Lack of US Soccer Developmental Academy in Pittsburgh

The academy teams are not all fully funded. Mostly just MLS ones are. Meaning players don't pay fees. I have relative playing for PA classics academy and they pay fees but I believe have group transport to games in NY, CT, etc. Only one has residency - Salt Lake (but it's in AZ).

You mentioned some good clubs at the older age group levels ,but it seems to me Western PA is far behind the other areas you mentioned when it comes to development of players at the younger ages. I know of a U9 or U10 girls team from Pittsburgh that traveled to an Ohio tournament last yr. and got beat up pretty bad. I heard no other team in burgh could beat them. Skill levels were miles apart already at that age. I know just one example but just one i've witnessed.

It does not appear there is a strong regional organization/league in the area and far fewer professionally run clubs as compared to those other areas.

I have 3 young soccer players (2 in club ball & professionally trained & a 4 yo just started taking classes at an academy this week). We are from western PA but I don't know if I could move back there just becasue they love soccer so much and I don't see a dynamic enough environment for them.

I'm excited Hounds are getting stadium and I understand they are building a training environment for youth. Hopefully that elevates all clubs to improve, expand and grow in numbers. An Development Academy team playing under their banner would only improve visibility of the team and lend credibility to the club. Hope it happens sooner rather than later.

 

I have three kids in western PA clubs ranging in age from really young U6B to a U12G. I think much of our experiences as a family have already been echoed in previous posts. I think there are two distinct topics that have been discussed:

1) Western PA Training and 2) Western PA Competitiveness

Everyone has hit the nail on the head with item 2. There are far, far, far too many clubs for the population density here. At the U12G level there is something like 14 teams. The talent pool/depth of each team is seriously depleted. Clubs take kids to fill out the bottom half of their rosters to keep costs down.

Secondly, what we come across all the time are local municipality "pre-made" teams starting out at the U7-U8 level that more or less stay together all the way through U14/U15. While these teams are successful beating up glorified pick-up teams, they seem to fall apart over time as they slowly realize familiarity does not necessarily mean skill.

With regard to training, maybe the Riverhounds is the way to go. However, what I see with our club team is the Riverhounds girls tend to play with their head down and turn everything into a one on one situation. I will say those that participate in the Riverhounds Academy have consumed the Kool-Aid completely and swear that its the best training.

With that said...if I'm already spending $1,500 for training with the club, it's hard to justify spending an additional $800 or $1000 to do Riverhounds on top of that. It seems that it has to be an either/or situation.

 

Interesting you folks seem to think there are too many clubs in your area. For reference in central Ohio there are 40-50 teams per age/gender @ U9 & U10 in our biggest league. Another league has probably 20 or so per age/gender. All of these playing at a level far above the local rec leagues. We have probably 20-30 clubs with about 10 larger ones. And Pittsburgh is a much larger Metro. I frankly believe that contributes to a very dynamic environment.

The larger league seeds their teams based on ability into divisions. Therefore Clubs build their teams with stronger teams and weaker teams. In the larger league 95% of clubs employ "professional" coaches. The larger clubs have 3-4 teams per age group. Those clubs practically compete for the best coaches since recruiting players isn't allowed. The better players often follow the better coaches.

I've seen kids that were on "C" team @ U8/U9 prosper under proper training and move up to "B" or even "A" teams by U11/U12. The better clubs(in my opinion) are more focused on player development rather than wins and losses. Others do focus and aren't shy about telling you how good they are and how many tournaments they've won. Those teams use to always get the better players but I've seen a big shift in the last few years as parents become wiser and take longer term views to their child's development. Those clubs focusing on skill development earlier are now fielding the better teams at U13 and up (real 11 v 11 soccer!) Many playing on national leagues.

So my point of is I don't think it's about # of teams or number of clubs. It's about coaching and proper focus of training at the lower ages. A child with 2 left feet @ age 8 could easily blossom into a really good player by 13 or 14 in the right environment.

 

The state of soccer in western PA is affected by the ineptitude of PAWest in promoting an atmosphere that can lead to the devlopement of top level soccer players. Up until 6 or 7 years ago, you couldn't play classic soccer below the U12 level because PAWest deemed that players U11 and younger were too young to play competitive soccer where you keep score and someone has to lose. Never mind what the parents of the gifted young player wanted for their sons and daughters. In other states in Region 1 and around the country, high-level technical training and organized classic youth teams were available far below the U12 age level. Century United changed all of that in western PA in about 2004 by fielding classic teams down to the U9 age group and entering them in USClubSoccer leagues and tournaments (and building their all-weather full-size turf soccer field). PAWest had to follow suit in allowing younger classic teams to keep up with Century United and the other clubs in the area that did this. After experiencing the downside of club soccer in the PAWest environment with my older son who is now 19, I believe that the Riverhounds training is second to none in Pittsburgh. The Riverhounds insist that the players they sign must also be willing to be a coach in their youth academy programs. My younger son is on the RDA U16 team and the technical and tactical training they receive are from young men who have played the game at the Division 1 college, USL Pro and MLS level. While there are certainly very accomplished coaches in western PA such as Bobby Vosmaer of the North Stars, no other club can offer as many accomplished, youthful, and skilled coaches at one time in one training session in western PA. The RDA team doesn't have all of the best players yet, but they certainly have the top 6 players in the U15 (August 1, 1996 to July 31, 1997 birth date) age group in Western PA. When I say the top, I mean the most technically skilled with great field vision and great understanding of the game. All of these boys play together on the Century United U15 team that is currently ranked 5th in Region 1 and 9th in the country on www.gotsoccer.com. This team plays possession style soccer and not the dump and chase game that is so popular in Western PA. I can assure you that none of these boys play with their head down. Century United isn't fighting the advent of the USSF youth academy like the other top clubs in the area are but is embracing it by establishing satellite clubs in the north, west and east. The other several top clubs in western PA have a lot at stake if they suddenly lose all of their top players and are already in a circle the wagon mode by forbidding their players to get involved with the Riverhounds youth academy. With the new stadium and the dynamic leadership the Riverhounds have, it's just a matter of 1 or 2 more years before they get the National Development Academy program designation from the USSF. At that time, all of the top players in Pittsburgh will come to the Riverhounds (instead of travelling to Cleveland to play for the Internationals like a few players do now) and the complexion of youth soccer will then change drastically in western PA for the better. This will allow other youth players to backfill spots vacated by the top players in the classic clubs and the overall quality of soccer will improve in western PA.

 

I appreciate the responses and opinions. It is good to gain perspective from other parents, coaches and players.

 

If an NDA program comes to Pittsburgh, it will be through the Riverhounds as they are now actively pursuing this status from the USSF. With 600 girls and boys now in their youth academy training programs, they certainly have the interest and base to draw from in the future. As I have heard in recent years, Beadling isn't interested and is intent on maintaining their interests and the status quo in being what some people think as the top dog in western PA youth soccer. In order to obtain an NDA program, the USSF is now mandating that it be fully funded and this will cost approximately $250K per year. No club in western PA can afford that and I don't believe there are any sponsors in the western PA area willing to donate those kind of funds to a youth soccer club. The Riverhounds, on the other hand, have a lot more clout. With the new stadium and their growing list of sponsors, this will eventually lead to some sort of funding for the NDA program with the academy players training and playing their home games at this stadium at Station Square. With the exception of Century United, no youth club in the area has their own turf field stadium, or large soccer facility, so the chances of a western PA youth club usurping the Riverhounds is nil. Certainly some business owners in the area with deep pockets and kids involved in youth soccer will be willing to donate to this cause and the Riverhounds will be there to benefit based on how they are currently positioning themselves. A recent TopDrawer Soccer article quoted a USSF NDA official source in listing Pittsburgh as one of the nine areas they are looking to expand into including Oregon (Portland Timbers), Las Vegas, central Florida, Louisville KY, eastern NY, and a few others that I can't remember. So there is interest on the USSF's part and interest on the Riverhounds part, so it is inevitable that it will happen, it's just a matter of when. For those that think this area can't compete against NDA clubs, the Century United 96/97 (U15) team played in the Northeast Pre-Academy League's Showcase event at the Soccerplex in Germantown, MD last weekend and went 1-1-1, beating South Central Premier 96 3-0, losing to FC Westchester 96 2-1, and tying Potomac 96 1-1 (http://usclub.demosphere.com/Northeast_PreAcademy/index_E.html). The Century United team dominated the first and third games and played the FC Westchester 96 team evenly because they play great ball possession soccer. So, it can be done in Western PA if players are trained the proper way and do not resort to the dump and chase style of play where the fastest players are positioned up top and the backs on these teams just kick it over the midfielders heads to these players and have them chase it to the other team's goal.

 

Thanks for posting this question. My son was lucky to sign up with an excellent coach at u9 level. When his coach moved from the area, we turned instead to Riverhounds and are very happy (ecstatic!) with his training. Besides their skill, the boys respond well to professional players. His motivation to do well has increased greatly. I am so disappointed with area league soccer and the egos that ruin it for the boys - making programs suffer from inability to group players by ability. I am helpless as a parent to do anything about it. It is disappointing when people in any activity do not give kids enough credit and keep them down (the philosophy that lead to the failure to provide opportunities of early training and development in this geographical area - as expressed above by SPsoccer fan). Kids are capable of so much when you find their passion. I did my job as a parent and helped my child find his passion, and we are being let down by the lack of opportunity. The passionate kids are a different breed - they just are. In any other sport they are celebrated. In soccer, they are maligned as "elite." Just watch the Riverhound coaches when the kids break for water - they are grown men and they immediately challenge each other with soccer shootoffs. Why? Because they are passionate about soccer - they never get enough. Soccer is a fun sport and all should be encouraged to play. But recognizing the unique needs of truly passionate kids is a must. Our various soccer leaders need to start working together. I don't care how many soccer clubs and sponsors need "recognition" on my son's soccer jersey - just start working together and create appropriate programming for all levels and allow our boys to compete at appropriate levels. I watched my son shut down and his eyes glaze over because a training program (not riverhounds) tries to be all to all - inappropriate coach to player ratios and passing with kids that cannot pass back and lose the ball in every one-on-one situation, pick up games with tons of kids on both sides, most of whom were trained in the dump and chase style of direct soccer. Parents are afraid to confront leaders in the area face to face. The opportunities are so sparse that closing even one avenue is curtains for your kid. I hear parents talking about their decisions - and it is upsetting when someone repeats something (like: "I hear the girls from Riverhounds don't pick up their heads") and they have never set foot in Greentree Sportsplex, or in our club's case, attended a practice to see for themselves. These types of comments as well as personal attacks destroyed our little club with inability to recruit. Throwing around the "Koolaid" comment without seeing for yourself is irresponsible. Different things work for different kids. Don't degrade something because it doesn't work for your kid. Move on and let other parents explore their options. They may have the "elite" player that would fit just fine.

 

kprossible,
Your perception and comments on the state of soccer training available for the passionate and talented youngster in PAWest is right on. With the exception of Century United, the major clubs are more worried about maintaining their own little kingdom and their incomes than the development of youth soccer in this area. Right now, PAWest and the major clubs in the area, with the exception of Century United, are plotting against what the Riverhounds are doing because the Riverhounds are now forming select teams and taking players away from their teams. So, in addition to not currently providing what is needed for youth development in this area, PAWest is also working to take away the only avenue for skills and technical development for the elite youth soccer player. I know for a fact that the major clubs, with the exception of Century United, are going to restrict their players from being involved with the Riverhounds youth training and RDA. Some will (and already have) do(ne) this by scheduling their practices on the same day as the Riverhounds training sessions. Others clubs will do this by telling their players that if they get involved with the Riverhounds, they cannot play for their club. I think your son needs to play, in addition to just doing technical training with the Riverhounds. If the Riverhounds cannot currently offer a team that actually plays games in your son's age group, I recommend that you get your son on one of the Century United teams (South, East, or North, depending on where you live). Century United is teaming with the Riverhounds to elevate youth soccer in this area which will eventually lead to a USSF academy franchise in the near future. My son plays for Century United and if you have any additional questions, send me a private email through this website and I will give you more details.

 

Looks like the Riverhounds recently made progress towards the USDA. They just announced sharing of teams and staff with century united and additional sponsorship. I heard they were denied several times to the USDA on account of not having their own players and funding. With the addition of licensed youth coaches and a legitimate player base that leaves the sponsorship commitment, which is quite substantial now with three age groups (u13/u14 now added). The only negative side for the hounds is that the century deal may alienate many supporters from other youth clubs. Beadling responded on their website taking a pro- high school and pro-ODP position.

 

Not going to take the time to check out Beadling's post, but I can tell you that if/when Riverhounds get teams in USDA - the elite players will go there. Yes you have to give up High School soccer, but at least in the Crew's case nearly every single player from the the acedmy got a D-1 scholarship. How many kids from Pittsburgh High Schools get offers each year? The exposure and training astandards the USDA provides far outweigh the benefits of being part of a highschool team environment for the elite player.

Some of the traditionally elite high schools may suffer, but here in Columbus, Olentangy schools each have a couple of kids from each high school now on the Crew Academy teams. Orange has been perenially solid and Liberty went to state finals 2 years in a row and won it this year. Not to mention Eastern PA schools will/are facing the same thing with Union/DC/and even Red Bulls pulling their best away.

And down the road the Hounds may be able to sign some of their academy kids to first team professional deals. That is the future of US soccer and small clubs will go that route with hopes of selling on the talent they have developed. It will be part of their business model.

By the way I say all this in support of USDA with a son who is elite at his age level and so far is choosing to stay with his current club over CSA and probably will play for his high school (one in Olentangy ) when that time comes.

 

No doubt the elite players will come and the other clubs in the area will need to continue to compete without them in the second tier of youth soccer (state cup, premier league, etc). The question is how will a USDA (or ECNL) partnership with CU impact the hounds at the ticket gates? The hounds rely mostly on the support of youth soccer families in the area from many different clubs.

 

Go to any Crew game and you will see a lot of youth teams running around in their local club gear. Of course Crew have their own DA teams but it has not alienated that vast majority of club teams in Ohio. They have many events recognizing youth teams from tournament and leagues around central ohio at games (not just their own teams). I suspect after the dust settles and the reality that there will be a DA team in SWPA (and only one) that elite players will gravitate toward, the others will go on business as usual. Each year they will lose a player or two to the DA teams that they "developed" or should I say has developed while paying to wear their club uniform. My personaly contention is that the individual player develops much of their skill and love of the game on their own with little to no impact from club coaches. Think kids playing soccer in the streets of Brazil. Good club coaches just provide an environment that encourages their desire to get better, teaches them a few things technically and tactically and to do the 1000s of juggles/touches at home. Bad club coaches try to take the credit for the work of the individual and their excellence. Clubs won't like losing "their" couple of stars but after a few years will realize the overall impact is minimal and they will survive and continue to provide a nice place for the less then elite player to play and enjoy the world's game.

 

Well the Crew and hounds are very different markets. A better comparison would be the Richmond Kickers who built their program from within. PAWest just responded with the following statement in their newspaper "We get very concerned when any for-profit entities play on the hopes of parents for a college scholarship or professional status to sell their programs."

 

As if Beadling, whose club president operates the club for profit and makes his living from his club isn't a "for-profit" entity. PAWest management are nothing but hypocrites and very pathetic.

 

There does seem to be a lot of youth marketing hype on their website.. Hopefully the hounds won't also be making promises to young kids about pro contracts (Pathway to the Pros?). Very few will go pro, and for the few who do, it is $1500 a month and shared apartment with other players followed by a career as a club or HS coach. Focus on getting Pittsburgh USDA and ECNL opportunities for the kids who want it, regardless of club affiliation, to help maximize their college soccer options.

 

Every club in western PA is actively pursuing college soccer opportunities for their top players once these players become of age, usually around the U15 age level for girls and U16 for boys. I'm sure it's the same with every club in the US. The coaches of these teams have a large network of college coach contacts and use these to promote their players. As the father of a son who has played Division 1 college soccer and a younger son who is interested in playing college soccer, and from the network of friends and local youth soccer contacts I have developed in the last 10 years, I know this to be the case. There is no evidence that the Riverhounds are promising the young players that participate in their organization that they will be sure to earn a college scholarship someday, or play professional soccer. However, PAWest has spread this rumor to discredit the Riverhounds and imply that the Riverhounds are only involved in youth soccer for the money. PAWest is more concerned about the Riverhounds forming teams through their partnership with Century United and taking away players from the pool available to the remainder of the PAWest clubs. I know this for a fact. Therefore, when they make this type of statement in their monthly newsletter to all PAWest members, on their website, and in a letter sent specifically to every Century United parent (as they recently did), it is an attempt to marginalize the Riverhounds and their program and influence PAWest youth players away from participating with the Riverhounds Development Academy and Century United. As the great Chuck Noll once said about Steeler holdouts during training camp in the 1980's, "I only worry about the players I have, not the ones I don't have". That is what PAWest should do. If they are concerned about losing players to the RDA, PAWest should suggest that the clubs in PAWest offer a better product in terms of player development opportunities. PAWest is the governing body of USYSA/USSF soccer in western PA and is responsible for serving and administering the community and classic clubs in their organization. They should not be in the business of discriminating against another USSF organization that is trying to improve the game of youth soccer in western PA in a quest to become a bona fide professional soccer organization. Anyone that knows anything about the game of soccer knows that this is the way it's done around the world: the pyramid organizational structure with youth soccer on the bottom and the professional team on the top. This is what the Riverhounds are attempting to put in place. It's a big change in western PA youth soccer and this is what PAWest is fighting.

 

The keyword is maximize. Looking at this year's PAWest boys recruiting class from websites, Beadling had a few good college placements (and a few others not so impressive). As for the other clubs including CU, it was dismal. That's because relying on club and HS coaches is hit and miss depending on their aging connections, politics and their effort. In addition their club's programming is not as good as USDA/ENCL so players (in general) are less prepared. I think everyone agrees Pittsburgh needs the USDA/ECNL for upcoming youth and hopefully PAWest will support the effort and the hounds won't blow the opportunity with self interests.

 

Interesting marketing release about two youth players on the riverhounds website. Apparently one player quite accomplished but never played in the riverhounds youth system. The other apparently a riverhounds academy product but not much to find on him from odp, national team, usysa, etc . Did he fly under the radar or is this just hounds marketing? Anybody have first hand info on the USL academy program mentioned?

 

So their first signings were a Beadling/RDA and an Arsenal FC developed player? Interesting.

 

Considering the riverhounds are a professional organization with resources beyond this areas clubs, this summer's youth marketing releases were underwhelming and contrived. They have done a great job attracting better pro players and building a new stadium, but at the youth level they need raise the bar beyond what we already have in PAWest or odp.

 

The Riverhounds signed two players to USL Professional Contracts.

Tyler McCarthy who played for Arsenal FC and then trained with the Riverhounds' Academy. Since McCarthy had graduated from high he was immediately eligible to play in pre-season, regular season, post season, and exhibition pro team games. McCarthy is a freshmen at CALU playing for the Vulcans and has experience at West Ham United and the Philadelphia Union's Academy.

The other player signed by the Riverhounds was Steven Munn. Munn is a senior at Sewickley Academy, he plays club for Beadling SC, was a member of the State Association ODP team for 6 years, he has been a member of the Riverhounds' RDA for 5 years, and he was one of three Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) players who were Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) all-state selections as a junior. I heard Munn's USL pro contract was amended to a training-only contract because the PIAA a by-laws prevent players from competing in professional games and still maintaining their high school eligibility.

During his U17 season I saw coaches from Northwestern, Cornell, Bucknell, Penn, Colgate, Georgetown, Lafayette, Williams, Amherst, Haverford, Carnegie Mellon, and many other schools regularly scouting Munn at showcase tournament's because my son plays on his Beadling team. I heard Munn wants to attend Georgetown University and they are interested in him playing for the Hoyas. Munn is very technically sound and is an excellent distributor as a central midfielder.

I Googled some articles on the Riverhounds' Academy player signings:

http://www.riverhounds.com/home/743710.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...lp-high-school-players-mature-quickly-699386/

http://triblive.com/sports/communitysports/4508000-74/mccarthy-academy-munn#axzz2fVBcrRhV

http://soccersceneusa.blogspot.com/2013/08/riverhounds-sign-high-school-players-to.html

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/52991/high-school-players-join-first-team.html