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Athletic scholarships are forbidden in SC under SCISA rules. That is not to say they don't happen.

This is old news. MANY SCISA schools accommodate kids under a variety of guises: academics, diversity, financial need, etc. For years, Porter-Gaud's student body diversity initiative actively recruited a boatload of kids who (wink-wink, nod-nod) just happened to be basketball players.

Did anyone ask the kids what they want? Sounds like the DA management, coaches and parents are acting like politicians.

Greenacres and soccer10 you are absolutely right. Check Christ Church and St Joes in all sports-you are likely to find several "charity scolarships" who just happen to be athletes. On another note if kids are good enough they dont need DA. Take Sebastian Velasquez for example, he is probably the most naturaly skilled player from SC, he never played DA and stopped club soccer when he was 16 because of differences in philosophy with with the coaches. He continued to train on his own played JUCO was offered a scholarship to Clemson but decided to go to MLS and was drafted by Real Salt Lake. He is impressing his coaches more than the much heralded Enzo is.

Coach Pelton,

I just wanted to make sure what you were talking about; but when you said "What is to happen to the 99.9% of advanced age D.A. members that don't make the pool and are now 25 or 26 and haven't even been to an orientation?" I'm not really sure what you are referring to. This is minor in the whole discussion, but I don't think you'll find anyone close to 25-26 yr olds in the D.A.. The oldest age group is U17/18; I don't think their age rules/requirements are that loose.

A couple seasons ago, there was a kid who had graduated high school and was playing D.A., but he was doing so to increase his chance/opportunity to play college ball. This kid was 18/19 yrs old max, and was specifically trying to get into college.

Just not sure where your "25 or 26" yr old comment is coming from.

Belligerent,
You are correct, I am in error. Those older players I guess would simply be classed as being considered for the National Pool(possibly be playing U-21. etc) for the MNT.

The point I was trying to make was, with all this new talk( and I am not sure if D.A. is behind this or not)of players foregoing college, by the time some of them realized the N.P. was no longer a reality, they might be 25 or 26.

I know several of the better 17/18 Battery DA kids and they are playing HS this year because they have already committed to college and would rather play for their school

They have that option THIS year. They would not have the same option in the future. Its one or the other. And trust me, you would be surprised at the player's answers.

Despite the good intentions, this is a sad day for soccer in America.

The decision to preclude kids, even a small number of kids, from playing high school ball will only create animosity towards our Beautiful Game. This is counterproductive, because the biggest factor in fostering a competitive environment is a love of the sport.

The DA has effectively closed off an avenue of development by denigrating high school programs and the intangible benefits individual players receive from being part of a high school squad. The thinking is one dimensional, and if the European model is the objective, it really doesn't match up anyway.

There needs to be a truly American solution to the development problem, one that integrates our love for high school sports, and our values of family and community.

Sure, this decision will affect a very small number of individual players, and high schools as a whole, but certain high schools will feel it hard. This also means that a few more kids will be able to make their high school teams, which is great, but it also signals that those who play on high school teams are incapable of playing at a higher level. It makes achievement in soccer too elite, so elite, that it's offputting.

The DA has already had an effect on club soccer. Tournaments and showcase events are not as well attended by college coaches as they have been in the past. Coaches flock to the Academy events instead. Colleges recruit nearly entirely through club now, which has already drawn coaches away from high school teams. This has narrowed the pipeline, not increased it.

If the problem really is a lack of development in high school programs, why can't the solution be to improve the high school programs? Not cut them out of the picture? This looks more like a turf war instead of what's good for our players (code word "player development").

This is not a forward thinking solution to the problem. I predict that this will lead to a diminished number of "elite" players, not more. The reason is not because players are so dedicated to high school ball, it is because the attitude being cultivated about soccer is that a kid's future is so limited it is not worth trying anymore. This will lead kids to filter into other sports at the youngest ages. Nearly every kid that ever plays a sport always has a dream to play in the big leagues one day. We need every single one of those kids to keep at it in order to build our national program. Soccer in the US already has an elitist problem, it would be better to work on changing that attitude rather than to feed it.

The DA map of clubs is very interesting. How narrow a field this great nation explores for its elite players. It is actually quite illustrative of the reasoning behind this decision.

They need to open the flood gates, not sand bag them.