Why does everyone think Southern California is such the dominant force it has become on the youth soccer landscape?
tox u hit the nail on the head - plus i think it has somethin' to do with the coachin' style of Southern Cal.
1) High Density of very good players, experienced coaches and teams. League play for Cal-Souths top teams is typically at a far higher level than the majority of states ODP teams. 2) Great soccer culture - Soccer is #1 sport for a large percentage of the population - Soccer games often get the largest share and/or ratings of any sports programming during the week. Rec leagues are filled with kids that have been taught advanced skills by parents that know the game. Kids watch games on TV and go to games. 3) Weather allows year round play.
Yep. (I left the weather part out; it's helpful but distinctly a lesser issue.) Get 20 million+ people concentrated in a (relatively) small area that is loaded with true soccer fans, and you get a lot of true soccer players. A lot of true soccer players makes for very good competition, which means that the best players are constantly challenged, and that makes them better. (While ball skills can be worked on alone, nobody ever became a great player while surrounded with lousy players.) A virtuous circle. SoCal is its own midsized soccer nation.