SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Are Teams Practicing Yet?

Mr. Foley,
The H.S. League is responsible for more than one sport. I think one of the rationales for the rule may be to allow some students to play Winter sports(ie-basketball) for their H.S. without feeling the presure to try out for soccer. There is also the argument that H.S. sports should not distract too much from education. There are a lot of very positive aspects of H.S. soccer in S.C. but with the exception of 10-20 schools that have good coaches, high level player development is not one of them. Many top players depend on club soccer for their individual development. Don't get me wrong, a good H.S. coach can have a great experience in S.C. and the state and I will welcome you with open arms if in fact you move here. S.C. may have some, what you may call, peculiar soccer rules and customs but we'll fight stubbornly against change. Heck, we're still fighting the WAR of NORTHERN AGRESSION.

American soccer is doing well but still has a long way to come.....unfortunatly football and golf are the most attended sports.....the thing is not everyone knows about soccer the rules and reg. so many cannot follow the sport....football which is not a bad sport some how appeals to the average person...maybe the hitting?? who knows but for "our" soccer in "our" country we seem to be doing okay....and as far as i see ireland it is a wonderful country.....but i think this is a sc message board and yes that is in "america"...maybe mr.foley they should make a special section for you since u seem to have alot of spare time or u really love typing????

Wiseballer,

As a matter of fact I don't have a large amount of spare time, I wish I did, but, as you like to point out YOU ARE IN AMERICA, I, however am in Ireland - there is a five hour time difference, so, when I'm home from work and training its still afternoon to you, instead of watching TV I check this as reccy to see what I can find out anything more about soccer in SC. I know a little as I have been there twice for extended stays in the last 2 years.
And, "wise"baller, it doesn't say much for the American people if they are the only ones left on the planet still left scratching their heads at the offside rule!! C'mon, there's people in famine striken Ethiopia. Football is the only true world sport, whether planet America accepts it as a whole or not matters not, the people who are involved with it there I'm sure are as passionate about it as any of the top European teams.

Shearer, just keep an eye on Palmetto's results this year, they'll speak for themselves. About Spain, don't even go there - the PK's are one thing, Roy Keane leaving Japan cos there was no footballs to train with is another - Mick McCarthy (ex-Irish manager) gets all the blame for it. One last thing, good luck to "Team USA" in the Gold Cup - I hear St.Lucia and Jamaica are on the verge of actually fielding 11 players in an international for the first time!!

Sine le meas

Af

Mr.Foley,
I have studied your posts for the past few days and I must say that you do not come across as the typical Irishman I have been exposed to.I have shared a few beers in pubs outside of Parkhead in Glasgow with some of your many loyal countrymen that cross the Irish Sea every weekend to support Celtic.

I have found them for the most part to be enjoyable,funny and curtious.They have been just as interested in my American background as I in their Irish.You on the other hand seem just the opposite.Your analogies regarding population differences are interesting but as other board members have pointed out,we have many varied sports intrests in the US.
Admittedly our national team could be more consistant and hopefully with our recent World Cup showing and Coach Arenas continued efforts we will show well on the international stage.Your continued lack of respect for our qualifing group is pathetic.Mexico has five international wins over Brazil,how many do the Irish have?
You also fail to mention to your new audience how the European draw works.Yes, you could draw Germany or Belgium in your group,but you could just as easily draw Luxembourg or the Faroe Islands.
The Irish national team defends with the best in the world,but my daughters U6 team commits more to the attack.And that goes for Mick or Jackie Charlton or any other recent Irish manager.
If your intent is to alianate and just plain **** OFF your American counterparts,both players and coaches,you are well on your way.
And I will exit on this note.Reflect on your not to distant past and appreciate the fact that you may be enjoying reading this while sipping on a HARPS and munching on fish and chips instead of LOWENBRAU and saurkraut.By the way,depending on who you play I think you will find many of the players and coaches in our country up to your elevated standards.

Well said Mr. Pelton. Seems to me that Mr. Pelton has defended the United States well, from those interesting Irish remarks.

Dear Irishman,
i really doubt palmetto will have a wonderful year......i know for a fact as well as u know.....the thing is, it not that "American's" are still stuck on offsides they have grown up wathincg football.....and american's are not only getting better in the world . we are easily the best country in the world and we need little held from somone who has a negative view on us 'dumb" americans....my advice is stay home no one is beggin!

PHS is just the same as any other HS in South Carolina and perhaps the US, I don't really know. Lets face it, "soccer" doesn't enjoy the unrivalled participation and status as No.1 sport in the US as it does elsewhere in the world. However, the people that are involved with it deserve just as much credit (if not more) as those anywhere else in the world. I am not on this website with a "I'm better than you attitude" - think about it like this, if you were moving to Ireland you'd be cribbing that there's no American Football, Baseball or Baketball - so, by that rationale I get the same dubious privilege!

"Typical Irishman" - well, I'm sorry if I don't meet your criteria, but trust me I'm just as much, if not MORE Irish than those religious and racist bigots who travel to Parkhead every other week - I've been there once and I've seen what happens at those games as you must have too.

America is "the best country" - who else apart from Americans have you ever heard say that?? America MAY produce Olympic Champions, BUT, as far as international games go thats your limit - well, apart from golf - but who won the last Ryder Cup?

I am looking forward to my first season officially involved with soccer in the states, my so called "elevated standards" are not so, I can speak so as a player as I have played right up to the highest level here in Ireland, but not as a coach and I know my limits just as well as I know not to "run my mouth" - something you guys might also want to consider.

Sine gan meas

Af

a. foley, your comment concerning concacaf vs. uefa isn't the whole story. you failed to mention anything about mexico which is in concacaf. you also forget about a long list of uefa members. here is a few: albania, lichtenstein, cyprus, belarus, bosnia-herzovogania, and luxemborg. we also beat portugal who is one of uefa's top teams.

I'm not bothered listing each participant from UEFA and the CONCACAF - any person living on planet earth whose head contains a human brain and not that of a flea picking primate will tell you that UEFA is FAR tougher than CONCACAF. I'm finished with this ludicrous argument.



By the way, the Republic of Ireland beat Mexico the last time we met (USA '94) - remember that, when 9 out of 10 Americans stopped on the street by the BBC didn't know what the World Cup was?

Er..... do you know what the BBC is??

Sine

Af

This thread started as someone asking if teams have started training and is escalating toward an international incident. Just kidding. But in all seriousness- the 27th is a rule made by our governing body. If we as a soccer community do not like that, then we need to lobby the governing body to change the rule with hard facts and a convincing argument, not the "this is a dumb rle" argument. Just like there is mandatory dead time in college soccer and professional teams and national teams have time off, high school soccer has mandatory dead time. Yes I would like another week or two at the beginning, but I fully support mandatory dead time. I think the World Cup should be played every three years instead of four but that is not the rule. I feel a GK should be allowed to handle a throw-in from his own player, but he cannot b/c that is the rule (fyi- I do support the current back pass rule).

Players interested in seriously improving skills can play club in the fall, ODP or indoor in the winter, high school in the spring and 6-aside or attend camps in the summer. Granted, all of these levels may not have the top level coaches but this schedule gives kids a chance to play year round if they choose too. If you allow high school to practice all the time, you would loose some of the players b/c they would not want to train the schedule that some coaches would want to run. And let's not forget to think of the coaches. We all know that there is more money to be made by coaching club teams, but many of us choose to coach high school teams in the spring b/c of the numerous non-monetary rewards that come with high school teams.