SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP SC Region / Club Superiority

I guess the Brazilians are wrong when they gather outside without any adults in sight to play soccer. Their parents don't drive hours on end to practice and games. How dare they? They're probably ranked #1 in the world at soccer, but would you really want to live there?
My point is-soccer is what it is. In SC and everywhere. I'm glad Mia wasn't from SC! She would have never made it! How can we be ranked higher in soccer versus education? That's the better question. No amount of driving, switching clubs or paying coaches is going to make a child something they are not. If the talent is there and it's meant to be, then it will happen. I've known some coaches who knew a great deal about soccer, but were not very nice people. Others were great and able teachers-in life and in soccer. We control our children's soccer lives because we can. Unlimited funds/time are being spent on maintaining control. Our kids start out the same, in REC and loving it. Then somewhere along the way, "they" decide how talented they are and ask to play club ball (and they want to try out for clubs way across town, with kids they don't know). With so much exposure to soccer on TV and parents who played, it's only natural. Pretty soon they want to travel very far from home 3 days a week to play on that "best" team. We of course only relent because our kids are so insistent. Soccer makes no difference in our adult lives, right? It's not us who want them to be state champs-it's them. Amazingly they seem to know at a young age, to be the best you have to spare no expense in time or money. The lesson of playing the hand you are dealt is mute. Enough sarcasm-I digress.
My point is this-does my child love soccer? Yes, and I'm trying to keep it that way. I don't care if she doesn't want to play for the best team, best coach, best club. I will encourage her to be around the people that will help her be a better person, not just a better soccer player. If it costs her that shot at the national team, so be it. She will be committed and play her hardest. She will look back with fond memories, and if she wants to continue to play, it will be for her and only her.

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I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it!

Good post glimmer,
It is so true that it is up to the youth, in any sport, to attain or enjoy what they desire most out of their sports participation. I have seen many skilled players with rotten, selfish attitudes who fail to reach their potential because they refuse to be a team player. The coaches refuse to address the attitude problems because it may make the player less motivated. The best a parent can do is to love and nurture our kids whether they play or not, win or lose, premier or rec. The child should be able to look back to his/her youth and say that they made great friends in sports and had lasting relationships, whether they were successful on the field or not. But we are a competitive nation and so participants in sports must make sure that the competitive spirit has limits. Young people can succeed and reach their goals with their skills, abilities and a competitive spirit, but they must allow their sports experiences to mold their character most of all.

Akein's coach Justin i would not say is a great coach. I would say he is a great recruter. He went out a got the necessary players to have a good talent pool. Some people see it as wrong b/c we got soo many players from Georgia, and labled it a SC team; but everyone wants the best players on their team no matter where they are from.

It is clear that GFC and St. Giles are the best two clubs in the state. I dont know why everyone is attempting to find the reason with all the statistics, just except that fact. There isnt really a club in the state that can, overall, challenge these two. CSC prob would have the best shot b/c they are rebuilding their program very well.

As for the midstate merger proposal, I dont know much about the midstate but when DSA and Golden Strip merged in the upstate there wa one main reason for it happening. Bruce Talbot was the director for DSA, there was no way that Andrew and Bruce would split power in order to create a great club. However once Brue left too got to CASAL it opened a door for a merger. I would have said it never would have happened but Bruce's job offer at CASAL changed everything. So you never know what can happen in the midstate. I suggest that one club try to get a powerful team together at one age group in the midstate with the purpose of winning a State Cup. This could provide a example for other teams to follow, if they do well.

Also im very dissapointed that i have missed out on so much of this topic. I mean, me, FDR, missing out on all this alphabet soup. DSA, GFC, CSC, MPSC, CASAL, STGU, NSCAA. Might as well talk about the AAA, CCC, NRA, TVA...
Sorry about some of th spelling, im in somewhat of a hurry.