SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP U.S. Development Academy Roundup - Jan. 21-22

The case for high school soccer
By Mike Barr

The U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy league will soon be telling its players to not play high school soccer or any other high school sports. Most parents of these elite players will buy into the decision, much in the same way they believe it costs thousands of dollars to assure their child becomes a strong player and receives that $2,000 partial scholarship. Not surprisingly, the developmental academies will now be forced to charge more for training and travel.

It seems within youth soccer ideas are implemented with little thought, time, trials or research. We have become a soccer country that relies on the innovations of other countries without coming up with ideas of our own that reflect our society and culture.

The claims that high school soccer is detrimental to development seem to resonate from coaches and administrators who are involved with the Academy programs at the national level. In my opinion high school soccer should remain an important part of our youth sports landscape and parents should examine the pros and cons before making such a decision that could impact their child’s future. I will attempt to unravel the facts for parents:

1) Playing with the academy team and with elite players will enhance my son’s soccer skills.

Yes, and could possibly inhibit his growth, if he is now a substitute or locked into a position that limits touches on the ball and erodes at confidence. He could go from the player to play through or target in high school, to relinquishing roles on the field because the strength of other players on his academy team are seen to be stronger.

2) The quality of coaching at the Academy level is stronger than at the high school level.

This may be the case in some instances but there are many high school coaches who are more capable and more qualified than many academy coaches and many high school coaches have a vast amount of experience at club and ODP.

3) Quality of competition is stronger at the academy level.

Again, it may be the case in some matches but many high school games are much more competitive than Academy play, especially when teams are competing for a league, district or state title.

4). He will enjoy Academy play more.

Talk to almost any elite or high level player within the last fifteen years and almost every player will tell you that playing for their high school team was more enjoyable than club or their college playing experience. High School soccer still replicates the neighborhood club teams of years ago and the entire community still identifies with high school soccer as their own. Playing with your close peers and representing your community is something special.

Attendance at high school soccer matches always attracts more fans than any academy matches, because a community cannot get behind a program that has kids from up to 50 miles away associated with a team.

5) Playing high school will impede development.

An elite high school player begins play against players who may be four years older who are faster and stronger. Young players are forced to develop fast and develop a strong first touch. As they move into their junior and senior years they assume a role as leader and carry more responsibility to their team and themselves. Playing within the academy structure very few players assume or are introduced to the role of leader.

6) Playing Academy will provide up to four nights of training and matches on the weekend for 10 months.

Try to imagine the difficulty of maintaining quality grades if every day you are in a car for two hours, in addition to training for two hours. When will a player be able to experience the after school experiences we all enjoyed as high school students?

There will be little or no time to attend social functions, participate in music or theatre, clubs and play other sports. During the college interview many colleges and universities are looking for a well-rounded student. Will playing in the Academy actually hurt my chances to get your child in the school of his choice?

Since we have adopted the academy philosophy of European clubs; possibly U.S. Soccer should replicate these programs and have only developmental academies directed by each MLS Club. All training, travel and expenses would be covered by the club. Each player brought into an MLS academy would realize they have the potential to play professionally.

There still is something special to playing with friends in front of parents and peers and experiencing the thrill and social aspects of high school sports. Quite possibly we could see a resurgence of players staying with their own local clubs and make soccer a reasonably priced sport to play once again.

(Mike Barr is the Director of Coaching of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association. He coached the boys team at Strath Haven High School in 1984-2005, winning five PIAA state titles, six PIAA District One titles and 16 Central League titles.)

Sorry, I just don't buy it. I'm sure the coach is highly regarded and intelligent and well meaning. And wrong.

The premise of Academy is two fold: player identification and player development. The two go hand in hand.

Player ID in the past has been run thru ODP for the most part. Um, flip over to any thread on ODP on this forum...and see that it ain't working. It absolutely DID NOT work for my son. And when USSF looked at it as a whole, they came to the conclusion there was a better way.

Player development best happens when you combine talented and motivated players with creative teachers, mixed in with repetition and better than the norm facilities and training tools.

When you have these 80 odd Academies scattered about the country with 18-20 talented and motivated kids per team and great coaches...what you find is that the intensity of training is just different, from what most people experience outside of Academy. And from an ID perspective, its a lot easier for a national team coach or a college coach to evaluate talent when the level of play and intensity of practice is not only high, but fairly uniform.

To his points:

1. I agree. A kid on the bottom quarter of the roster may be better suited outside of Academy. Certainly if playing time and a leadership role are important and for a lot of kids they are. Still......I know of MANY kids who know all of that, but still choose to stay up, simply becasue they know they are competing with the best and thats what they want. But fair enough.....touche', a kid at the bottom of the roster may be better off somewhere else.

2. I disagree strongly. I know there are OUTSTANDING high school coaches out there who don't have anything to do with Academy. So if you are lucky enough to have your son play for one of those coaches.....awesome. But from what I have witnessed? For every ONE of those coaches, there are 10 who relatively speaking...don't have a clue. The u16 coaches in the 4 NC Academies last year also either head coached or associate headcoached at Davidson, UNC, Charlotte, and Elon. Please...give me a break on quality of coaching comparisons. And while the SCU Academy coaches aren't college coaches they are highly regarded and USC has their fingers in the technical aspects of Academy there.

3. Again, really? Maybe when Irmo plays Wando or Northwestern back in the day. Yeah, maybe those schools each get a handful (and I'm being generous) of games per year that match the intensity and overall level of play of Academy. Coach Barr.....simply knows not, what he knows not.

4. Competitive soccer and teammate relationships was what my son enjoyed more than anything, period. For him that was a SC R3 team in the fall and a NC Academy team in the winter and spring. He was never interested in being a rock star and having all the kids at school know who he was. What he wanted....was to play with and against guys who cared and loved the game as much as him. Thats what mattered to him. To him....more was better.

5. See definition of development above. I"m sure there are 2-5 high schools in this state that can run high level competitve training sessions. Again, I'm being generous. Most simply don't have the horses...and again, the level of play between a jr/sr Academy player and a freshmen average player......is enormous on many levels. Development is maximized when players are pushed. I absolutely see how a kid 1 rung below an Academy player would benefit by training with them. But 2-3 years and 2-3 rungs lower....is crazy to think that benefits anyone. The very good player or the very average player. You are fooling yourself.

5. Again, really? How many participants of HS soccer in this state haven't gone thru periods of 5-6 games in an 8 day period or soemthing like that. Every year!!! HS soccer substitutes quantity for quality. Most Academy teams if they are playing on an upcoming weekend only train 3 times per week. You only train 4x per week with no games. So 3 training sessions and 1-2 games, or 3-4 training sessions with no games.....versus the high school schedule of practices and a million games?

Travel is an issue for some kids. My son had a 35 minute drive to Academy practice. Almost all of the kids on his team...were in that 20-35 minute time frame. However, there were a couple of kids that did have serious commutes. What we didn't have as a routine....were mid week games and 90 minute bus rides on school nites.

Oh btw.....CESA has a bunch of kids travleing long distances to go to Greenville multiple times per week. Not unique to Academy. Kids go where they see value.

It hit me the other day.......that this whole Academy/HS topic is an almost perfect replay on what we all went thru a few years ago when small sided games were introduced.

Hey...I was sick and tired of 8 v 8 and was really looking forward to seeing my 10 year old, 90 pound son on a full field playing 11 v 11. I argued as strenuosly as anyone against small sided. You know what. I was wrong. Small sided is ABSOLUTELY the right direction to take with kids and I find it ironic how many high level teams (college/pro/national) still train small sided. Same thing with MLS concept? C'mon. The closest MLS franchise to here is DC. That works if your pro system has teams within 2 hours. Like Germany or England. Limiting Academy to MLS cities is crazy.

It took a year or two for most of us to move past the emotion and see the benefits of SSG and I think the same thing will happen here. People over personalize this topic. When year round Academy happens and it will happen......hopefully this year, everyone will adapt and it will be ok.

My son had to choose after 7th grade between club soccer and school basketball. Both coaches busted his chops for missed practices, even though both said it was ok at the beginning of the season. But my son experienced and learned..and made a choice. He really really liked bball. But he loved soccer.

The outstanding players who love soccer....will benefit by 10 month Academy. Outstanding players who like soccer, will have to make a choice. Its life....weigh it out, make your choice and move on.

Big Daddy - you may want to read this:

The case for high school soccer
By Mike Barr

The U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy league will soon be telling its players to not play high school soccer or any other high school sports. Most parents of these elite players will buy into the decision, much in the same way they believe it costs thousands of dollars to assure their child becomes a strong player and receives that $2,000 partial scholarship. Not surprisingly, the developmental academies will now be forced to charge more for training and travel.

It seems within youth soccer ideas are implemented with little thought, time, trials or research. We have become a soccer country that relies on the innovations of other countries without coming up with ideas of our own that reflect our society and culture.

The claims that high school soccer is detrimental to development seem to resonate from coaches and administrators who are involved with the Academy programs at the national level. In my opinion high school soccer should remain an important part of our youth sports landscape and parents should examine the pros and cons before making such a decision that could impact their child’s future. I will attempt to unravel the facts for parents:

1) Playing with the academy team and with elite players will enhance my son’s soccer skills.

Yes, and could possibly inhibit his growth, if he is now a substitute or locked into a position that limits touches on the ball and erodes at confidence. He could go from the player to play through or target in high school, to relinquishing roles on the field because the strength of other players on his academy team are seen to be stronger.

2) The quality of coaching at the Academy level is stronger than at the high school level.

This may be the case in some instances but there are many high school coaches who are more capable and more qualified than many academy coaches and many high school coaches have a vast amount of experience at club and ODP.

3) Quality of competition is stronger at the academy level.

Again, it may be the case in some matches but many high school games are much more competitive than Academy play, especially when teams are competing for a league, district or state title.

4). He will enjoy Academy play more.

Talk to almost any elite or high level player within the last fifteen years and almost every player will tell you that playing for their high school team was more enjoyable than club or their college playing experience. High School soccer still replicates the neighborhood club teams of years ago and the entire community still identifies with high school soccer as their own. Playing with your close peers and representing your community is something special.

Attendance at high school soccer matches always attracts more fans than any academy matches, because a community cannot get behind a program that has kids from up to 50 miles away associated with a team.

5) Playing high school will impede development.

An elite high school player begins play against players who may be four years older who are faster and stronger. Young players are forced to develop fast and develop a strong first touch. As they move into their junior and senior years they assume a role as leader and carry more responsibility to their team and themselves. Playing within the academy structure very few players assume or are introduced to the role of leader.

6) Playing Academy will provide up to four nights of training and matches on the weekend for 10 months.

Try to imagine the difficulty of maintaining quality grades if every day you are in a car for two hours, in addition to training for two hours. When will a player be able to experience the after school experiences we all enjoyed as high school students?

There will be little or no time to attend social functions, participate in music or theatre, clubs and play other sports. During the college interview many colleges and universities are looking for a well-rounded student. Will playing in the Academy actually hurt my chances to get your child in the school of his choice?

Since we have adopted the academy philosophy of European clubs; possibly U.S. Soccer should replicate these programs and have only developmental academies directed by each MLS Club. All training, travel and expenses would be covered by the club. Each player brought into an MLS academy would realize they have the potential to play professionally.

There still is something special to playing with friends in front of parents and peers and experiencing the thrill and social aspects of high school sports. Quite possibly we could see a resurgence of players staying with their own local clubs and make soccer a reasonably priced sport to play once again.

(Mike Barr is the Director of Coaching of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association. He coached the boys team at Strath Haven High School in 1984-2005, winning five PIAA state titles, six PIAA District One titles and 16 Central League titles.)

Look at the post prior to mine?

Rare that that happens in Academy. It happens. But not often. Conversely, when my son was a freshman we lost both times to NW by scores of 9-0 and 12-0, or soemthing like that. I'll bet.....that if you took the top 2-3 HS programs in the state and thru out their 3 closest results and their 3 biggest blowouts and only looked at what was left....there was still probably a 4-5 goal differential.

Coach Wren could probably answer best....when Enzo was there what their average goal differential was. I'll bet it was at least 5, probably more. And within Region it was probably pushing 10.

Last year in Academy we played SCU 3 times and it was a 1 goal game everytime. We played CSA twice and we won by 1 and lost by 1. Played Greensboro twice....drew,and they killed us, in our worst game of the year. Beat CASL by 1 and I think lost by 2.

Those are my experiences watching HS and Academy. 1 goal games in Academy with the rare multi-goal result. Blowouts in HS when a good team plays anyone not named Irmo or Wando.

It most certainly does work that way. Take a look at the results this season. There is the odd 5-0 score - but it is so unusual that it proves my point. If you don't feel like researching it, just look at the table for the 17-18's this season. The balance is remarkable.

http://ussda.demosphere.com/teams/37416866/37418048-37416960/TEAM.html

Big Daddy is right on the money in his dissection of Coach Barr's essay.

South Carolina United Battery U18 collected six points during its weekend trip to Virginia with wins over McLean Youth Soccer and Richmond Kickers. Nestor Jaramillo notched the lone goal on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Atlantic Division leader, McLean. On Sunday, Battery exploded for five goals in a 5-3 victory over the Kickers.

Development Academy recap: February 3-5

Some might say that, as there is a reasonable case to be made for BOTH sides of the Academy v. High School argument, that the either/or scenario is more DE-structive than CON-structive.
My point is, NEITHER is uniformly good OR bad. Situations VARY. There are many shades of gray. So, why make a hard-and-fast national rule, that forces 16-year-olds to "choose" between a beloved-and-effective high school program and a well-regarded Academy program?

I am not in favor of the DA going all year and excluding HS players but if that's the way they want to go then so be it. I think they will find they lose some players that way, especially rising seniors and find that others won't play if they can't play HS. There will be others who make the decision to play DA and fore go HS. There will still be soccer in both instances. Some schools will be hurt more than others and I think you will wind up seeing a leveling of talent in the state, somewhat like college basketball is leveled every year with underclassmen going pro.