SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP CESA Domination

The 2nd level, Challenge , B Teams for CESA were
involved in this weeks cup . Some lost in the first round and a few advanced and played over the weekend . All were very good and played great soccer during the season with some huge victories .
Congratulation to CESA for putting aside differences and showing the state what has to be done to reach the regional level. Being involved in the past, the feelings would rival Clemson / Carolina football.
The spring cuppers will be the future with CESA fielding 2 strong ,competitive teams . These kids will only benefit from the merger and will dominate the state scene unless the mid region and lower state pool their interests.
Did any one see Pearse this weekend
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gamecockrich10: I think that soccermom1121's incredibly lucid point is that almost everyone associated with CESA understands that there's a difference between state, regional, and national play. For most teams that played in the Premier League this season it was a humbling experience and one that can't help but make anyone understand that we have a way to go to be a consistent regional and national contender at the club level.

To me, the most important thing about doing well in your state is that it allows you to not just play in the Premier League but also that you get entry into higher brackets in top tournaments. This is what allows you to play against those top clubs/teams you mention. It's kind of a pinball effect -- if you do well then you get to play again. This allows CESA to offer more and better services to highly ambitious and talented players. But I've got to tell you, I'm just as excited about CESA's U16G classic team that won the classic cup and with the CESA U16G Strikers and Starz teams that came in first and second in the American Cup (just examples). CESA isn't going anywhere unless it can offer superior services to players across the board; from recreation to premier. A dominant team was the U16G Classic team coached by Gretchen Lentz(combined score 60-1 and undefeated); that's the kind of record to which I think all teams everywhere aspire.

CESA is effectively just about six months old. No one at CESA is claiming that CESA is a "juggernaut" at a regional or national level. I haven't even heard anyone from CESA say that CESA is "dominant" in SC -- many of the games were very close and we certainly have to do better in more age brackets in the classic and recreation cups.

The merger seems to me to be going relatively well in the first six months -- but we have "miles to go" [apologies to Frost]. Most of the hardest work is in front of us if we aspire to offer the depth and breadth of services to SC players that you find in some of the major metropolitan areas nationally.

OK, OK, enough of this CESA Lovefest!! I too applaud the merger and acknowledge your accomplishments in one year, and Mark, as you may have surmised from all of my rants about a Cola merger, I only am pleading for the same in Cola. It is what Cola needs to keep up with you fine folks at CESA. And in the long run a merger here would make SC a stronger, more vibrant soccer state on the regional and national scene. But, for the sake of my personal sanity, can we move on past this Lovefest?
We in the midlands now need to hear from the respective area club officials -CRSA/CSC/LSC/NECSA- who have the power or position to discuss, review and consider a merger. But, my hopes have been dashed like Prancer too many times before with sounds of silence about the merger issue. The afore-mentioned midlands clubs clearly know what the future holds for them. As I have asked too many times before, do you want to field average, convenient teams that may, on occasional odd years, merely challenge for state championships or do you want to field consistent yearly teams that win those championships and go on to regional challenges? Midlands clubs, there is an open goal for a shot, but do you even make an attempt?

I saw Pearse Tormey at the U17/U18 boys games on Saturday.

I would personally like to see Mt. Pleasant, James Island, and Summerville clubs merge (along with the girls program from West Ashley) to challenge CESA.

But what about the players (and there are many of them) that are not top-level and don't want to travel 30-45 minutes for practice twice a week, but simply play with 5-6 of their high school buddies on a decent classic team without aspirations of Regionals or even State Championships? I think this would limit these players and from what I can tell, that's the majority of U15-U18 players in this state (or at least our area).

Hey Striker,

what's your deal with club soccer in the midlands? Do you have kids playing club ball in columbia? It appears that a club could use someone with your passion for a merger to help make it happen.

I am just a lowly, frustrated parent. The DOCs and club boards need to become passionate about it and address this issue themselves. I have seen no passion or significant interest in a merger here. I have ranted about it long enough without any progress in sight.

Here is my humble suggestion . Have every parent check out the the CESA website. If that does'nt give Charleston and/or Columbia teams motivation to merge I dont know what will. You don't have to dig through it just the front page.

Hey scdad,
I will save the club DOCs and club boards in the midlands the time and effort it will take them to visit the CESA website. Anything I can do to create aggravation and agitation in the local clubs, I will do. Read it DOCs and become inspired for once. This can happen here in Columbia. The main headline reads:

CESA Wins 8 State Championships
(Greenville, South Carolina – December 14, 2004) - Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) has convincingly become South Carolina’s leading youth soccer club. This stature was achieved with the club’s boys and girls teams winning all eight state championships in the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association’s Fall 2004 South Carolina State Challenge Tournament (December 11 and 12 in Lexington), which is for the under 15, 16, 17, and 18 age categories. In the history of organized youth soccer in South Carolina, no club before has ever won all the championships in the State Challenge Cup Tournament.

“The reason we created CESA by merging St. Giles United Soccer Club and the Greenville Futbol Club was to offer more opportunities, including chances for success, for all of our players,” said Pearse Tormey, co-executive director for CESA. “We're thrilled that each one of our teams in these age groups will have the opportunity to compete at the regional championships in Dallas this summer. This will also allow us to dramatically increase the number of teams that want to participate in the tournaments we host throughout the year, thus having a multi-million dollar positive impact on the local economy.”

“We're pleased with the results,” added Andrew Hyslop, co-executive director for CESA. “It’s an important first step in our quest to bring home a national championship for South Carolina and CESA in the next few years. It’s also critically important in helping our teams gain entry into higher level tournaments and for our players to be seen by college and university coaches and even national team coaches. Plus, these results support our mission to build a youth club that services all ages and abilities because it allows our younger players a chance to have fun learning about soccer while also watching the older players in the club, who win championships. The success of the older players provides our younger players examples of what they may someday achieve.”

Don't it make your blood boil?