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

South Conference:

Eli Dent and Nestor Jaramillo continued their torrid scoring pace with a goal a piece in a 2-1 win for South Carolina United Battery over North Meck U18 on Saturday. The U16 sides settled for a 1-1 draw.

On Sunday, Battery and Charlotte Soccer Academy U18 battled to a 2-2 draw. Charlotte's Alex Givens registered both goals for the home side. The younger Battery team won 3-2 in the later contest to improve to 14-3-3 on the year.

S.C. United Battery continue solid play

All the academy players are going to pick up poor habits in the next few months playing for Irmo, Wando, Cardinal Newman, and Northwestern? Drinking, Smoking,and boot it

It seems to me that the issue is less for whom they play than against whom they play. During the Academy season they are practicing with and playing against kids who are as good or better than are they. Not so during high school.

Was a very generalized statement. I will not get into details about other programs but can assure you the academy players that play for Wando are not getting worse. They will pick up some different habits due to different style of play, no doubt. No coach thinks like another. I never say much on these sites but I am just tired of hearing comments such as these directed at high school coaches. Some coaches not as good as others, sure. Are some as good if not better than the academy staff???

Anytime you take time off from something you have to get back into the swing of things. I think this was meant instead of an attack on HS programs in general.

I think the problem is that the academy teams that dont have the spring break are staying "in form" by training regularly and by playing academy games heading into the playoffs.

Drinking and smoking?! I only have one Academy kid to screw up at JI. Wait...are you saying there's drinking and smoking at other schools?! No Academy kid would drink or smoke, surely.

I wonder if, say, Clint Dempsey get's rusty when he plays for the US national team. He's getting worse coaching and his teammates aren't as good. Sure he's representing where he lives but I doubt that's very rewarding.

And for all you concrete thinkers out there, I am in no way comparing myself to Klinsman (although I do have a lovely smile) or (God knows) James Island to the USMNT. It's an ironic allegory.

Actually, there are many kids for whom the correct recipe is a little bit of both.

Yes, in theory, Academy training offers a more competitive environment than all but a few high school programs. But that does not necessarily translate into a higher quality training experience. There are many factors to consider, including, but not limited to, the trainer's (and players') focus AND motivation on any given day.

I would also hasten to point out that many kids actually benefit from the playing time (and confidence it engenders) they get during high school season. I have observed several high school/Academy crossover kids whose games have developed more in the high school environment than in Academy.

There SHOULD be room for the dual experience, which is why upcoming rules changes forcing kids who are loyal to BOTH to choose one or the other, are counterproductive. Academy, club and high school coaches should work together ... not randomly criticize the others' efforts.

I appreciate what Will and B17 said to tone it down. Afterall, Will coaches both Academy and High School. But I share Shilo's frustration. It's positive for players to have different experiences and different coaches. I think most of us work hard to improve ourselves as coaches, usually at our own expense, to not let the players down and improve them. And the comments get old. We were coaching most of these kids at high school before they tried out for academy, some more than others.

Regardless, the criticism is usually one way - toward high schools.

Let me try and clarify the comments attributed to me in the Topdrawer article being discussed. In doing so i hope we can avoid a lengthy thread of back on forth between HS and Club.

Firstly, the actual question posed was " is it a challenge to come off the HS break and compete in the playoffs against teams that have been playing continuosly since January?" my answer "yes it is a challenge. since we have players spread over many Hs programs it is tough for us to keep continuoity of training during the break.. but we do have some exciting scrimmages with MLS teams at the end of feb where we will be back together" After HS season we normally use some weekend mini camps to get everyone back together and get back used to playing with each other prior to playoffs"

If anyone wants to take that as an attack on HS programs or HS coaches it is their pregoative but it was certainly not my intention nor my opinion.

The Academy Staff works closely with USYSA club staff members and HS coaches to try and provide a place for the most talented and committed players in SC to play their club ball. Many of us (myself included) coach at all levels of the game and understand that there are great coaches in all thses levels and don't see ourselves of some type of 'uber' coach. So again, if you took my commnets as suggesting such i apologize as it was not my attention nor my opinion.

If we accept that the DA is the highest level of youth soccer in America ( as US Soccer Fed says it is) we should be happy our state is able to be represented in it. States like LA,KY,TN,MS,AK etc don't have this avenue for their players. It's presence in SC has helped the players of SC get the recognition on a National level that we have been crying out for. providing opportunities to players is why most of us coach and the Academy provides the opportunity to be seen consistently by those that pick national teams. that is good for SC!

SCU battery is a supporter of HS soccer.
If anyone would like to discuss how i feel about HS soccer from a personal standpoint please feel free to contact me.

On a final note- Congratulations to Michele Bottari 1997 of SCU Battery and St Josephs, who got a call up to the u15 national team camp, 3/3-/3/11 at the Home Depot center, just last night. Michele is one of several freshmen who are seeing considerable playing time in the u16 Academy team competing routinely against juniors born in 1995. Michele leads all freshmen in the Academy with 7 goals on the season along with Rex Epps (freshmen Dutch fork) who also plays for SCU Battery, 7 goals.

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.

I would only ask, whose purpose does this serve?
As a parent of a "dual citizen," I can tell you that, come February, a significant number of kids are more than ready to take an extended (four-month) break from Academy. And not just the kids at the end of the bench. They reconvene briefly in June, then break out again.
By August, they're reinvigorated by the high school "break" and summer vacation and are ready to go back to the grind.
So, again, whose purpose does this serve?
The kids? Maybe. Maybe not.
The USMNT? I guess you can make the case that, in the long run, Herr Klinsmann will benefit from a more consistent pipeline. (As opposed to Division 2 and 3 in Germany.)
Academy programs such as SCUBDA?
High school soccer?
My sense is that the powers that be in soccer are grasping at straws in the wind, hoping against hope that largely cosmetic changes will yield better USMNTs.
I am not convinced, though I am open-minded to a balanced argument.

I had a crisis in citizenship over the weekend thinking about the Development Academy. I personally think the DA is a fantastic idea. I also am completely against it running 10 months. It would be one thing if these players were in the pipeline to turn pro when they are 18 and enter a 10 month season. They are not; plus DA sells itself as a way to college. I think players of the caliber who play DA could play for college whether they played DA or not. I worry they are going to be burnt out by the time they reach college (I was burned out from club when I got to college, after travelling up one side of North Carolina to another for four springs).

But my crisis came from realizing the USSF, and the DA, by moving to a 10 month season, seem to be actually working AGAINST high school soccer. Sure, there will still be plenty of fantastic players who play high school, but will they be the best? And if they get better will they leave high school and play for the DA? Would high school coaches then only want players who are very good, but not quite so good as to play Academy. A ten month season creates a conflict for coaches who perhaps have trained players since they were little, hoping they might one day play for the high school, only to find that they might have a player who excels (which you want as a coach) who then will not play for you at the high school level. That's a tough place to be because you want the best for the players - but you hate to lose how much you've also invested in the player (I'm just being honest).

So does this mean the USSF is against high school soccer? Does it mean it is against me and all the others like me who pour blood, sweat and tears into their high school program? Whether they mean to or not, I think that is the message. They are asking for my loyalty and my faith; but I'm not sure I can give it, and I don't see why I should.

The problem is resolved by keeping the seasons seperate they way are.

Just one high school coach's thoughts. I'm Todd Robinson and I approve this message.

Great post!!!! Love the last line!!

I grew up in western PA and was a diehard Pirates fan until they blew up the team after the loss to the Braves (darn Sid Bream) and then the strike and all of that. Can't stand baseball now. Prince Fielder? Yikes....

A funny story when the Pirates were getting good again in the mid 80's and starting to challenge the Mets in the NL East. Someone in the media asked Ed Koch (one of my favorite politicians of all time.....along with Ronald Reagan) about Pittsburgh and he infamously replied "Pittsburgh? I don't even know where it is."

I honestly don't think USSF is sitting around cogitating on the best balance between high school and club and Academy. Honestly, I think they have already decided right or wrong on the Academy model. They are ONLY interested in and focussed on how to best improve that model.

And I think that they think.....that if kids that are interested in playing professionally and being a part of the national team pool are going to play organized soccer another 3.5 months, it might just as well be in the structure of the Academy environment.

I don't think they even think.....about high school soccer in terms of whats in the best interests of that game.

I don't think they care about growing the game or anything along those lines. All they care about.....is growing the pool of players capable of playing professionally and internationally. They also care about growing the quality of that larger pool of players.

Thats it. Of course Claudio Reyna I'm sure would love to see more kids playing soccer, longer and at higher quality...at all levels of play. But his task....is on identifying and growing the elite player. Period.

Everyone has self interest. HS coaches do.....clubs do....USSF does. HS coaches want the best players and they want to win. Clubs want the best players and they want to win and they want to make money. USSF and Claudio Reyna...want to start producing players the can play professionally in the top leagues and lift the US in international play.

Should HS coaches take an Academy player or potential Academy players? Heck yeah!! But you understand, just like a Coach K with a Kyrie Irving....that you may only have them for a year. And hopefully in that year or 2....the kid has fun and the coach is able to utilize his talent to the best advantage of the team.

People cloud this issue. Of course HS soccer is great and of course it has value!! I coached HS for a couple of years and had a blast with the kids. And we did pretty well. But the issue isn't HS or kids who are very good players who want to be balanced kids. This issue....is only about kids who would run thru a wall in order to play professionally or internationally. And....the best way to ID and grow those kids.

I agree that DA (and ECNL on the girls side) has a purpose. It's for the top 1% - 2% of the talent pool. In addition to being talented, the player (and parents) need to be fully committed. When you are this committed, sacrafices need to be made. High school soccer gets sacraficed under this model. So be it. Do these players (and parents) miss out on the "HS experience"? Absolutely, it is a choice that is made. 99% of the talent pool is still out there to fill up high school rosters.

Good point on the "real" purpose of DA. Is it to get a kid ready for the national team or is it to get a kid identified for a D1 college scholarship? If JK and CR really wanted to prepare players for the USMNT, they should advise any player with professional ability to pull up roots at age 16, and continue/enhance their career with a professional club in Europe? Isn't this the most efficient way to prepare players for USMNT duty? Should the DA really be a conduit to college where a potential pro player's career-growth will be stunted?

Very valid point. Personally I'm not ready to send my kid to some lower league in Europe or SOuth America just yet. He is, we parentals....are not.

If my kid played baseball.......there is a model that takes kids straight out of high school. That model doesn't exist, practically, yet for soccer in the US. If it did....thats what he'd be doing.

The funny thing about Academy and college....all of those expectations are stuff that outside people have laid on the Academy program. Clubs. USSF from the getgo....has been to the best of my knowledge, very neutral on next steps for successful Academy players. Our culture in America says that the "next level" is college...and I'm sure we're all guilty of accepting that paradigm. Pretty certain Academy has NEVER taken that path tho.

I think what they are wanting...is that MLS Academies become their Youth teams and funnel the better players into the professional ranks. And given that there are what...18 MLS franchises and 80 odd Academies....my guess is they would want to poach the better players off of the non MLS Academies also.

Just dont' think we're there yet. I think when they start pulling 13-14 year olds into Academy instead of at 15-16...and also 10 month Academy versus 7 month Academy...in a few years you will have players ready to step into MLS reserves instead of being ready to step into ACC or Southern Conference play.

Wouldn't it also be neat if all of the lower level professional soccer teams were affiliated with MLS teams? What if Charleston Battery was affiliated with Red Bullls? Charlotte Eagles with DC United. Etc.

Wouldn't it be nice if a kid with talent that wanted to take a hack at pro soccer instead of college....could step into a pipeline situation....where talent and work ethic and performance.....leads to the next league up? Instead, we have a bunch of independent and unaffiliated teams where playing great on one team...really means little to nothing in terms of moving up.

Part of me has to laugh as we continually try to copy models from other countries and cultures trying to replicate their soccer successes.
I experienced alot of this 30-35 years ago in Prestwick, Scotland and Frankfurt, Germany(10 years total).
I do want to say up front I am not trying to bash D.A. and I respect what I think they are trying to do, but Big Daddy actually just hit the nail on the head with his reference to affiliations.
We are not set up the way the rest of the world is and soccer is not #1 here--his point is valid--close affiliations make all the difference in the world.

I will use Scotland as an example--I lived there longer.
Celtic and Rangers(Glasgow) had pretty extensive Youth Systems(as they called them) as did Hearts and Hibs(Edinburgh). After that, it was a little hit and miss.

Kilmarnock(closest to us in Prestwick) had their own YS and indeed some local boys were identified and played in this program on weekends.

Long story short--this would occasionaly lead to a "Jock Stein" sighting. Jock had heard of a kid in Killy's YS and was there for a peek.

Jock was the manager of Celtic, which had just won The European Cup(Todays Champions League) in 67, the year before the great Man U(Georgie Best, Brian Kidd side) beat Benfica in 68.

Two years later, Jock was Scotland's national manager. You can connect the dots I think. When your ability on the field is exposed to these eyes, you are on the fast track.

I don't think we can replicate that here for alot of the reasons B.D. hits on in his post.

U.S. Soccer Supports Development of Player "Intangibles"

TopDrawerSoccer.com's 2013 Top 100

25. Dakotah Millard (Hopkins) SC United Battery FC
67. Eli Dent (Charleston), SC United Battery FC

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/players-to-watch/players-to-watch-top-100/men/2013#results

Interview by Mike Woitalla

The Richmond Kickers have announced they will be covering the costs of players on their U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams. We spoke with Leigh Cowlishaw, the Central Virginia club's Director of Soccer, about the impact he expects from the move – and the Academy’s new 10-month season, which keeps its players out of high school ball.

SOCCER AMERICA: Other than the Major League Soccer programs in the 78-club U.S. Development Academy, only a handful of clubs don’t charge their players. How are the Richmond Kickers able to pull it off?

LEIGH COWLISHAW: It’s a mix of sponsorships and motivated donors who wanted to see this happen.

SA: So it’s not a case of the club’s other players’ fees subsidizing the Academy teams?

LEIGH COWLISHAW: It is not. This is very much a self-sufficient program, so no funds from any of our other programs are directed toward this initiative. That was very important to our club. We did not want to see that. That would be against what we believe in.

SA: What impact do you expect from making your Academy teams cost-free?

LEIGH COWLISHAW: One would hope there’s an incentive now for players to join the club. It’s certainly a driving force and a reward of a significant dollar value for players who are able to be part of the Academy team.

Four-year play in the Academy -- you’re probably looking at a $20,000 scholarship.

SA: How important is solving the pay-to-play state of American soccer to the nation producing more great players? One can argue that although the USA is producing more “good” players than ever, its rate of producing truly exceptional players hasn’t increased substantially over the decades …

LEIGH COWLISHAW: We continue to average down because of all the programs, because of all the leagues, because of all the organizations, because of all the clubs that continue to promote that they offer a high level of soccer development. So the player pool is so spread out. The market is totally scattered and fragmented.

I would much prefer to get to the stage where the best players in a region are all together. And that’s one of the reasons we wanted to this [cost-free].

We know that if we pool the players of Academy-level together from a 50-, 60-mile radius, you’ve got a totally different training environment, a totally different playing environment, and you’ve got players competing week-in and week-out just to get in the starting lineup.

We’ve had this explosion of club development and player development, but the actual environment of a player having to fight to be on a certain level team just doesn’t exist.

SA: The big news in youth soccer is that the U.S. Academy league is moving to a 10-month season. What’s a specific benefit for your club’s players?

LEIGH COWLISHAW: The 10-month season will allow our players to develop even more because now we’ll have the ability to train those players with the professional team -- as clubs around the world can. It will be common moving forward for a 16-year-old kid, who has the ability and temperament, to train with our pro team now and then.

[Editor’s Note: The Richmond Kickers, who have 8,000 youth players under their umbrella, also field a USL PRO team of which Cowlishaw serves as head coach.]

SA: What’s been the reaction of your club’s Academy players on the prospect of opting out of high school ball?

LEIGH COWLISHAW: We polled our players and 70 percent were all-in to do Academy play right now. And that’s the existing player pool.

To say every kid wants to play high school soccer would be wrong.

But we also recognize there are some fantastic coaches and great teams in high school soccer and high school soccer is not going to go anywhere. High school soccer will continue forever. …

We also recognize this is going to be a generational thing. Not everyone is going to buy into it. Juniors and seniors who have grown up with high school may see it as the No. 1 priority. We believe, as U.S. Soccer believes, that over the years the best players are going to see a different path and gravitate to the Academy program.

SA: What about the argument that Academy players will miss out on the joy of representing their school community, and playing in front of crowds?

LEIGH COWLISHAW: I like that point because you want to replicate that environment where there’s a lot of noise and atmosphere. That helps player development. I totally agree that’s one of the big benefits of high school ball. It’s certainly harder to replicate that at the Academy level, but that may change over the years as the culture changes.

The one thing that I will say: In our area, our high school soccer fields are the size of football fields and it’s very difficult to play the type of soccer U.S. Soccer is demanding. It’s not conducive to attractive, possession-style soccer.

The Richmond Kickers have announced they will be covering the costs of players on their U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams.

Can anyone comment if SC United Battery are going to be able to offer this free as well? If it's free, I can see more kids wanting to do this, but a $20,000 soccer experience is pretty steep. Parents would be better-suited saving that kind of money to help with college costs in the future.

Also, I wonder what kind of salary/stipend Cowlishaw is getting for coaching the DA along with the USL Pro team. What is the salary for the current DA staff at SC United Battery?

More DA updates. March 10 weekend

DA Update