SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer High School Soccer

So is DA more about winning or player development? They must win games to attract/keep the elite players, correct? Will parents pay the big bucks if their player on a losing side? In the USA, there is conflict with player development vs. winning. Clubs/coaches preach player development but mostly they’re out to win. Size and speed trumps ball skills with most coaches (would Messi make a DA squad at 14 yo) and add club ball (it’s about making money) and the best athletes (where’s the money?) don’t play soccer in the US. So why all the fuss over HS soccer and is HS soccer really the problem with player development in the US.

The academy system is extremely overrated in terms of what it is trying to accomplish. I don't think it is going to make the usmnt that much better. Coaching has an impact, but I think it makes far less of one then it is made out to be. If you look at our other sports, it is easy to see why the superstars are superstars. They have a ton of natural ability and worked their butt of as a kid, playing 6 plus hours a day in practice and on their own, the majority of the time spent with no coaching. Pickup games, by themselves, etc. If I coached LeBron James as a kid, he would still be in the NBA even though I have no basketball coaching experience. Same goes for Kobe. An example we can relate to for South Carolina is Sammy Watkins. His story is well known now. He came from a terrible neighborhood and to stay out of trouble would often go to his local field and run routes by himself until it got dark. The theme you'll find with most of our top athletes, regardless of sport, is the insane amount of work they do on their own. I'm not talking a Sunday pickup game, I'm talking 3+ hours a day.

The problem soccer has in this country is that it is an elitist sport. If you don't have money you aren't playing. Kids who have money don't work anywhere near as hard as kids from the inner city who see sports as a way out. Until we start attracting inner city kids we are never going to be a soccer power. Just isn't happening regardless of our coaching or setup. Superstars aren't made by good coaching they are made by amazing natural talent and hard work. You can't teach either. If anything our setup is hurting our chances of turning into a power. A lot of top players drive 90 minutes each way to a 90 minute practice. So they play 1 hour and a half and waste 4 and a half hours to do it. The last thing they are going to want to do when they get home is go to a local field and play on their own. Heck even if they did they wouldn't have time unless they don't care about academics.

It's a bad problem to have and it's very hard to fix. Basketball and football get all the attention and huge salaries so the inner city kids are always going to go that route. Until we start pulling a few, we won't be a soccer power regardless of how hard we try. Not to mention football and basketball are free to play, not pay to play.

But if you have two kids of identical talent, and one trains 90 minutes 4x a week with Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson and the other trains 90 minutes 4x a week with your average American coach and then plays 4.5 hours a day on his own 7 times a week, I'm betting the mortgage that the average coached kid is going to make the better player. That's the real problem with American soccer IMO.

Klinsmann and Co. make case for 10-month club season, no high school ball
By Mike Woitalla

U.S. Soccer made it official last Friday that its 78-club Development Academy league will move to a 10-month schedule starting with the 2012-13 season.

More than 3,000 of the nation's elite boys play for Academy teams in U-15/16 and U-17/18 leagues and the schedule change means no high school soccer for them. That's the most controversial aspect of the move the Federation says is necessary to create a better balance between training and games and to “close the performance gap with the top soccer nations.”

U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in the Academy’s press release:

"If we want our players to someday compete against the best in the world, it is critical for their development that they train and play as much as possible and in the right environment. The Development Academy 10-month season is the right formula and provides a good balance between training time and playing competitive matches. This is the model that the best countries around the world use for their programs, and I think it makes perfect sense that we do as well."

Said USSF Youth Technical Director Claudio Reyna, "This schedule puts our elite players in line with kids in their age group internationally, and places the appropriate physical demands at this stage in their development."

The USA, however, is unique to international soccer powers in that it has a strong tradition of scholastic sports participation. The club vs. high school conflict emerged before the Academy league’s arrival in 2007, but it has heated up since one third of the Academy teams moved to the 10-month schedule last year. U.S. Soccer addressed the issue of “banning” kids from high school ball in its “Frequently Asked Questions” about the schedule change:

“Everyplayer has a choice to play high school soccer or in the Development Academy. We believe that for those elite soccer players who are committed to pursuing the goal of reaching the highest levels they can in the sport, making this decision will provide them a big advantage in their development and increase their exposure to top coaches in the United States and from around the world.

“We are talking about a group of players who want to continue at the next level, whether that is professional or college, which is still the destination for a majority of our graduates.”

On whether the quality of high school soccer would be reduced, U.S. Soccer responds with:

“Overall, only 1 percent of all players currently playing high school soccer are involved with the Development Academy. We are only talking about a small percentage of elite players who have the goal of playing soccer at the highest levels. High School soccer will continue to make an important contribution to the soccer landscape in this country.”

On whether Academy coaches are better than high school coaches:

“There are many quality coaches in both the Development Academy and high school teams. The Academy environment allows for more focused and consistent training with less emphasis on games. Academy players and coaches also receive ongoing feedback, instruction and guidance from U.S. Soccer Technical Advisors, who are also the main scouts for the U.S. national team programs.”

U.S. Soccer says the move received “overwhelming support” from its member clubs.

“The key to development, to me, is playing against quality players in practice,” said Crossfire Premier Coaching Director Bernie James in a statement. “I think if you’re with a group of good players who are pushing each other, and you have that for most of the year, then I think it’s bound to be better for development.”

U.S. Soccer bans its elite players from high school ball

When the high school soccer season kicks off next fall, there is a good chance some of the best players in the area will not be participating.

Friday afternoon, in a decision that has been anticipated and hotly debated for several months, United States Soccer announced that the U.S. Soccer Development Academy is adopting a 10-month schedule that will start in September of 2012 and finish up with playoffs in July.

The announcement means that many of the area's premier players will have to decide between playing for the Academy or for their high schools next fall.

"It's certainly a radical change, one that has and will create a lot of controversy,'' said Dale Schilly, the director of youth development for the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro program in Illinois. "This is an emotional issue, especially here, where high school sports have traditionally played such a big part in our lives.

"This wasn't my idea or something Scott Gallagher came up with. It's the format that U.S. Soccer has asked us to follow and we're doing it to make sure we can remain part of the Academy system.''

The U.S. Soccer Development Academy began in 2007 and is a boys' soccer partnership between U.S. Soccer and the top youth clubs around the country designed to develop the nation's elite players. There are currently four area squads involved - SLSG Missouri U15/U16, SLSG Missouri U17/U18, SLSG Metro U15/U16 and SLSG Metro U17/18.

U.S. Soccer feels that the 10-month season, which has been successful in Texas and California, gives our country the best chance to close the performance gap with other soccer nations.

"If we want our players to someday compete against the best in the world, it is critical that they train and play as much as possible in the right environment,'' U.S. Men's National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a press release. "The Development Academy 10-month season is the right formula and provides a good balance between training time and playing competitive matches. This is the model that the best countries around the world use for their programs, and I think it makes perfect sense that we do as well.''

Schilly's main concern with the high school game is the condensed schedule and the toll it takes on players.

"The high school teams are playing three and four games every week, which leaves limited time for training,'' he said. "In this system, there's more time for training and development, with games on the weekends.''

While area high school coaches Terry Michler of CBC and Chaminade's Mike Gauvain can understand U.S. Soccer's plan in theory, they do not agree with this approach.

"If they were going to target the top 60 or 80 or even 100 top kids in an age group and work to develop them, maybe that's something I could understand,'' Gauvain said. "But the scope of this is just too big. The Academy system has something like 72 teams nationwide; there's just no way there are that many elite-level players out there for a system like this.''

Added Michler: "They're going to try to sell this to players and their parents as the path to college or professional soccer, and that's just not true. If you're a top player, a truly elite player, you're going to be found, no matter where you play.''

Both Gauvain and Michler cited the role athletics play in the overall high school experience.

"I've been involved in soccer my whole life, as a player and as a coach at every level, and there's no way I would give up the experience I had playing soccer and baseball at St. Mary's,'' Gauvain said. "Being part of the soccer team at Chaminade is more than just soccer, it's about being part of the school community and doing what you need to do - keeping your grades up, showing up on time, being a good school citizen - in order to be eligible to stay part of the soccer team.''

Michler, the winningest high school soccer coach in America, added: "There's something special about being able to represent your school in a rivalry game in front of your friends and family and classmates. And you just don't get that in club soccer, even at the top level.

"What we're doing is asking these players and their families to make extremely difficult decisions in a system that didn't need to be changed.''

Schilly sees this as the next step in the evolution of club soccer.

"Twenty or 30 years ago, you played for the team in your community, but at some point, that evolved into playing for select teams and regional clubs,'' he said. "Now, in an effort to try to continue to develop players, U.S. Soccer wants us to take that next step.

"The thing to remember is that the players and their parents will make the choice and that this will only impact a small percentage of players."

U.S. Development Academy will move to 10-month season, forbid players from playing high school soccer
By Paul Tenorio

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Friday that the U.S. Development Academy, the top level of youth soccer, will be extended to a 10-month season from seven and not allow players to compete for high school programs. Officials say the changes are necessary to develop players of a higher caliber and move forward the growth of the sport.

“If we want our players to someday compete against the best in the world, it is critical for their development that they train and play as much as possible and in the right environment,” U.S. national team coach Juergen Klinsmann said in a statement released by the USSF.

“The Development Academy 10-month season is the right formula and provides a good balance between training time and playing competitive matches. This is the model that the best countries around the world use for their programs, and I think it makes perfect sense that we do as well.”

The move to a 10-month schedule had already come in some pockets of the country: Southern California, Texas and the Pacific Northwest, and was chronicled in The Post last May.

The change will only affect a small percentage of D.C. area players, though they are among the most elite. Area academy team pools include about 50 players across age groups, meaning the rule changes would impact about 150 players locally. The USSF said the new schedule will impact only 1 percent of high school players nationally.

Players who attend private schools, such as DeMatha and Gonzaga, in order to play soccer will likely feel the biggest impact.

“Going to a 10-month season is an important step in the evolution of elite player development,” USSF youth technical director Claudio Reyna said. “The format provides the ideal platform to place an increased emphasis on the value of training on a regular basis, and offers the opportunity to play in quality, competitive games throughout an extended season. This schedule puts our elite players in line with kids in their age group internationally, and places the appropriate physical demands at this stage in their development.”

The changeover has created much debate in U.S. soccer circles, with some coaches saying it is a necessary change and others, including University of Maryland Coach Sasho Cirovski, arguing that the academy can function alongside high school and was initially designed to do just that.

Cirovski said he attended the MLS draft and heard “something like six of the first seven picks” thank their high school coach along with club or college influences.

“I think the ultimate choice should come down to the player,” Cirovski said. “I think there’s certainly value in going 10 months and playing academy, but there’s also tremendous value in kids having the high school experience. And I think the ultimate decision should rest with the player and I think there’s still a win-win scenario.”

In an email sent to Potomac Academy and pre-Academy players and parents and obtained by The Post, Potomac director of academy programs Kris Hazard outlined the move to a 10-month schedule.

“U.S. Soccer understands the concerns and disappointment in not being allowed to participate in high school soccer as well as the financial challenges clubs face with the additional expenses and logistics that the expanded season would present,” Hazard wrote. “However, in light of these concerns and challenges, US Soccer feels that this programming and environment offers more emphasis on player development by providing meaningful competition and consistent, focused training as a team.”

In the e-mail, Hazard said that Potomac would consider its options for the 2012 season.

D.C. United will participate in the new 10-month schedule.

“We’ve made a lot of strides forward with the Development Academy since 2007 when we began this new approach to developing our best young talent,” United President Kevin Payne said. “The move to a 10-month season and the focus on an increasing number of high-quality training days for our players is a logical next step and an important one which we believe will bear fruit for us in the future.”

Development Academy Map

By my quick count 22 states will not have a Development Academy in their state (OR, NE, ID, MT, WY, UT, NM, ND, SD, NE, IA, OK, MO, LA, MS, TN, KY, WV, ME, VT, DE, and RI). Are these states not going to be producing any national team players because of not participating in the DA?

I know that some of the northeastern states can go to nearby DAs in other locales, but what about those players in the five southeastern states and those in Big Sky country? I guess the national team of the 20-teens will just come from 44% of the country!

PS -- I wish Mt. Pleasant was represented instead of St. George! But then again, I don't expect Klinsmann or Reyna to know much about S.C.

I find this quote interesting and kind of hypocritical.

"We understand there may be unique situations for a small population of players, such as those in certain private schools, and we are willing to discuss different options and determine a solution so they can participate in the Academy."

Said differently... if you are the elite of the elite and you decide to play high school soccer, we will work with you so that we can say you play Academy. I am curious as to what the private school reasoning is.