Everyone Misses the Point of HS Soccer

I would be very surprised of any team bringing 30 players on a roster to the Dallas event. I wish you would explain which ones. I do know of some teams that will make the roster of 30 -35 players fulltime to lock them in. Come on if you are 15-16 years old you know where you stand on the team. Take some personal responsability to you own stake. I also know of some kids that are going to play High School and try to win back there spots on the the team

 

I don't know about other DCs but the Rapids will be cutting back on the pool of players:

This comes from the following article on HS soccer in Boulder County, CO and I found it an interesting read:

http://www.bocopreps.com/ci_21077358

Some quotes:

 

Here's an example:
http://ussda.demosphere.com/MatchReports/37416866/3158494.html

 

The match reports does not mean those player where sitting on the bench. I just looked at my sons match report and I know for a fact that they only brought down 18 players even though the match report looks like 30/35.

 

I was only talking about the players who traveled.. not the rest.

 

I for one am very happy that USSDA is going to a 10-month calendar because the high school soccer in our area is abysmal. The primary problem with high school soccer is there is no choice for the participant, it is essentially the luck of the draw. I support my kid in whatever soccer he wants to participate in, whether it is club, high school, AYSO (which I think is great BTW), or co-ed rec. However, if he asked my advice, I would suggest he quit wasting his time with his local high school because the level of coaching is achingly and frustratingly bad. If he wasn't playing academy next year, I would suggest he join one of the clubs that offers a high school alternative program.

His high school "produces" quite a few D1 and D3 players, but it has little to do with the high school coaches and more to do with the demographics of the area and the soccer clubs. The irony is that the high school coaches believe they are good coaches because once in a while they get a group of D1 stars who generate enough of their own leadership to make up for their lack of coaching ability. Although they have had some great players lately, including 6 academy players last year, the high school hasn't had a winning season in 3 years. I can't think of any of their players who was a better player at the end of the season than before and saw many players who were much worse after playing under those coaches. A few good players have quit playing soccer out of frustration. The head coach never played and has surrounded himself with assistants who played for him. Many of the assistant coaches only participate with the high school team in order to convince players to join their local soccer club. The best grade-level coaches in the program are teachers because they don't seem to have a hidden agenda. The school does have a new young teacher who is truly a gifted soccer coach. I'm actually a bit jealous of his ability. I wonder how long he will stick with the program since his talent makes him a threat to the coaches with more seniority.
Do you think these coaches would take advantage of any coaching outreach on the part of US soccer to improve their coaching ability? Frankly, that is an absurd thought. All we can do is wait until that generation retires.

Lastly, I know that no Asian or Hispanic player will ever play varsity until the head coach and his primary assistants leave. I know many of you will not believe me but after watching things for a few years this fact has become very apparent. It breaks my heart to think of one player my son played with last year on a grade level team. He has worked hard to improve his game and has become a much better player. At another school he would be a varsity player, but at our high school he does not have much of a chance because he is Hispanic. The school doesn't have any black soccer players but I wonder what would happen if a good one came along.
So of course I am glad Academy soccer no longer allows high school since it makes the decision for us. Perhaps I would feel differently if my son went to a different high school. I will never know.

 

Why does this discussion always turn into a HS coaches suck thread?

The answer to your question above is YES! As a high school coach, I would definitely take advise from any coach - regardless of experience. In fact, I have attended both USSF and NSCAA training. Have talked x's and o's with college coaches, all level of club coaches, and international professional coaches. I can't imagine anyone would not be interested in trying to improve their craft.

I am offended by your - and others - insinuation that HS coaches are worthless, can't improve the skill set of athletes, can't help athletes make it to the college level, are only in it for the stipend (by the way which would equate to about $0.20/hr when all said and done), and are somehow far less worthy than a travel or DA coach. I am sure there are some HS coaches that fit your description, but many of us do not. It would be nice if we could stop generalizing.

 

Most of the HS coaches I know are not good. Very small few that I've met are. A lot of coaches attend USSF and NSCAA courses, but very few learn or apply knowledge from these courses. These organizations do not have the opportunity to hold HS coaches accountable.

In addition, whether a HS coach is good or bad one, the bigger problem is the structure of the HS program. The program limits even good coaches.

I don't know why you'd be offended, because I haven't said anything directed personally against you and your coaching ability. Usually only guilty people get offended.....the first one to say "it wasn't me" usually is the one who did it.....

 

I agree with this. I see no problem with either and in fact they both serve a very different group of players.

 

First, thank you for taking the time to work with the students. You sound like a great coach, one who is working to continually improve and understand your avocation. And you sound like a coach I would want my kid to play for. If you are a teacher, I'll bet you are a great teacher also. I know some excellent high school soccer coaches. In the area I came from, there were A and B licensed coaches coaching high school. They were some of the best coaches in the area and also coached the state's best teenage club teams. There were one or two, who I never paid attention to, who also fit the description of our local high school coach.
You can imagine my bewilderment when my son started playing in the local high school program. You can't imagine anyone who does not want to improve their craft? Trust me, if you were on the staff of the local high school, you would be appalled. The coach and his top assistants do not pursue additional coaching classes. They head coach never played and has achieved 0 coaching certifications. They play soccer exactly like we used to play in the 80's in the US. The head coach has undue influence on the team, you can see it in the drills they do and even in the warm-up they perform before games.
As I mentioned, the club coaches in the program are the worse ones. They role is to coerce players into the local club. They are not qualified to coach above U12 at the local club, so why are they coaching at the high school? Not only are the club coaches on the staff not good soccer coaches, they are mediocre as people as well. I could write half a page about that but let's let it go for now. Since my son started playing soccer, my goal was to get him better coaching than I could provide. Didn't work out in this case. I know the high school head coach is not there because of the stipend. It must be some kind of ego trip.
There are some poor club coaches as well. At my son's former club, they had some great coaches, some very good coaches, and one who was average at best. Guess which one my son ended up with his last year? There are some wonderful high school coaches also. As I mentioned, the absolute best young soccer coach I have ever seen is new to the high school staff. Not only is he a great soccer coach, but he is the type of person who makes you want to be a better person just by being around him. Unfortunately for him, he will be buried coaching the teams nobody wants at the high school for a long time. Seniority, not ability, counts.

Again, as a superior coach, I am sorry about the generalizations that unfairly reflect upon your passion. I wish you were the head coach at our local high school...but you are not.

 

perhaps this is more an example of the area in which you live/play. We have many highly licensed coaches in the high schools in which we play - myself included.

Agree. Short season leads to limited development/training time. But I do the most with the time I am given.

Really? First you lump all HS coaches (not me personally) into a group that wouldn't seriously take the advice of any DA coach. Then you insinuate that since I was offended by that claim, I must be one of those coaches.

I agree that any 10-month program, with quality training, and an emphasis on development is going to be better than a 2-2.5 month program that isn't focused on those same things. But there are still quality coaches in HS that do actually focus on development and place other things at a higher priority than winning (such as grades, sportsmanship, teamwork, to name a few). All I'm asking is that some recognition can be given to the HS coach, especially those that deserve it. Besides, not all of America is covered by a DA program. Someone has to look out for those soccer players who do not live in DA zone.

 

That's correct. I can only have an opinion based on my area and what I've seen/experienced. I don't doubt the possibility of different realitie in other areas of the country.

You may do the most with the time you are given, but that is just not enough to develop better elite players in the type of environment you work.

I didn't lump all HS coaches into one group. But I stand by my other statement. In my experience, usually the guilty ones are first to claim innocence.

When I see or meet a HS coach who deserves credit, I will give him/her due. For example, now I can give you credit for admitting that a 10-month program with quality training is better for developing players than the HS Soccer programs.

In all honesty, the difference in the quality of coaches between DA and HS is not that big. It's close, but still in favor of the DAs IMO. The biggest difference however is in the fact that the DA coaches have to adhere to certain standards set by the Federation. Soon, I believe more standards will and should be set by each MLS team for its Academy teams, if that has not already been done.

Little by little the DA program is heading in the right direction. But they do also need to address better coaching and coaches. The best youth coaches need to be at the DAs. Unfortunately, I sense that there are still plenty of DAs where the coaches are from the "old guard", from the time before the DAs were created. There is no question the program still has things to improve on and ways to go. But by general design, the DA is a better program than HS soccer.

On the other hand, I don't see much changing for HS soccer and heading in a better direction. As a result, the coaches in that environment, good or bad coaches, stagnate in their work. IMO it is difficult to improve as a coach and apply better knowledge in a limited program such as HS. In addition, I doubt that many quality coaches want to coach HS, for various reasons - paycheck, structure of the program, ability to grow, level of the players, etc. For example, if I was still a youth coach and not just a soccer parent as I am now, I wouldn't want to coach HS soccer. I would want to coach DA soccer.

I may be wrong, but this is my opinion, based on observations and discussions with people involved. And of course, once again, I speak based on my area and admit that things could be different in other areas.

 

Her is a recent article by Alecko Eskandarian on the subject:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ampaign=Feed:+rss/si_soccer+(SI.com+-+Soccer)

 

He is being completely and utterly unrealistic in what he says there unfortunately. Here is a quote from that article.

This is ridiculous. I agree with the first sentence I quoted - we are headed in the right direction - but everything he said after is completely impractical and infeasable.

So what he wants is the MLS academies on one schedule, and the other academies on another schedule. Right there the leagues no longer work together, so we are separating them out. So what you say? Well if the MLS clubs are a division of the DA system unto themselves, then we are going to be asking for 15-18 year old boys (and next year 13-18 year olds) to travel all over the country year round. We allready hear complaints from some about the ammount of travel involved, now you want 13 year olds in Houston flying off to games in Seatle and NY on a regular basis? That is idiotic in the extreme.

 

Academy is going to U13/U14 next year (2013-2014). Imagine dragging a 7th grader all over existence, and gosh forbid you have a 10th grader who you also drag all over existence for another team.

They'll be having U7 pre-academy teams soon.

 

Its all about the Benjamins.

 

Do you really think it is about the money. If the Fire is charging nothing. I think it is more about trying to beat Jamaica lol

 

You really think the Fire and others are going to sponsor 13 year olds? Could be wrong, but that seems like a bad investment to bring in a bunch of pre-pubescent boys that could likely be much different players in just a few years.

 

I totally agree but if I am not mistaken all academy and pre-academies are free. My son does not play for them. It would be great to hear from a parent or a player so see if that is how it works.

 

My son will probably be on a U13/U14 MLS academy team next year. We don't know much of anything yet, that is who they will play and how much (if at all) it will cost, we do know there won't be as much traveling as the U16s and U18s, because the divisions will be slightly different. We will likely learn much more in November, at least that is when the club will be holding a meeting for the parents.

 

You are most definitely mistaken, most pre-academy teams in our area are not by any means free, and some of the academy teams still are not free. Clubs like PDA that are high-profile have worked to reduce costs for academy teams greatly.

 

I don't think Alecko is being anywhere near unrealistic or that anything in what he is saying is ridiculous. He is actually saying what really needs to happen, he is speaking the truth.

The main idea has always been to have MLS academies only. The non-MLS academies were accepted for two reasons:

1) There weren't enough MLS academies to make a league in the beginning (now I believe there are)

2) Elite clubs who eventually became non-MLS academies, made noise and felt threatened that they were going to lose talented players to the MLS academies if they themselves weren't part of the DA program (I'm not sure they were right to feel that way, btw)

So now we have come to the point were there are enough MLS academy clubs. They need to separate from the non-MLS academies, because their priorities and financial means are different. MLS academies need to focus on developing professional players, that includes expanding the services and environment they have to offer including residential program, school assistance programs, facilities, coaching, medical care, nutrition, etc. That's how it is done in the rest of the World - total investment in developing youth players for the professional game.

Unfortunately, like it or not, the country is huge and a fair distance for travel needs to be covered regardless of what kind of elite program (or programs) and structure is in place to develop top talent in US. There is no way better players will be developed in this country without traveling this huge land.

 

I meant to say the Chicago Fire's teams are free sorry for the misunderstanding.