Daddy,
Your defense of the USSF Academy decision is excellent and you have repeatedly gone on record saying "it's about choice" and "academy isn't for everyone". I agree. Your son made a difficult choice and never looked back, and.....it worked for him. No doubt.
My concern is that USSF Academy is "sold" as a means to advance to the national team and a method to play pro soccer either abroad or here in the US. Only a small fraction of the players will ever get to this level, where they will earn a significant check for playing pro soccer.
I have to believe that 90% of the parents and players are content with a full or partial scholarship to a D1 (or D2) program as a result of participating in Academy. True, you say that you need to play at the highest club level to get the attention of high-level college coaches.
But.....what if Academy didn't exist? How would colleges recruit their players? From the various USSF Region leagues? CASL and Disney Showcases? Surf Cup? Under this model, which existed not that long ago, kids played highly competitive club soccer AND high school soccer. And the system worked.
On the boys side, are more college coaches now singing the praises of Academy, saying "I'm glad I'm now receiving players that are better skilled and more tactically aware"?
On the girls side, I've heard D1 coaches say that they are really concerned (and frustrated) that more and more good players are now "burned out" as a result of the increases in practice, games and travel that come with playing at "the highest level".
