HS Hijinks

[JohnR]

Our local club sent its teams to an out-of-state tournament: The U15 and U16 teams combined for 1 point in 6 matches. Two goals scored, 14 conceded.

So they suck, local teams shouldn't travel out of state, what's the story there you ask?

The story is, the HS promoted multiple players off those teams to older age groups during the HS season, while at the same time it kept 3 Dallas Cup players from a superclub playing at their own age group.

The local club uses the fact that it's given favoritism by the high school in its recruiting pitches to UYoungers. They say, "The HS coaches know our kids. If you go somewhere else, they won't know you."

And people wonder why HS ball has a bad name. ;)

[5x300games]

JohnR, you have to help me here. I don't understand the ramifications of what you are saying...

Are you saying that when the high school elevated certain players to higher age groups/grades during the HS season, it made the kids who were elevated ineligible to play for their respective age groups in CLUB soccer?

(Sorry for not understanding.)

[JohnR]

JohnR, you have to help me here. I don't understand the ramifications of what you are saying...

Are you saying that when the high school elevated certain players to higher age groups/grades during the HS season, it made the kids who were elevated ineligible to play for their respective age groups in CLUB soccer?

(Sorry for not understanding.)

Nah, just said that HS promoted kids from bad local teams, and skipped over kids from good nonlocal teams. Perhaps not a surprise given that the local team wears the HS colors, and uses the same nickname, too.

[headerdunce]

Our local club sent its teams to an out-of-state tournament: The U15 and U16 teams combined for 1 point in 6 matches. Two goals scored, 14 conceded.

So they suck, local teams shouldn't travel out of state, what's the story there you ask?

The story is, the HS promoted multiple players off those teams to older age groups during the HS season, while at the same time it kept 3 Dallas Cup players from a superclub playing at their own age group.

The local club uses the fact that it's given favoritism by the high school in its recruiting pitches to UYoungers. They say, "The HS coaches know our kids. If you go somewhere else, they won't know you."

And people wonder why HS ball has a bad name. ;)


Happens everywhere. Local club coach becomes varsity coach and snubs the kids who play for the bigger, better club. The only solace you have is that it's a short season, and high school ball won't matter to college coaches at all if a kid is on a high level club team. Downside is that bragging rights at school go to inferior players and the school isn't putting the best players on the field.


In my neck of the woods, more politics in high school ball than club ball or ODP or college ball.

[JohnR]

high school ball won't matter to college coaches at all if a kid is on a high level club team.

The college my son is targeting, told him that nothing he did at HS soccer could possibly matter to them, and by all means if he sent them a video be certain that the games were club matches only.

[Dr Jay]

The college my son is targeting, told him that nothing he did at HS soccer could possibly matter to them, and by all means if he sent them a video be certain that the games were club matches only.

I don't think this is true in all cases. It is not unusual for college coaches to contact high school coaches for character references for the players. They are not so interested in how the player performs (the assumption being that if the player is being recruited for a college, they are pretty much a star for their high school). They want to know if the kid was a leader...did they come to all the practices and strive to improve....how did they interact with the other players....etc.

Obviously these types of references aren't "make or break" but if a college is contemplating giving your kids tens of thousands of dollars worth of scholarship, if their smart, they want some personal background as well.

[J-Rod]

In my neck of the woods, more politics in high school ball than club ball or ODP or college ball.

YIKES! Something to look forward to I guess. :-(

[JohnR]

Maybe I've been lucky, but in 8 years I have very few complaints about politics in club ball. (No doubt in part because we've never belonged to a community club.)

ODP and now HS, hoo boy. Makes me realize how fortunate we have been with club soccer. :)

[RegionIIFutbolr]

I have one better....How about a player that hasnt played HS her Fresh, Soph and Jr yrs (but played club), but decided to play her last yr. This player is a Regional ODP team player, D1 scholarship to a top 10 program, and they play their Sr year, totally makes a huge difference blah blah, but a few of the other HS team coaches from around the area do not vote for her to make the all-metro, district, state teams because, she hasnt played HS her 1st 3 yrs.
High School Soccer!! You gotta love it.

[JohnR]

do not vote for her to make the all-metro, district, state teams because, she hasnt played HS her 1st 3 yrs.

Freddy Adu was 3rd team All County the one year that he played HS soccer. No doubt the 1st and 2nd team players were better, that's why Freddy was on the U20 national team 18 months later. :D

[5x300games]

I have one better....You gotta love it.

Oh, that's nothing. How about an incoming freshman who couldn't even make the local club's B team getting placed with the varsity for drills at the high school summer camp, while every other club Premier and B player in her class except one got stuck with the JV?

How about that same incoming freshman getting invited to a series of varsity-only sessions with a professional trainer, only to have an upperclassmen complain how unfair it is that a kid who couldn't even make the club B team got invited instead of her younger sister on the local club Premier team.

Yeah. Those high school coaches. They don't have a clue. If only they were as smart as those local club sharpies... :rolleyes:

[firstshirt]

I have one better....How about a player that hasnt played HS her Fresh, Soph and Jr yrs (but played club), but decided to play her last yr. This player is a Regional ODP team player, D1 scholarship to a top 10 program, and they play their Sr year, totally makes a huge difference blah blah, but a few of the other HS team coaches from around the area do not vote for her to make the all-metro, district, state teams because, she hasnt played HS her 1st 3 yrs.
High School Soccer!! You gotta love it.

Then again we had a kid that did not play any soccer other than travel and played no organized ball after his sophmore year decided to go out his senior year just to get a varsity letter, kid was a natural athlete, with great speed, scored 10 goals and was voted all conference.

[drink your milk]

The college my son is targeting, told him that nothing he did at HS soccer could possibly matter to them, and by all means if he sent them a video be certain that the games were club matches only.

DING DING DING!!!

Universities don't go to high school soccer games to recruit players. They recruit from the clubs.

[Celtic3]

Not true.......At Neuqua over the past few years I have seen and talked to multiple college coaches who attended games.

[MenaceFanatic]

Not true.......At Neuqua over the past few years I have seen and talked to multiple college coaches who attended games.

What level of Colleges? Come on, I just don't see Notre Dame or Ohio State recruiting at a local high school game? Since you talked to them, I'd be interested to hear where these college coaches were from........

[Celtic3]

Div 1 Colleges ......mostly within the DeKalb- Evanston circuit and points in between.

I am really tired of hearing people knock High School coaches.I'll stand up for the coaches of Neuqua and say that they are amongst the finest people I've met in soccer in Illinois,and if they are deficient in any tactical areas of soccer then they more than make up for it with a surplus of positive character traits and honor. Some of their coaches are way better than some club coaches I've seen.

High school coaches are educators first and foremost.
Can you imagine club coaches like Matko and Richardson operating under the restrictions these coaches do???? They wouldn't last a week!

[JohnR]

Some of their coaches are way better than some club coaches I've seen.

I started this thread, so it's only fair to say ... correct. There are some very good HS coaches out there, at every level from frosh to varsity, and some pretty awful club coaches at even the biggest-name clubs.

[forsomuch]

My favorite HS coach story, coach looks at his Juniors and Seniors and decides they are not good enough to win a championship over the next 2 years so he cuts all of them, every single Junior and Senior and puts all sophs and frosh on the varsity squad so he can "build for the future." Doesn't matter who is better he is willing to screw them out of playing so HE can get a championship down the road.

[MenaceFanatic]

Div 1 Colleges ......mostly within the DeKalb- Evanston circuit and points in between.

You aren't willing to give up the specific Division 1 Colleges you speak about? Interesting......

How many Division 1 Colleges are there between DeKalb and Evanston? You aren't suggesting that the University of Indiana was at a High School game recruiting, are you?

[Celtic3]

C'mon Meneace get out a map and draw an elipse to encompass those points in Illinois.There are quite a few D1 colleges Menace........ I haven't seen Indiana at NVHS games.........seen a lot of Academy coaches there too.....heck ljust ast year saw 3 NVHS kids go to the UIC Flames alone and thats in the middle of the ellipse