assertion that quality players can be identified in programs other than the Development Academy. That it is less likely, and becoming more so every year, is not seriously arguable anymore. The U-15 and U-17 National Teams are very heavily weighted towards kids from the Development Academy and that trend will continue.
At the outset of the Development Academy I did not understand why US Soccer would create a program that directly competed with ODP. I still don't understand it fully. What quickly became clear was that US Soccer is fully committed to the Development Academy and that the college coaches are fully and completely on board. The horse has left the barn and it isn't going back.
Now, a few final points specific to issues that have been raised in this thread...
We are really only talking about the the best 50 or so players in the four player age years involved. There are fine players who can achieve their soccer goals without playing in the Development Academy. However, there is no comparison between the competition, training, exposure and environment offered by the Development Academy and any alternative to it.
It really doesn't matter whether CESA applied or not and I am not at liberty to answer that question. Ask them. What matters is that every coach and DOC who is primarily concerned about the development of his players should encourage the best of them to try out for a Development Academy team (be it in Columbia, Atlanta or Charlotte). That goes for CESA, CUFC, DISA, Discoveries, and so on, even if it means weakening other teams in the Club. Their obligation is to the best interests of the kids, not their personal won-loss record. One would hope that a coach would take sufficient pride in having developed a player to the point that he us ready to play at the highest level that he would be happy to send him off to the next level.
Finally, inter-club rivalries and juvenile parochial interests should take a backseat to the interests of the kids.
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Nice posts daddy..It does not matter to me wether they applied or not..and I think I get the answer
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IMHO there is no question that Discoveries U18 was weaker this for losing potential players to Academy. Not sure how involved the club was with sending them or trying to keep them, but I think the chance to play Academy was better for them than just playing Challenge level in SC. (probably made it eaiser for CESA to win the CUP at U18 too).
BTW, excellent post!
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Should make for interesting tryouts this May..Who comes out and who stays the course..
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Quote:
South Carolina United FC didn't create the elite boys soccer landscape that currently exists in America, US Soccer did. The Federation determined that we needed to change the way we train and compete in order to develop the best possible National Teams. The philosophy inherent in those changes is player-centric, not team-centric. Naturally, team play is important to individual development, but the emphasis is on developing and identifying excellent players, not teams.
There is a Federation requirement that teams train at least three days per week, with a strong preference for four. The competition is designed to be strong - every game weekend. They have certainly accomplished that. While the strength of various clubs tends to fluctuate a bit from year to year, the quality and competitive balance is remarkable. You just don't see blowout games in the Development Academy. (Of course there is the odd exception, but it proves the rule by being such an anomoly). The officiating seems to me to be much closer in quality to what you see in college games than RIIIPL.
Half of the regular season games are attended by scouts for the National Team, many of whom are college coaches. It has been the exception to play regular season games without at least a handfull of college coaches in attendance. The two Showcase events are attended by 200-300 college coaches, in addition to many National Team scouts. My experience with USYSA events is that attendance by college coaches is rapidly declining, most noticeably at Regionals. This impression is confirmed by many conversations with college coaches. They all tell me that they are almost exclusively focusing on Development Academy games and events because of the concentration of talent and limitations on travel budgets.
I don't dispute the assertion that quality players can be identified in programs other than the Development Academy. That it is less likely, and becoming more so every year, is not seriously arguable anymore. The U-15 and U-17 National Teams are very heavily weighted towards kids from the Development Academy and that trend will continue.
At the outset of the Development Academy I did not understand why US Soccer would create a program that directly competed with ODP. I still don't understand it fully. What quickly became clear was that US Soccer is fully committed to the Development Academy and that the college coaches are fully and completely on board. The horse has left the barn and it isn't going back.
Now, a few final points specific to issues that have been raised in this thread...
We are really only talking about the the best 50 or so players in the four player age years involved. There are fine players who can achieve their soccer goals without playing in the Development Academy. However, there is no comparison between the competition, training, exposure and environment offered by the Development Academy and any alternative to it.
It really doesn't matter whether CESA applied or not and I am not at liberty to answer that question. Ask them. What matters is that every coach and DOC who is primarily concerned about the development of his players should encourage the best of them to try out for a Development Academy team (be it in Columbia, Atlanta or Charlotte). That goes for CESA, CUFC, DISA, Discoveries, and so on, even if it means weakening other teams in the Club. Their obligation is to the best interests of the kids, not their personal won-loss record. One would hope that a coach would take sufficient pride in having developed a player to the point that he us ready to play at the highest level that he would be happy to send him off to the next level.
Finally, inter-club rivalries and juvenile parochial interests should take a backseat to the interests of the kids.
I think just like with ODP it is the best 50 players that decide to be involved in Academy. There are players in South Carolina that choose to NOT participate for whatever reason and agree that players can be identified outside of
Academy. Also, in most instances these kids are staying in state(look at both Academy and CESA college commitments)to attend college and these college coaches are easily accesible. These coaches are still very much involved in ODP. While I have heard from college coaches that they are spending more time at Academy events, I can't imagine they would cut off their nose to spite their faces and not attend other events(Disney Showcase, Regionals, etc).
I too am so discouraged by the rivalries. There are soo many players that need to be developed. What happens to the classic or challenge level player that just needs additional training and coaching? It sounds like everyone is only interested in the upper echelon of players.
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ODP has lost alot of it's punch..The strongest players are not always trying out..At least on the girls side..
I think the academy was formed to address the issue that the best was not taking part in ODP and wanted to offer an alternative..
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Very good post Happy Daddy.
I share your opinion that Academy is the best option for boys at the highest level. My son has had a great experience this year and Academy has met and exceeded our expectations.
My comments weren't meant to be pro-CESA or anti-SCU in regards to Academy. I have tremendous respect for both organizations.
It is simply with this respect for CESA that my comments were based.
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CHT, you said "I think the academy was formed..."
There is no need to make any assumptions on why the Academy was formed. It's all spelled out in detail on their website...seriously.
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Breathe in..breathe out..Relax
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Simple question,
SCUFC has 29 players rostered on the U-15/16 Academy team, how do they split playing time with so many players during matches. Seems to me lots of players sit on the bench and watch.
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Think of how many will be sitting after all those exceptional CESA players join the academy.
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Seriously:
How do they split playing time, do they have a travel team and a practice squad.
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Quote:
Think of how many will be sitting after all those exceptional CESA players join the academy.
All this is starting to remind me of the star-bellied sneetches from Dr. Seuss. So the Greenville kids will come to Columbia to play for SCUFC and the displaced Columbia or Charleston kids will go to Greenville to play for CESA.
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Chicken or the Egg,
Do you want better practice or better gameplay?
Do you want individual development or team development?
Really sounds like tide may be shifting and somebody has enjoyed surfing on the waves so long they have forgotten how to tread water.
Possible Tidal Wave coming with SCUFC, CUFC, and MPSC and whomever else gets caught up.
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Practice makes the player. However, I have yet to find a quality player that enjoys time on the bench.
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So if the 30 to 40 rostered players are the better players practicing together it would be the most beneficial place for their development?
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Yes, all things being equal.
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Quote:
Yes, all things being equal.
Coaching is the biggest part of the puzzle after talent.
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Training from multiple coaches or mainly one perspective?
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If I'm not mistaken 9 of the 29 are developmental players and not "full team". I believe the Academy requires each FT player to get "X" amount of playing time, "X" number of starts, and to play in "X" number of games.
I could be wrong but it seems I remember reading it somewhere.
"We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing."
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Quote:
Training from multiple coaches or mainly one perspective?
Multiple quality coaches. And believe me, I am not qualified to determine who is and who is not a high level quality coach, I will leave that up to there peers.
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Do not sell yourself short, I do believe you can tell who is and who is not a quality coach. I think there are quality coaches at all the clubs and players that become students of the game and elevate their play are able to glean the positives from their various coaches. The great players are the ones who are able to see past the posturing and self promotion and use the good to excel as well as recognizing the bad and most importantly, avoiding it.
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As tryout day(s) approach, I want to make a couple of points:
If anyone is considering trying out for SC United's Development Academy teams and is getting conflicting opinions on it, I urge you to talk to objective sources, especially college coaches. Ask them where the top players should play.
Players who's current team has qualified for Regionals this summer can try out, make the team, and still play at Regionals for their current team.
Likewise, any player who has been selected for ODP Region camp this summer can try out, make the team, and still attend ODP Region camp this summer.
Only Development Academy teams attend the Academy Showcase events that are attended by 250+ college coaches.
Bottom line - talk to your current coach - talk to the coaches from SC United - but most importantly, get some objective advice.
Last edited by HappyDaddy; 04/14/10 03:49 PM.
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