Soccer16: Two subjects: detriment and Lexington.
With respect to the consolidation of talent being to the detriment of the smaller clubs -- it appears to me that the trade-off is whether less competitive clubs "suffer" or individual players "suffer." I tend to favor the individuals.
With respect to Lexington: at the select level, Lexington is one of the largest clubs in the state in terms of fielding select teams. I think that Lexington is clearly the "diamond in the rough" of South Carolina clubs -- tremendous potential and player base.
The trouble with Lexington, from what little I can tell, is that it is less a club than a loosely-knit collection of teams. It's almost impossible to talk about it as a club. For example, the Lexington U17B team picked up some great players and has two region pool players and based on coaching talent and players should be an incredibly strong contender for a state title. There are other teams that are moving in the opposite direction. With all due respect to the folks there, I perceive little cohesive strategy or even tactics apparent from the outside at the club level.
