Hey Justin!! Been awhile....
I don't think I'm arguing on behalf of anything other than being sensitive to your kid and as a parent....making sure they are in a constructive environment.
If you allow them to compete in the highly competitve world of elite soccer....they better either be one of the better players, or have a very healthy view of themselves and prioritize the value in being able to compete every day in practice against great soccer players. Because if they are player 14 or 15 thru 18......the practice field is likely going to be all that they see much of.
Whether that's right or wrong isn't the point. What is the point...is that many kids will hit that wall where their ability to continue to climb and succeed stops. Maybe he loses his starting spot. Maybe he starts, but is a reserve on his ODP team. Maybe he starts for ODP but can't make the region pool.
At some point there will simply be better players....and as a parent you have to be able to help your child navigate those waters.
If your kid can be the 16th player on a CESA Premier team and be happy with minimal game minutes, bless him. If he can't....drop down and play for a Challenge team. What is wrong with that?
Is it any different in life? Why do some kids get slotted for GT classes, and others don't? Some kids take AP classes that aren't available to other kids. One kid goes to Harvard or Duke...and another kid goes to Winthrop or USC Upstate.
There are many things wrong with youth soccer in America. But to me, the conflict between winning and player development isn't one of them. Coaching is like managing in a matrix organization. You always have competing priorities. Of course you want your kids to have fun, you want them to get better, you want them all to be successful. But the job of the coach is to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the collective team. And unless there are unbelievably extenuating circumstances the needs of the team will almost always outweigh the needs of the individual.
As a parent.....why would I expect a coach to operate differently? The coach owes the kid on a practice field....he owes the team on the game field.
Is it the right thing to do for soccer development in America? Maybe...maybe not.
