SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP High School vs Academy

SPOT ON!

As I've opined on many occasions, the "adults" in the room should do a much better job finding ways to accommodate EACH kid's best interests.
That said ...
One point buried fairly late in the piece is the congested high school schedule and its impact on training. If you look at SCHSL, some programs are packing as many as 26 "regular-season" matches, five playoff games and 2 full-dress scrimmages (33 events) into approximately 110 days. Eliminate most Sundays from the training equation, and consider that many coaches train "light" the day before a match, and what's left?
In short, not enough days to develop the fitness, technical competence and tactical awareness needed to maximize player development.
When a kid ends the high school season tangibly less fit, MATCH FIT, and technically sharp than when he started, there's a problem.

All classes are allowed 16 regular season games and two tournaments or 18 regular season
games and one tournament. Varsity teams are allowed two tournaments, four scrimmages and one
jamboree. JV teams are allowed 14 games, two tournaments, two scrimmages and one jamboree.
Tournaments may be pre-season and start on February 22.

The first contest is March 4th and state playoffs begin May 7th. So we get about 8 weeks to play. That's about 2 per week until you throw in a turnament. I wish we had more time to play the same number of games. But 2 per week is not bad. The possibility of playing 3 playoff matches in one week is not good. If a team did play 26 games that would mean they likely had a preseason tourn. So add another week. Then add 2 weeks for 4 scrimmages. Then add 2 more weeks for the playoffs. It is not all that bad in SC. Coaches need to schedule with care.

Agreed, and guess that's my point.
I've come to understand that high school is about competition; Academy about player development.
Ideally, they're not mutually exclusive, though practically, I suspect they are.

Not meaning to take the discussion in a different direction.

The basic reason that us soccer has pushed the academy system is to become better on the world stage. correct? This causes the conflict with HS soccer.

I contend that to be better on the world stage we need our best athletes. We dont have that. And as long as soccer continues to be an expensive sport, we will not get those players. I found out recently that a DOC of a small area club was making $25 K for that position. And he was seldom at the fields! Way to much.
US Soccer should create urban clubs with little or no cost. Follow a more European system where training is not that expensive at the young ages.

Sorry for the rant, I realize it doesnt help in the HS v. academy issue. But, in my own twisted mind, it is related.

I don't disagree with some of your concepts. I can see some progress in Academy. For the SC United side, the base cost is half of last year's, in line with a national move toward fully funded Academies.
Not sure we'll ever get to a European model, as our top domestic professional soccer league follows a much different business/ownership model than what you typically see overseas. This is one reason why we have 3 leagues -- MLS, NASL and USL Pro -- that don't really cooperate as well as they might on competitive and player development issues.
(Also one reason why we don't have a promotion/relegation system.)

It is appearing that here in Illinois there are some of the Academy players that are dropping out of the academy after they get their college scholarships and are playing high school soccer. I chatted with one the other day that I was refereeing and he said that he preffered to represent his high school. I bet that the academies will lose out on the U-18 teams as other players decide to do this.

so-parents pay $2k to $5k per season for academy and are told their son can't play HS soccer?

I understand the question, and it's nowhere near that simple.
1) Some academies are completely subsidized. Some are not.
2) Academies offer "tuition support" in cases of demonstrable need. Kids in SC United are encouraged to apply.
3) There will be exceptions allowing certain Academies' kids to play high school. SC United applied for (but did not receive) an exemption.
4) Nobody is told they can't play high school. The choice remains: Play high school for four months free, and supplement with pay-to-play club activities, OR play Academy (whatever it costs) for 10 months a year.
***
Personally, I advocate compromise, with this proviso. For a handful of "elite" kids, especially upperclassmen, high school soccer is NOT an appropriate developmental venue. Fun? Yes. Good leadership training? Arguably. High school soccer can be a GREAT experience. But almost certainly NOT a developmental venue. Why? Because the training and competitive environments are not adequate to promote development, once a kid reaches a certain age.

Research Provided by Sheldon Shealer from ESPN (4/25/12):

1,119 players have joined NCAA Division I programs in the most recent signing period (80+ colleges have yet to confirm their signings)
111 were transfers from another college program
47 were international players coming to the U.S.
961 true high school seniors moved on to college soccer
495 played in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy
466 are non-Academy high school seniors
44 percent of all of the most recent NCAA Division I signings played in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy
NOTES: It is possible that some players listed as Academy players no longer play in the Academy and some listed as non-Academy now play in the Academy. The listing club is identified as the club a player represented when he committed. However, that said, these numbers should be very accurate considering every player who has dropped from the Academy has been replaced by a former non-Academy player. International players are players with no U.S. ties. International players who attend U.S. high schools and/or play for U.S. club teams are factored into the Academy vs. non-Academy lists.

It would be interesting to see this data trended over the past 3-4 years and into the future.

Would also be interesting to see where the SC kids are. There is a difference between playing at USC - Upstate and UNC. Also, would be interesting to see the differences between the SC academies and say Crew Jr./DC United Academy/NY Red Bulls Academy/etc. and where they went to school.

As to Cleatcollector - my thoughts exactly. I would think that the numbers have not been - nor will they be static. Colleges specifically target the Academy when doing their searches for top players. This is not to say there are not top players in the other categories - just that I think there is likely more and more of a trend toward US Academy.

As I've opined on many occasions
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Rise of pro soccer academies bad for high school soccer - LA Times

"If you're in the soccer world, you know the best players don't want to play high school anymore." van der Most is full of himself and perhaps some other, similarly smelling and mostly useless matter. I believe that few, if any, high school players would, if given the choice, be happy to give up the opportunity to represent his or her high school for the miniscule chance to make a national team. But, they are not given the choice. I would like to see the statistical probability a teenaged player has of making the national team. Thirty out of how many millions? The probability of earning a soccer scholarship to college is only a bit better. And, how many members of the current MNT and WNT played in high school? Let’s poll them and ask if they would give up those memories. I don’t know which “soccer world” van der Most is from, clearly not the 3rd rock from our sun.

Great aritcle on TopDrawerSoccer.com concerning high school soccer and Development Academy.

HS/DA Still a Work in Progress

I think another good question is how DA will affect the image of 'soccer' in general in the future. Soccer has just become mainstream in the last decade or so with coaches, officials, and now parents/adults (administrators, teacher, etc.) having grown up playing the game, supporting the college and professional games, etc. There is a soccer culture that has developed. However, with a dummy-downed (more recreational) version at the prep level, I wonder if future decades/generations will have the same appreciation for 'soccer' (what they were exposed to as youth) as most on this board do?

The ECNL and high school soccer walk a tight rope

Article Written by Will Parchman, ESNN

As each year passes, the Elite Clubs National League seems to add some speed to its growing head of steam. With 76 member clubs for the 2013-14 season, the girls answer to the U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy has flourished as the country’s premier stop for elite girls club development.

Since its founding in 2009, the ECNL has consolidated its power nationally in a girls soccer landscape previously dominated by hyper-local high school programs. That meant shorter seasons, more unbalanced games and existent but more fragmented college identification formats.

In that sense, the ECNL is beginning to grow into its next stages of life as the nation’s club league of record. Which brings about some interesting growth points. And one in particular.

In 2012, U.S. Soccer forced boys high school-aged players to choose between high school and the academy, barring a waiver. This created a highly focused atmosphere of development that hammered home the importance of more meaningful games, a 10-month schedule and a format more closely resembling that of the elite international academies. In doing so, it also drained many high schools of their best players and alienated a vocal minority.

MORE: HS/DA split still a work in progress

For now, the ECNL has kept with its original format and allows players to play for both high school and club. Will that change down the line? Maybe not tomorrow, but the league isn’t ruling out the possibility.

“We’ve talked about it. It’s been discussed,” ECNL commissioner Sarah Kate Noftsinger said. “It’s a hot topic. It’s something that gets people fired up left and right, and if you say the wrong thing you can start a wildfire. We’re in such a luxurious position. Look at the size of the United States. It’s massive. Geographically, it’s a huge country, and we have so many people. Every area of the country is so different, so saying the right thing or the wrong thing could be different in each market.”

For players and coaches, many have expressed similarly split sentiments as awareness of the topic continues to seep into the national consciousness. While the pace of the girls club game is leagues ahead of its high school counterparts in most of the country, escaping the grind to play for high school is still a valued part of the equation for a number of players.

“I don’t think I would support (a split),” said Lonestar SC U18 midfielder Katherine Uhler, a 2014 Notre Dame commit. “High school is almost a break from club. I think sometimes the high school coaches understand how serious club is, and high school can be a little bit less serious. I’ve heard the guys talk about it, and they don’t seem too happy about it. I really hope they don’t do that with ECNL.”

Doug McLagan’s perspective on the situation is unique. McLagan coaches both for Sporting Blue Valley as well as the Blue Springs High School girls side just outside Kansas City, Mo. In his view, the levity provided by high school helps keep players from mentally grinding down over the course of a long, weary club season.

“I think (high school) is good for the players, and the boys too,” McLagan said. “It’s a nice break. As a high school coach, the girls and guys get to hang out five days a week. They have sleepovers, they have pasta meals, they have times together, which we don’t do with club. We have two to three practices a week, we meet, and then on tournaments we get together. So there are some things on the high school level that are a bunch of fun that you don’t do on club. So I say have the best of both worlds.”

Still, it’s obvious that the ECNL has become more important to the vitality of the player’s future. It’s supremely difficult - if not outright impossible - to be recruited to a high-level college program by only playing high school soccer, and the level of play on offer in the ECNL is unquestionably far above what most players can find on the high school level. In that sense, a split down the middle would likely have the same effect on the girls side that it did for the boys. Players would choose club over high school in droves.

“I like high level games, and high school doesn’t offer that,” West Florida Flames U17 midfielder Abigail Kastroll said. “ECNL offers high level games and guarantees you a competitive game every time, and that’s what I like about it.”

On one hand, having players split their allegiances makes it tougher for ECNL teams to gather cohesiveness for national events and its playoff system. For instance, before Uhler’s LSC U18 side convened for the recent ECNL Texas event in Fort Worth last weekend, they hadn’t played or practiced together since December. They simply showed up in Fort Worth and jumped right into games.

When the players gathered for the first time on Friday before the team's initial game of the event, Uhler said they discussed how much quicker the pace was than high school. But that also meant a learning curve.

“We definitely don’t play as a team,” said Dallas Sting U16 coach Kioumars Rezaie, “because they go to different environments where they have different attitudes and personalities outside of club.”

Rezaie, who noted the challenges but said he’d support a split between the two, also cited the increased practice burden for his players that adds more risk for injury. Texas is currently in the midst of its high school season, so three days out of the week his players are coming to his strenuous two-hour practice sessions directly from high school practice. He said he's missing a not insignificant number of players through injury from their high school seasons.

The turbulence encountered by the Development Academy has been mostly caused by a perceived heavy-handedness and its clumsiness toward regional realities. Though rare, there are pockets of the country where high school soccer is more robust than the academies, and as Noftsinger alluded to, the ECNL is sensitive to those realities.

The difference, perhaps, is that it’s tougher to make a pointed argument that the women’s development apparatus is coming up short. While boys soccer development in the U.S. is frantically trying to catch up with the world’s elite systems, girls development here is merely trying to hang on to its position as arguably the world's best consistent producer of women's talent. While the U.S. hasn’t won a World Cup in nearly 15 years, it’s hard to point the finger at the talent funneling through the developmental ranks.

Whether or not that makes the stakes any higher is up for debate. But it certainly focuses the lens on where the ECNL goes from here.

“Right now, where we are, we do everything we can to take teams’ schedules into consideration,” Noftsinger said. “Are you going to have some overlap here and there? Yes, you are. But that’s because there’s only 365 days in the calendar year. That’s where educating players on taking care of their bodies and not being afraid to say the word no. Taking care of their bodies is an important part of being a player. It comes back to the word of balance. What is balance?”

A question the league will do its best to answer in the coming years.

When you leave primary school in Europe, it's probably the last time you will represent your school on the field. Club and Academy then become the focus of the strong players. This is not rocket science and this is not Europe.
It's almost comical watching all this happen. High school sports are almost recreational across the pond--obviously not the same here.
What Mr. Gray refers to in Illinois I am sure reflects a national trend or soon will.
The ECNL wasn't here 5 years ago--will be interesting to see where it will be in another 5.

Also of note, is the fact that Claudio Reyna - the designer of the USDA - stepped down from his post as U.S. Youth Soccer Technical Director last May.

Wow...haven't been on the boards in a long time and fell right into this one...

Reyna stepped down to pursue a great opportunity with NYC FC...I'm sure most/many others would have done the same given the opportunity. Personally, I don't think that this move was a reflection of anything other than pursuing a great career opportunity. Unless you know the man (and I don't), I don't think that one can assume or insinuate that leaving the USSF post was anything other than that.

As a father of two boys that both play and love the game, it has been easy for me to see that there is a place for BOTH Academy and High School soccer. I have one playing DA who loves the experience and has no real desire to play HS soccer. This was his goal and dream, and he's pursuing it. DA is right for him and his decision. My other son is a good young player that has the same potential (yet not the same desires)...However, he LOVES playing for his high school and would never dream of giving that up. I have coached players that have chosen each path. In my mind, it is up to each player to decide what they prefer...

I think the real issue, as it applies to DA and HS soccer in SC, is the depth of DA level players. SC is not Dallas or Miami or LA or Washington DC and doesn't have the vast numbers of high level players that those areas have. As some of the older DA players leave the Academy to play HS soccer, those DA teams are weakened greatly. Once they get that offer, or sign their letter, I think many feel that they don't need the DA any longer and leave to play HS soccer with their schoolmates... They've achieved what they set out to achieve and feel that they don't 'need' the DA any longer. Does SC have the depth of talent to continue to support the DA if more start choosing HS instead? Should USSF look to find a way to allow both on a larger scale?

For me, I see the benefits of both...as it relates to my family. It will be interesting to see how DA and HS find ways to (or not to) coexist in the future.

TopDrawer - Settling the HS/Club Divide

You may know Bill Reno from his good work charting the progression of American goalkeepers over at EverybodySoccer.com. Today, Reno shifts his focus to the realm of high school soccer with twin interviews with Coppell (Dallas, Texas) boys head coach Chad Rakestraw and 2014 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year Chris Madden.

In their interview, Rakestraw and Madden touch on the efficacy of high school soccer and the Development Academy, splitting time between the Dallas Cup and playoff games, managing expectation on one of the most talented high school teams in the nation and more. Have a read. Very interesting stuff.

Chad Rakestraw:

How problematic is the Development Academy’s season with yours? Typically everyone is in favor of getting players to academy teams, so can you sell us on the advantages of high school ball?

This is a very controversial topic in youth soccer in the US right now and as a high school coach I am obviously a bit biased. The developmental program having their season at the same time as ours is actually just a surface level problem that goes much deeper.

But let’s go with the advantages of high school first: it’s community based, just as the professional clubs from around the world are. You play for not just your high school, but you represent an entire community and school. Another huge advantage is the minimal cost for a player to play on a high school team. When kids get to the high school and want to play, money is never going to be a reason they are not able to. But the biggest advantage is the fact that we have the ability to bring a holistic approach to the development of each of our players.

We watch their grades, keep up with their behavior in classes, we put them on a strength program and have a college-level weight room. We do character building through leadership classes and we have indoor facilities so we can train year around. We see our kids every single day, we get to work on all four pillars of the game. We hit technique, tactics, physical strength and speed, and the mental aspect of the game.

You mentioned “a much deeper” problem. Can you go into more detail about the conflict between academy and high school teams?

A true academy’s purpose is to develop professional players for a professional club. However, there have been just around a 100 some odd homegrown contracts signed and only a handful of those players are still playing professional soccer. Should professional clubs have academy programs? Absolutely. But why do we allow clubs with no affiliation to a domestic professional team to have restrictions on not letting players play in high school? I think the UIL governing body has the ability to change some things to really foster the growth of high school soccer. But as of now, because of the timing and season restrictions on us, the developmental academy have opened the door for clubs to take advantage and convince kids to choose club over school because its year around.

Do you think you could provide an alternate solution for the problem? Do you think the two can work together or is it just the way it is?

Definitely. Each high school should have their own youth development academy. These teams would be community based and provide a playing style and program philosophy from the top down. The ability to create a direct pathway from beginning to the end would benefit the players and programs. All the other clubs from around the world are this way. The kids go to school together, they live around each other, they train together and there is a level of consistency throughout their entire youth that is foreign to club soccer players here.

We’re looking at starting our own Coppell Development Academy, which will do exactly this. The idea is to have 1-2 teams per age group for both boys and girls. The benefit is on both sides. As a player, there is no double duty with club and high school going on at the same time. The player develops under the same direction the whole way through their youth playing career. That’s something we hope to instill in the near future.

Watching CHS, I noticed how far up the fullbacks push. For a large portion of the game y’all are in a 2-4-4 instead of a 4-4-2. It’s an extremely high line to play. On top of that, the movement off the ball is non-stop. The game I was at, Duncanville (a very good team) had an extremely difficult time connecting passes past midfield because of how quickly y’all swarmed and how well y’all held the ball. So what’s the style you’re trying to institute and how do you teach it to the players? What qualities are you looking for in players?

That is reassuring to hear that’s what it looked like. The kids have worked hard to get our playing style where it is. We like to be on the forefoot. We do not want to be reactive; we want to be proactive as a team. We want to dictate the game. When we lose the ball we stick to the five second rule. The nearest three-to-five players should be closing the man or space to get the ball back in five seconds. We don’t want to give teams any time or space to do anything. There are definite risk factors involved but I feel like the rewards outweigh the risks. We want to take games to people and put them on their heels.

We want to impose ourselves on teams. We want their forwards or midfielders to have to track back into their defending third. If we make them do that, it causes them to focus their time on defending rather than attacking which enables us to keep the game in their half and out of ours. Our training focuses on those principles and we spend a lot of time teaching in the fall, building up to the winter when season starts. To be able to play at Coppell you have to be comfortable on the ball in whatever position you are playing. We expect every player to be fundamentally sound. Forwards need to be able to defend, just as defenders need to be able to attack.

Being in the system for so long, can you think of any improvements to the high school game? I guess the obvious debated ones are the amount of subs, which I noticed y’all hardly use, and the clock counting down. Are there any others?

Yeah, I wouldn’t say the amount of subs is an issue for me. The clock and amount of time is a big one. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be playing forty-five minute halves instead of forties. Plus, the clock should be kept by a referee on the field so there is only one person responsible for the time. A countdown does not make sense in soccer. Another is having to come off the field for a yellow card, players are able to come on at the next stoppage so whats the point. I don’t see the sense in it.

Talk about the final. What did Fort Bend Clements do well? Where did y’all struggle?

Fort Bend was energetic and intense. Their hunger in that game was greater than ours. They defended with numbers and were committed to defending with everything they had. They also had a couple kids that did very well turning on the counter attack quickly which allowed them to get out of their half.

We struggled in all aspects of the game. No excuses whatsoever, but the fact is we had seventeen guys play a Sunday and Monday Dallas cup game after the Friday and Saturday regional tournament games. Then the following Thursday they played the State semi-final on and the final on Saturday. Because of the number of players we had playing club games on top of our high school playoff run, we weren’t able to train as long or hard as we needed to as a group. It’s a balance of not overtraining them and depleting their energy versus under training and not being sharp.

Our movement off the ball in that game and our movement of the ball was the worst it had been all year. We also didn’t catch any breaks. We hit the post once. They cleared one off the line early. We had six shots to their five and nine corners to their one. We just couldn’t find the net. But again, I say all that without discounting Fort Bend Clements. They were very deserving and played a stellar game on the right day.

Chris Madden:

From a player, what is your take on the High School vs. Academy situation? What’s an unseen problem by the public?

Academy teams are the main platform to get players playing at the next level, which is problem for non academy players. If you don’t play academy it is very hard to be seen by even “average” D1 schools.

Then why not didn’t you play for a DA team, when you had the talent to?

I played on a team that was on par with a lot of Academy teams, not necessarily the best ones but many of them. I decided to stay with the coaches and players whom I have spent my whole soccer career with. Yes, I might have gotten more exposure with another team, like I mentioned, but I’d say we had enough due to our team’s reputation. As for the coaching, I don’t think there’s a disparity between academy and high level non academy.

Compare the environment between Coppell’s team and the FC Dallas club team you’re on. What are some positives of each environment?

FC Dallas has a professional team backing which lends to a multitude of things. Top class training facilities, connection to the pro and reserve teams, as well as being able to train with or play against the Academy regularly. Coppell provides weight and condition training, a motivation to perform well in the classroom, and the ability to play in front of your friends and peers every week.

What was the biggest problem with the overlap between the two seasons? How did you deal with it and can you ballpark how many games you played this Spring?

The amount of games and practices can really exhaust you, more so junior year. For club, the senior class’s Classic League is only in the fall, as opposed to the fall and spring season every other year. From the start of the year to the state tournament (April 19th), I played about 40-45 games between club and high school [as a senior]. But you could play in the high 40’s or 50’s your junior year, all in that four and a half month period. You just have to be on top of your schoolwork but especially you hydration, eating habits, and sleep. Priorities are key so that you don’t jeopardize your health for indulgences.

Another good read - Are HS Academies the Way Forward

HS Notebook: HS residencies taking root?

Can high schools and top-of-the-line development exist harmoniously? A few pockets of developmental experimentation in the U.S. are aiming to find out.

High school and the Development Academy have generally been pitted against one another since the two parted ways in 2012. The DA opted to hoe its own rows by splitting the two ventures and disallowing players to play both. Even if the move hasn’t been accepted nationwide - mainly in parts of the country where high school is still a valued talent incubator - it’s largely become part of the developmental fabric in the U.S. A largely accepted fact.

The idea that a high school and a Development Academy-level soccer program can be welded together as a kind of mutant producer of next-level talent isn’t terribly new. But it also isn’t so well established that clubs have figured out its nuances, either. The most notable of its kind is Minnesota-based Shattuck St. Mary’s, which has been in the Development Academy since its foundation in 2007. It combines an academic high school atmosphere with the rigors of a day-to-day academy lifestyle.

One of the most notable new examples of this came online in 2013, when the Philadelphia Union opened up the YSC Academy, which we documented here. More than a year later, the model is slowly entrenching itself in the day-to-day grind of life for 64 boys students in the Philly area. The intense twice-daily training sessions and convivial classroom atmosphere - the school has a conference room shaped like Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena - are beginning to make their mark on its students.

Can this model of melding the benefits of the hierarchical, holistic atmosphere of a high school with the increased training demands of a Development Academy soccer team work? One high school coach recently told TopDrawerSoccer.com that it might.

“(High school soccer) is community based, just as the professional clubs from around the world are,” said Chad Rakestraw, the head coach of Coppell High School in the Dallas, Texas area. “You play for not just your high school, but you represent an entire community and school. Another huge advantage is the minimal cost for a player to play on a high school team. When kids get to the high school and want to play, money is never going to be a reason they are not able to. But the biggest advantage is the fact that we have the ability to bring a holistic approach to the development of each of our players.

“We watch their grades, keep up with their behavior in classes, we put them on a strength program and have a college-level weight room. We do character building through leadership classes and we have indoor facilities so we can train year around. We see our kids every single day, we get to work on all four pillars of the game. We hit technique, tactics, physical strength and speed, and the mental aspect of the game.”

The idea that high schools are community based, and that that reflects the realities of many residential academies around the world, is well-founded. The vast majority of Development Academy sides in the U.S. are run like day camps, where players travel - sometimes exorbitant distances - to practice in the afternoon while molding it around their otherwise busy schedule. Forming the academy around a high school is a convenient way to circumvent that.

In a lot of ways, residencies are the next level for U.S. soccer. Dedicated training centers that both help to eliminate cost and inject talented players into the nation’s mainline soccer bloodstream at an early age. But they’re both difficult to set up and costly to maintain. That’s a major reason why most clubs still operate under a more traditional, cost-effective model. Where start-up money isn’t plentiful, clubs have to find other ways to generate capital to keep the system moving. Simple economics.

That said, Rakestraw dropped a bombshell when he noted that Coppell is looking at starting up its own academy. High schools are already rough residential translations, and the idea that a top high school can rope in its own players by starting a more robust academy model seems to follow a discernible pattern.

“Each high school should have their own youth development academy,” Rakestraw said. “These teams would be community based and provide a playing style and program philosophy from the top down. The ability to create a direct pathway from beginning to the end would benefit the players and programs. All the other clubs from around the world are this way. The kids go to school together, they live around each other, they train together and there is a level of consistency throughout their entire youth that is foreign to club soccer players here.”

Whether or not that’s feasible (or if it catches on), time will decide. But with the slow but steady churn of high school/academy hybrids like YSC and Shattuck-St. Mary’s, it’s gradually being introduced as a viable model for developing the next great American soccer star.