Only time will tell who's right. One thing is certain, the rest of the world is getting better. The USA must do something more than rely only on speed and conditioning.
I do. I hope no one minds a little personal story here. I played both. It helped that the seasons were not at the same time although they overlapped a tiny bit (club with preseason of high school). The high school season was also much more limited than club and only lasting about 3 months. Of course, I didn't play in an academy so I can't compare to that, but I will say that both club and high school gave me a different experience, and I appreciate both. Playing high school was where I could be captain and learn to lead and where I had fun. Playing club was more pressure but also where my skill developed and prepared me more for college soccer. Both gave me great memories, and I feel like I personally would have missed out had I not done both. (I also feel like I would have missed out had I not done other extra-curriculars like the school newspaper. I think all of those enrich the high school experience.)
Disclaimer: I do not think the USA is all about speed and conditioning. That being said, I do agree that the rest of the world is catching up and that starts from the youth level. Our recent performances on the world stage was shambolic which means high school soccer alone is not cutting it. I do believe the downside of the current system is that it puts incredible amount of responsibility on the top level. Meaning all the brunt work that needs to be done to develop a player is being done by the national team which should not be the case. This is why the current national team functions more like a club team. If they have to undertake the responsibility of developing players to such a level that we can compete on the international stage, of course the turnover of players won't be high. That means all those that complain why players that impress in NWSL are not given more of a chance, get ready for more of the same. On the flip side, if we can offload more of the responsibility to the DA or other leagues, the faster a player can be integrity into the national team.
Just to clarify, speed is how kids gets noticed in this country, whereas conditioning is how the WNT has been able to stay on top. I'm not saying all players fit this bill, however it is a stereotype of the typical player(s) in the USA. I'd really like to see more (not all) US players be better than the Germans at passing, better than the French in tight spaces, and have more flair than the Brazilians. The US produces the best players and has tons of resources and support, compared to most countries, it's not an unrealistic expectation. Losing out on high school sports and other activities is a huge loss, but if we can produce players the likes of M&M (Messi and Marta), it'll be worth it. Having players of that caliber grows the sport to no bounds.
The Boston Breakers Academy, WNY Flash Academy and Seattle Reign Academy are part of the 5 new clubs joining the ECNL for 2016-2017 season ECNL announces 5 new member clubs 👍🏻⚽️ https://t.co/r9xNz8rolw #RaiseTheGame pic.twitter.com/c9w4JXhGy7— ECNL Girls (@ECNLgirls) April 8, 2016 “The Western New York Flash strives to compete at the highest level with our professional team, now entering their fourth season in the NWSL. With the expansion of the Academy program, the goal has always been the ECNL. Having ECNL in the Western New York area is unparalleled, and we look forward to having players compete in the best youth soccer league in the United States." – Aaran Lines, Academy Director of Operations, Western New York Flash “The mission for the Seattle Reign Academy is to provide the best possible development opportunities and standard of play for the players involved in our academy. The ECNL has developed the strongest program in the country to support our mission. We are really excited about joining the ECNL, and believe it will be a massive opportunity for our club and its players.” – Laura Harvey, Head Coach and General Manager, Seattle Reign "We are very excited to be part of the ECNL. The development of youth players in our program is very important to us. The ability to provide a league boasting the highest competitive level of youth female soccer in the country to our development pyramid leading up to our professional team is an incredible step forward in our commitment to youth, developing the next generation of Boston Breakers professional players." – Lee Billiard, General Manager, Boston Breakers
Just noticed Nikki Washington was hired as a Reign Academy coach. http://seattleunited.com/teams/seattle-reign-academy/#staff
I overheard a discussion between Spirit staffers that gave me the impression they actually want to have two academies, one on either side of the Potomac.
Yeah, that was mentioned at the end of their press release, too. I know the Washington-area (semi)pro team has always been involved in the youth scene, though I'm definitely curious as to how the acquisition of the Braddock Road Stars Elite team (or whole organization?) influenced their joining the DA, considering how their current DA efforts are focused down there.
WNY Flash are in the last group accepted into the DA, announced 8/17/16: http://www.soccerwire.com/news/club...r-girls-development-academy-inaugural-season/ FC Kansas City and Houston Dash are also in this group. Flash press release: http://www.wnyflash.com/news/?article_id=445 “We are excited to be a founding member of the United States Soccer Girls’ Development Academy,” Western New York Flash Academy Director of Coaching Rob Ferguson said. “Since I arrived in Buffalo, we have repeatedly said that we are committed to changing the landscape for female soccer players in western New York. Joining the U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy is one piece of that changing landscape. When you pair this amazing achievement with our participation in the ECNL, the launch of our new Jr. Academy Program for 6-10 year olds, and our College Placement Program, it makes 2016 a very exciting time for the Western New York Flash and our Flash Academy.”
By the letter, yes, but Rory's Eclipse Select was part of the second wave of Academies accepted into the program.
If you are afraid you might not make the high school team, that's pressure too. If the high school coach has a win at all costs mentality, that can be more detrimental than an academy coach who is interested in your personal development. Of course, these might be flipped, depending on where you live. Or both options might be bad. Or both great. There's not a blanket statement that really describes all geographies.
I would think that if you're worried about making your high school team, then you have no worries about playing in the WDA. You won't make the WDA as that level of play is so much higher than HS soccer.
US Soccer announced Girls DA Regional Divisions http://www.soccerwire.com/news/club...adds-four-clubs-announces-regional-divisions/ Northeast – 14 teams from MA, NJ, downstate NY, CT, PA, VA Boston Breakers, Sky Blue-PDA, Washington Spirit Southeast – 11 teams from FL, NC, GA Orlando Pride Mid-America – 11 teams from OH, IN, Upstate NY, MI, MN, IL Eclipse Select (Rory Dames), WNY Flash Frontier – 13 teams from CO, KS, TX, OK FCKC, Houston Dash Northwest – 11 teams from NoCal, WA, OR, UT Portland Thorns, Seattle Reign Southwest – 14 teams from SoCal, AZ
Worth noting as well... Lots of established men's clubs that have been linking to potential NWSL expansion staking a claim in the girl's DA (interestingly not RSL, though).