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Are all the best players at 16,17,18 boys choosing CESA over the academy? I don't know if they are or are not..How do we decide who the best players are? Not all the best players play on the best teams..Sometimes a player might be chosen because they might be a good fit for a system you plan to run..Does all the NFL players come from the best football schools? Not always..
I hope SCYSA would do the same for any club that had a chance to compete in a major event..I guess the only problem comes when you have two or three clubs wanting to play elsewhere during state cup..Would this happen often? I doubt it.But if it did..Where would the state draw the line?

One can argue back on forth on this until the cows come home - but you are being less than honest with yourself if you think the soccer landscape isn't currently changing in South Carolina and the US. One can point out accomplishments (state cup trophies, players sent to colleges)- and they are nice. My main point is what are the college coaches looking at now? Does ODP and R3PL hold the same clout it did 5 years ago? Has the Acadmey made the former where they are no longer the "be all - end all" of measuring sticks? I talked with an College coach I know on the girls side and he stated to me most college coaches are really starting to pay attention to the Academy program and a little less attention to ODP and R3PL. He stated fewer kids from Premier ball would play D1 soccer in the coming years. He stated exactly what I said - the soccer landscape is currently changing. My only point is CESA has a great program - but are they in jeopardy of losing some of their luster if they don't give serious consideration at some point to offering Academy level soccer?

Raekwon, to address a couple of your points:

The Academy teams are meant to be beacons that draw the best players. Listen to everything being said about the current model in SC. The team that wins is the team that everyone goes to. The old system rewarded successful teams. The new system provides opportunities for the best players.

2. I'm not slamming CESA. My point is.....their organization and resources and the the way they train and everything about them......is Academy, in everything but name. No other club in SC is doing what they are doing. But......the Academy programs are ALL doing it.

3. All the best players coming to CESA. I guess my point as one of their risks going forward as a non-Academy club. I don't think talented young players from Columbia or Mount Pleasant or Rock Hill will continue to come to Greenville, when there are now equivalent or better options locally. Academy wasn't an option.....or it was a VERY new option for families in the Columbia area or York County area. As it settles in......and the dust settles on the SC United group I absolutely see no benefit whatsoever for a kid to travel hours to play on a team when a really good alternative is 30 minutes away.

4. State cup schedules......I'll say it again that my issues were with SCYSA and not CESA.

Some more thoughts: Personally, I don't think cesa gets criticized for "bringing players in and playing in a watered down league" as you say. I think cesa gets criticized for "bringing players in, playing in a watered down league and then getting on here and bragging and pretending like nothing has changed (except for the "fact" that they think just keep getting better).

"If CESA could not compete with the SCU's academy teams why didn't they own those age groups before the academy." What? I think I know what you're trying to say, but there is no way you can compare "pre-Academy" teams to current rosters. Besides the fact that the Academy teams are made up of players who previously played at dozens of different clubs, the age requirements, as Big Daddy mentioned, are different. Apples and Potatoes.

Same thing for your comment about "the AFU's, AFC's, North Mecks." Try and compare "before" and "after" rosters – I don't think it can be done.

One issue you kool-aid drinkers don't seem to understand is that the emphasis is no longer just on winning and losing, but DEVELOPMENT. If you notice, it's actually in the name: Development Academy. Now, don't get me wrong here – I still love to win and hate to lose. Anybody who says different, for the most part, I think is not being honest with themselves.

But, the way the Academy is set up, it's not nearly as important as before. There is someone from US Soccer scouting EVERY Academy game. Just in case you're wondering, the schedule includes about 30 games. Each conference also has a full-time technical advisor. Our conference advisor, so far this season, has been to four SCUFC games AND four practices.

We are smack dab in the middle of the season, and at this very moment, there are 2 SCUFC players down at IMG for a week-long national camp. Given the location, what would you think might be the "prize" for performing well there?

If you're into the college numbers, US Soccer estimates that 85% of the 2007-08 Academy graduates went on to play soccer in college.

Is that objective enough?

Too Belligerent, man. CESA is a great club.

But I agree that the landscape is changing. There are 7-8 kids on our u18 team who are already committed to D1 schools and there will be more coming. Really good schools. We have college coaches attending practices....pretty cool stuff.

Training......last night the boys played futsal at an indoor soccer facility, which they will do every other week all season. Played their butts off for about an hour and 40 minutes. Just had a ball....play small sided, give up a goal you sit. They had it so you weren't sitting too long, average game was about 3-4 min. So in addiiton to having a ball, talking smack with their teammates, getting a million touches on the ball in an environment that pushes you to be creative and take risks......pretty good fitness too.

Expansion on the boys side. Many clubs now have unoffical u14 Academy teams and USSF will probably make that official.

If they did that next year it would look like this for birth years:

u14s 96 and 97's
u16s 94 and 95's
u18s 92 and 93's

Daddy, you did not hear me say cesa is not a great club. I did not infer, nor suggest that. I am mostly referring to attitudes (what above, exactly, did you feel was too belligerent?)

Raekwon, I don't remember anyone saying anything about "all the top players coming to CESA and not the academy." If you will please point me in the direction of that post…

I believe (again, personally) that if any parent is currently driving their child past an Academy team to play for cesa, they either:

- Feel their child would not get enough playing time with the Academy (that feeling based on current rosters and/or a lack of knowlege with how the Academy is set up)
- Have some personal issues (with certain coaches/clubs) they can't figure out how to overcome (or aren't willing to because of their egos/pride), and/or
- Just plain don't understand the concept behind the Academy (or refuse to accept the value of it)

(I tried to be objective with this one, also, but maybe not so much)