The bottom line is that this is hs soccer, in a nutshell. All the talk about how great hs soccer is for the players, yada yada yada, and then something like this happens again. Are there beneficial aspects of hs soccer? Sure. But, the majority of these "benefits" can be characterized primarily as personal development, rather than player development. And that is where the schsl fits in.
At the end of the day, the schsl does not look out for the best interests of the players' development nor the game. Short-sighted governing, lack of facilities in terms of quality and quantity, lack of resources (again quality and quantity), poor officiating, red tape, politics, parents, etc etc. This won't be the last mistake, in part due to the items mentioned above, but also due to the lack of reform on the part of the coaches association. Could these issues should have been addressed long ago. Perhaps the focus will move from all-state players, nscaa all-american players, and coach of the year awards to soccer-specific reform.
As for this situation, the responsibility lies with the leader. At least somebody recognized that today.
