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I have to ask or point out , the academy rosters are quite large, only 11 play and they are only allowed a roster of 18 for games, and limited subs.( 3 per match I believe unless showcase tournament) How are the ones not playing in the matches developing? I would hate to pay the fees that are required and my kid does not get to play. If you look at mins played per match,for each rostered player, you will see that most of the same kids are playing, IMHO that means they are trying to win. There is no way you are going to tell me that Clark does not want to win every match. Parents want them to win as well.

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Full time players are required to start a minimum of 25% of the games in a season. There are seven substitutions allowed per game, with no reentry. I think you will find that the healthy full time players play between 40-90% of the minutes in a season.

I assume that any elite athlete and coach wants and tries to win any competitive match in which he participates. But, that isn't the focus or the point of the DA. It is a subtle but important difference. I can assure you that our coaches know exactly what the Federation expects (demands) from its DA clubs - player development. Of course there is an element of teamwork and competitiveness in player development, but winning and losing games is seen as an incident of that development, not the point of it. A club that regularly places kids on national teams and national team pools and finishes mid-table is going to be viewed more favorably by the Federation than one that wins all of the time and doesn't produce those players.

It is also important to remember that the Federation mandates training at least three (preferably four) days per week in season. The quality of the training sessions is evaluated at least as closely as is game performance.

The cost is comparable to the cost of a Premier League team that plays three or four out of state tournaments (incl Regionals). There are a reasonable number of need based scholarships available each year.

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Quote:

Developing players is great but when does winning become important? Don't players need to learn how to win? You can't tell me that Wando kids didn't benefit more from winning 20+ they did versus playing in an academy league in which they have a .500 or losing record.
"You play to win the game" Herman Edwards. Sorry, I couldn't resist.




Alister, not sure I entirely agree. You develop for the purpose of winning, but winning doesn't necessarily serve the purpose of development. Speaking from experience on both sides, I've seen players develop a lot more between the beginning and end a .500 or worse season than during a total winning season. When you're constantly winning you don't have the incentive to step up. Of course every time you step on the field you play your best to win--it's the only way, I think--but if you know you HAVE to step up to avoid losing, that's where a lot of the actual development comes in.

Just one guy's opinion.


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Development can/must occur during training, with some enhancement during matches. Which kind of goes back to the original question of Academy vs. High School. Due to the sheer depth of quality, Academy training sessions are arguably more challenging than MOST high school sessions.

Personally, I think there's plenty of room for BOTH, and a constructive need for coexistence!

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Development is great. I love development. Maybe when I hear the world "development" I have a different definition.

The Academy program was created to help the US National Team player pool. I might be wrong but I think the Academy team in Mt. Pleasant is only U-16 and U-18. The best player in the world right now is 22 years old. He has been one of the top 5 players in the world for several years now. Isn't our system of identifying kids a little late? European kids are identified and brought in at younger ages to train in the youth systems so they train daily, almost like boarding schools. By the time our players are identified, they have missed out on years of "development" at the level they need to be developed with the truly "elite" players.

I am just raising points that I have heard from fellow coaches and parents. I appreciate the friendly conversation. I have two players that are in the academy "pool" currently and wish them all the best. Them playing there will hopefully make them better players and my team better. I just hope the program is what it is advertised to be and not a way for one club in the lowcountry to try to compete with CESA for state championships because then it wouldn't be about development, it would be about winning.

Last edited by Alister DeLong; 05/26/11 05:01 PM.
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A couple of things. First, I've heard there will be a Junior Academy or pre-Academy side and training for younger kids this year. So, effectively, Academy will begin with a de facto U14 side. Second, I don't sense this is a compete-with-CESA or better-than-CESA activity. I think of it as a legitimate option for a kid with a requisite level of skill and commitment. Lots of great players/kids still play for CESA or other clubs.

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Allister,

I agree with you concept that the best players in the world are identified at a younger age. BUT the US had to start somewhere right? It is the first step for US Soccer. You will see with the U14 league that the emphasis will be placed on younger players.

From a HS standpoint, I cant imagine how your team would get worse from having academy players. It is truly another level.

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Will,
We do have to start somewhere and I am glad that this program exsists. I am not bashing it's existance and what they are trying to do. I just am asking questions and raising some concerns. Plus I am at work bored
I grew up in the Charleston area playing for Trident United (with the stop light uniforms as one of my friends likes to point out) and its intention was to put together "all star" type teams.

As far as HS, kids playing at a high level is great for me. What is going to hurt my high school team is the 12 seniors plus 3 kids I have moving.

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Coach Pelton, to try and answer your earlier question as to what might be the enticement for staying in the Academy for a high school sophomore who has already committed to a particular college; I would say if that high school sophomore wanted to keep his scholarship money (assuming he has been offered some amount) and/or wishes to still have his name on that team's roster come freshman year at that college, then that's (some of) the enticement he's looking at. Any offer from a college to a high school player I would assume has to be dependent on that player continuing to develop until they enter that college.

The following is of course an extreme example, but let's say a high school sophomore has verbally committed to college X, and the coach of college X has verbally committed to giving this player a half-scholarship to his school. Now let's say this player figures, "heck, I am IN, why should I keep busting my tail?" He then quits is regular team and joins rec league. (my apologies if anything in my example is considered any kind of violation)

Not knowing exactly what kind of situation you were thinking about, maybe you were thinking of a kid who was not playing Academy at the time he committed to this college, and you're asking what would be the enticement to start playing Academy. I do know of one player who committed to a Division I school whose coach basically told him he would be playing Academy his senior year in high school. There is another who is also committed to a Division I school who was "highly encouraged" to play Academy (to what extent, I'm not sure, but he is currently playing Academy). Not sure if that answered your question or not.

Coach DeLong, regarding your comment "You can't tell me that Wando kids didn't benefit more from winning 20+ they did versus playing in an academy league in which they have a .500 or losing record." How much do you think these players benefitted from a 5-0 win over James Island, an 8-1 win over West Ashley and a 9-0 win over Goose Creek? I would think not a whole lot. The second and third stringers probably got a good bit of playing time in those games, though.

IH, regarding your comment about player development, and "do you really get any better playing a bunch of scoreless draws?" The U16s have had no scoreless matches this season, while the U18s have had 4 (out of 23). Three of these were against IMG, CASL Chelsea and Concorde Fire, all very good squads. And, as my son is a defender, if we can keep those teams to zero goals, I am perfectly happy with that.

Coach J, keep in mind that this season, the SC United FC Academy team will play 28 matches. Using the low end of Happy's estimate (40%, although he is talking minutes, while I am using games) that is 11 matches, which is the number of matches the cesa 92 boys played in their entire regular season of premier league.

Coach DeLong, I'd be more than happy to share with you my experiences with the Academy over the past three years; all you have to do is ask. And if I bump into you at Montreux again sometime, I'll even buy the next round.

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Quote:

My question is if the aim of the Development Academy is to identify the best players then why doesn't it do just that? I can tell you by looking at the current rosters for the DA that there are a number of players not listed that are clearly better than the ones playing.



Amen, politics and self interest, which will always be present prevent some kids from playing. I appreciate the stated altruistic goals of the DA but do not often see the words actually turn into action.

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