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The more players on the team the more the coach gets paid. Well if you kid is the one on the bench you shell out money because your kid enjoys playing 50 minutes of the game even though they don't start. Some of the kids that don't start know they shouldn't and are content with getting to play a good portion of the game. And it really shouldn't be that hard subbing players in and out.

Anyone have a complete list of all CUFC coaches and team assignments?

I want my son to play on the best team in the area. If he is not one of the best players than he has something to strive for! If your child is good enough to make the team then someone saw some skill in him. They are not selecting your child on ability to pay but skills. I believe that on a team of 18 or less playing time will become avaialable whether it be subbing or practice time. It may not come immediately but with hard work increased playing time will come. To compete at the Elite level teams must be solid at every position. This would include the bench! Those players need to be ready to step in and seize their opportunities.

It is just as frustrating for good players when teamed with players with inferior skills. The advanced player loses confidence in his teammates and thus changes the way he plays the game. I put my faith in the system and that the coaches will select the best teams available!

Your choice is being on the best team with possibly less playing time if you are not a starter, or being a starter on a lesser 2nd best team with a majority of playing time.
I would always go with the best team, even if I am a non-starter. You always have that chance of working hard during the season to attain a starting position and more playing time. Some non-starters end up playing more than starters in a particular game. The top teams always play in the better tournaments and in a higher, premier league. That affords better exposure to colleges. As was said earlier, if you are selected for the best team then the coaches saw that you were capable of playing at the highest level. The best success for any team is reached by developing all the players to such a degree that they play together as a team, and not as individuals. That way you don't have a team full of stars that are great individually, but do not play their best as a team. (Last year in the U-18 boys state semi and final, CESA & CSC had more talent individually, but NECSA prevailed with incredible team play). When a team reaches that stage of development, in which the players are all pretty much equal in ability and skill, then a coach can and will sub freely.

[Preface: This note is less about any specific club as it is about parental and child choices and team size.]

>>[USMNT2014] I want my son to play on the best team in the area. If he is not one of the best players than he has something to strive for!<<

I understand this attitude if you have a highly ambitious child with sufficient potential to possibly realize that ambition and applaud parents who go out of their way to support their children.

If the child is slightly less ambitious, however, this seems to me to possibly be a recipe for discontent.

>>If your child is good enough to make the team then someone saw some skill in him. They are not selecting your child on ability to pay but skills.<<

I absolutely agree with this.

>>I believe that on a team of 18 or less playing time will become avaialable whether it be subbing or practice time. It may not come immediately but with hard work increased playing time will come.<<

The question really isn't whether the child wants to work hard, it's whether she/he wants to work harder than everyone else on the team. If so, then having your child be the 18th or 19th best player on a team seems to make a lot of sense -- at every practice if she/he tries his/her best the child will get better by playing with better players. If not, then I would think that you run the risk of burning out your kid on soccer -- a lot of work for very little perceived [by the child] payoff in terms of playing opportunities.

> To compete at the Elite level teams must be solid at every position. This would include the bench! Those players need to be ready to step in and seize their opportunities.<<

Again, from a club/team perspective, I absolutely understand this perspective. However, from a parent/child perspective, you have to ask your child some really tough questions if you believe they're going to be the 18th or 19th best player on a team.

In my time volunteering at clubs, the number one issue over and over again was parent and player discontent with playing time. I always strongly recommended at these clubs that they look at smaller numbers on teams [and take correspondingly less revenue] so that their parent/player satisfaction would be higher and revenue could potentially grow at a higher rate over time.

I would absolutely love to see the USYSA adopt the USCS practice of allowing coaches to move players in the club fluidly so that the need to have higher numbers of bench players in case of injuries was mitigated.

>>It is just as frustrating for good players when teamed with players with inferior skills. The advanced player loses confidence in his teammates and thus changes the way he plays the game.<<

A truly advanced player is going to face this if she/he plays high school in any case. Adaptability is an important skill both in soccer and in life.

>>I put my faith in the system and that the coaches will select the best teams available!<<

The coach is going to do the best thing for the team first and the individual second within the guidelines that the club sets [e.g., roster size]. As a parent, it would seem to be your job to help your child make the best decision for her or him since you know that you care a lot more about your child than any coach does.

Chico, well-stated. (Spot On!)

Chico, I believe we are mostly in agreement. Obviously, parents need to be able to communicate on their kids level in all situations. As a parent my job is more mental than anything. Encouragement, support, assistance, compromise, constructive criticism, interpretation are all parts of that job! For certain kids tryouts are difficult and can be an emotional roller coaster. However, the more kids tryout the better adjusted they become to this type competition.

get better or die trying!

‘Get better or die trying’ is the right attitude for a player but not for a parent. I have seen so many kids struggling so hard to meet their parent’s expectations that they end up walking away from the game burned out.