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cabj12,

Why do teams from SC HAVE to win regionals and nationals? Hasn't it already been well documented (statistically) that South Carolina is at a disadvantage? Are our clubs and teams deemed "failures" if we don't win the big one?

In order to acheive this "necessary" goal of winning at the regional level, do we all have to roll under one club umbrella? Can't we just be satisfied with doing well at the ODP level?

Doing well at Regionals is a much more important goal to attain, than doing well at ODP. ODP teams do not always have all of the best players. It is a political and expensive organization, so not all the best players can afford or desire to participate. Also you play a majority of the year with your club team, ODP is a temporary, infrequent thing. Therefore, you can be a much stronger, more competitive team through your club team than through your ODP team. As far as 'rolling under one club umbrella', if you can get the highest quality players possible and coach and develop them under that umbrella, then you can overcome those disadvantages that SC may have at regionals, and even nationals.

So striker,

CESA > ODP.

If we want (or need) to exceed at regionals = all join CESA.

Hurst66: Here are my equations: <Club> != ODP where <Club> = <SCYSA Club> | <USCS Club> | ...

My understanding of ODP is that the goal of the program is to help identify US national team members. The goal of the program is not for each state to have the most competitive team, it is for each state to identify its best players so that they can be evaluated and potentially selected into region pools, region teams, and national teams.

I believe it's false to assume that if we want (or need) to exceed at regionals everyone has to join CESA. Certainly Bridge had quite a bit of success in its first year. I will state that I believe that 2-3 major alliances in South Carolina are probably the way to go...but that's just my opinion.

I agree, but I might suggest 3-4 (I'm splitting hairs....sorry).

Even in larger, more "regionally successful" states, there are rarely more than four clubs that make a splash (NC & GA).

I understand the role of ODP and I understand that everyone wants to improve the level (quality and # participating) of soccer in South Carolina. What I don't understand is some people's view that we have to consolidate the whole state into one club in order to win at the regional level. Because if we don't win at the regional or national level....somehow we have failed?

>>[Hurst66] Why do teams from SC HAVE to win regionals and nationals?<<

Certainly teams from SC don't have to win regionals and nationals -- if they did, we'd be in a lot of trouble given our historically dismal showing. The question in my mind is someone different -- do we want to have one or more clubs in South Carolina that offer our most ambitious and talented players the options of successfully competing on the regional and national stage? My vote is "yes" -- but you already knew that.

>>Hasn't it already been well documented (statistically) that South Carolina is at a disadvantage?<<

SC is at a disadvantage for these primary reasons: (1) a relatively low percentage of our youth play soccer and (2) we have a relatively smaller population and (3) we have a relatively sparse population. However, there are states, such as Oklahoma, that have more sparse populations and yet do a much better job of promoting and developing soccer such that more youth get involved.

So while Charleston is at a relative disadvantage when compared to Atlanta (for example), there appear to be ways that this can be overcome depending on the efficacy of youth soccer organizations.

>>Are our clubs and teams deemed "failures" if we don't win the big one?<<

Yes and no. It completely depends on the goals of the club. I know that Bridge and CESA, from reading their web sites, have as a goal regional competition -- so if there teams have a -40 goal differential in RIIIPL, I believe that they think this is a failure and something to correct. I also think that they believe that if some relatively high percentage of their teams aren't playing in RIIIPL that this is a problem that needs to be corrected.

However, I'd say that these two are the exception (note: CUFC is still evolving -- I'm not sure what their goals are -- but I'd assume it's to be regionally competitive.) Most clubs explicitly don't have goals to be regionally competitive; and thus when one of their teams gets into RIIIPL and has a -40 GD I think they're just happy to be there (note: I've met very few parents of teams in NC, FL, GA, who are happy to have them there, however -- they roll their eyes and say in a disgusted tone of voice "what do you expect from SC soccer?")

Chico,

I think what we are talking about here is the very tip of the top of the iceberg. If a Bridge team makes RIIIPL and puts up a -40 GD their first year, and they want to be successful the next.......yes, the answer is to merge that team with the CESA team in the same age group.

But we don't need to "merge" these kids from all over the state at the U-12 classic/challenge age group, do we?

>>[Hurst66] I agree, but I might suggest 3-4 (I'm splitting hairs....sorry).<<

I don't think you're splitting hairs; I think what you're saying is absolutely critical. I honestly don't know how many it should be; I'm biased to fewer but that's because I want SC teams to do better faster. The major issue SC faces is that major metropolitan areas with appropriate demographics are relatively few.

When someone gets on this board and says [to paraphrase] maybe CESA coming in will cause the other clubs to get together -- I absolutely have no issue with that. I know that when Bridge first began they mentioned CESA on their web site -- and they did wonderful things in their first year of existence. And I realize that while CUFC's creation didn't have anything to do with CESA [as per the leadership quoted in "The State"], I'm glad that something finally got Columbia soccer changing after all of the years of stagnation.

I'd personally love to see lots of great clubs in SC -- but we have to get more kids involved in soccer than we have now -- which to me should be the absolute goal of every youth soccer organization in South Carolina.

I hope you're right. One of the CESA trainers who is receiving less-than-favorable treatment on this thread, always advocated that the Rock Hill (York County) area would be best-served by having one club.

After getting dragged through the mud (after building a fairly successful club which reached 19 teams), wouldn't it be ironic if this individual indirectly provided the impetus to set a Rock Hill-area merger into motion?