US Soccer Developmental Academy

[djones]

On the heals of the US MNT's big upset of Spain and their upcoming game vs. Brazil on Sunday, I thought I'd highlight what's happening in the US as far as those important +14 age groups that is assisting in the US Soccer's development. I've watched this unfold since I started taking my oldest son's team up and down the Pacific Coast 4 years ago, playing most of these clubs and watching it morph into what I think is the model we should be following. I always thought that they had an advantage because they were always half a year older than us but it comes down to better organisation and a quest for something better that we in Canada don't understand!

Today was the start of the US Soccer Developmental Academy playoffs in Browns Summit, North Carolina (15 field complex) for both U15/16 (late 92’s and early ’93) and U17/U18 (late 90’s and early 91’s – under 20’s????).

For those that don't follow youth soccer or hasn't travelled south to play some of these mega teams in tournaments like Surf Cup or Dallas Cup, the USSDA is an academy league (like a junior soccer league) made up of the top club teams from around the US on the boys side. Clubs have to apply, then qualify through a pre-academy league. It's kind of like an exclusive boys club only allowing the biggest, most successful and most prestigous clubs to participate.

They play in a region or division (ie. Pacific Northwest Division) that covers anywhere from a state region (southern Cal or Texas) or a quite a few states (ie Wash/Oregen/NorCal). Most division have MLS youth teams in them (not always the top team believe it or not) and has two seperate age groups - U15/16 combined and U17/18 combined. It is a step up from Super Y-League and, incombination to their league season (starts in September), they play and host showcase tournaments where the top MLS and college scouts come to watch. They run combines (much like college football etc...), post scores on ESPN (yes, some 14 year old has a 39.4 inch vertical) and is where the best of the best play. They cannot play in any tournaments (like Surf or Dallas Cup) including state cups, regional championships and US Youth Championships! The cost is quite high - much in the range of playing for a top tier peewee spring hockey team. Parents drive from around the state to have their kid play for these teams and on their team webpages some players have their college recruiting resumes posted including GPA for potential college coaches and scouts to view.

As US Soccer doesn't run State teams (like our provincial teams), they do run ODP teams (Olympic Developmental Teams) but these teams are considered a step down and players cannot play USSDA and ODP in these specific age groups. Players can't even play for their high school teams. The feeling is State or ODP teams are too politically flawed, ODP recruits the coaches from these elite clubs anyways and the USSDA produces more players (anywhere from 20 to 30 players on a roster as well as reserve squads that play in the state/regional/national championships) than a state or ODP team. As well as 72 elite teams (with rumour of more than 20 new ones for next season) with more than one team from one state (Texas and So Cal have some of the top ranked teams in their nation in one age group) compared to the just 52 state or ODP teams with one team from each state including the very weak ones (ie. Alaska).


FYI:
The teams just south of us in Washington State, those teams we use to thump when we were younger on those soccer exchange thingys, did quite well in the league with 3 of 4 making the playoffs:

• U15/16
o Washington Premier – 2nd in Pacific Northwest Division, ranked 7th in nation, qualified for playoffs
o Crossfire FC – 3rd in Pacific Northwest Division, ranked 11th in nation, qualified for playoffs

• U17/18
o Crossfire FC - 1st in Pacific Northwest Division, ranked 7th in nation, qualified for playoffs
o Washington Premier - 7th in Pacific Northwest Division and DNQ for playoffs

Both Crossfire (6-2) and Washington Premier (3-1) won their games in the U15/16 age group . Arsenal FC from SoCal, ranked 2nd in the nation LOST their opening game to 31st ranked Cal Odyssey 3-0! Cal Odyssey play in the Northwest Division against Crossfire FC and Washington Premier.

Crossfire FC U17/18 tied their game 1-1 with Richmond Kickers.

We really need something like this in Canada for both the boys and girls run by the top, elite youth clubs in the country. Being a Select coach of one of the best U14 teams in BC, I know more about the teams south of us than any other club outside this province. That shouldn't be.

It would be nice to have a "soccer summit" of the top youth clubs in the country that could actually pull off the standard and commitment for something like this (charter clubs) and then a road trip to one of these events so we can see how big, competitive and outstanding these things are to run (and then copy it)!

We will continue to fall further and further until we sort out our +14 age groups and competing with these US teams that up until this time, competed and beat occassionally in tournaments like Baker Blast or Pacific Coast Challenges in Washington State. No wonder the US is able to upset the big boys. In the next 10 years, beating Spain or Brazil may not be an upset!

 

[Regs]

Interesting stuff Jonesy!

Reading your post though, I kept thinking that the politics here are just too much of a hurdle to get past in order to even begin to discuss setting something like this up.

People would be up in arms because it catered to the elite and rich kids (due to costs involved). We see this already with yout groups having a moan about having to pay a couple of bucks towards the CSA as a part of registration fees (1-3% is all I think of the total it works out to).

What about as a start to getting this going, someone steps up and starts putting together a super tournament here and attracting some of the bigger stateside teams? Is there anything comparable here? - by here I mean BC, I'm aware of the Robbie Cup in Toronto. Something that does not include 'house' teams.

 

[djones]

I think we need to find who the biggest and best clubs are and then define them as to why they are considered a candidate for a program like this. For instance, Oakville SC is by far the biggest club in the country with something like 10 000 registrants but has had very little success when it comes to elite soccer. Would they be considered a candidate for this league? With their skill of organizing so many players, coaches, and managers (plus potential sponsorship), they could be a real asset. But maybe their members, like you pointed out, would want nothing to do with the league because loss of major field time and some of their resources would be going to this elite program that the mass majority would never be part of. Maybe they lack ambition for something like this.

There are clubs in this province and across the country that have been asking for something like this but are isolated because of organizations that are only looking out for their own "empire" and who stall progression establishing a status quo when really their ambition is not even in the same ball park as these progressive clubs. It's frustrating to hear them then turn around and complain that soccer in this country will never get better and that we'll never make the World Cup.

The Y-League is good for a couple of reasons but the downside to the league is that the some of the "best players" are playing in the Provincial Program or choose not to play in the summer. Whenever there is something that is like an All Star team (Provincial Program) that takes players out of a league and won't let them participate, the stigma is that the league is a second rate program. My opinion is that the BC Program has run its course and the top pyramid is too sharp, missing too many players, de-motivating players who are cut, only 16-17 players are "developing" in their program and considered for the national program, and their poor relationship with these elite clubs who feel they can run their own programs and have access to facilities and structure.

A league like the USSDA or an all-Canadian Y-League where the top players strive to play will produce more players, keep more players like the late developers or the late born players in the system, and help generate coaches, refs and administration that can help develop the elite players of the country. It will also aid in scouting for colleges, university, national programs and professional teams. You could have showcase tournaments with symposiums, soccer conventions and combines for players to participate in, easier to attract sponsorship but it would be a real battle to win over BC Soccer, the rest of the provinces and the CSA. Unfortunately, some wouldn't have the stomach for it.

I want to know who the best clubs are in Canada and who is doing a tremendous job of producing talent in the country. I want to know how these top clubs do it so that we can take those things and bring them to my club and implement programs like this. How does Oakville do it with all those registrations and organization headaches that we get? Where do they get all the volunteers? Are they all volunteers and if not, where do they get the money? Isn't that how we are going to get better?

Maybe membership into this US program, like Abbotsford did quite a few years back with the Y-League, is the only way to go. Clubs that entered the USSDA do not need state approval from their State soccer associations but then again, their state associations seem to back this progressive and developmental view. If only BC Soccer and CSA did the same, we would have more of a progressive and innovative attitude in our soccer communities.

 

[TS]

I thought I read somewhere a few years ago that US Soccer moved all the U-15 to U-20 national level players, I think it was 30 boys/girls, to Florida to train year-round at a soccer academy. Did that actually happen?

I agree that we're light years behind the US in terms of soccer organization, but I think it comes from a lack of leadership/accountability from CSA. I think the CSA needs to meet with elite level youth club coaches, the provincial soccer bodies, the 3 pro teams and their reps, and divise some sort of heirarchy/organization amongst the systems. Maybe have some of our teams join the elite leagues across the border, or set up our own leagues here if there's enough support.

I've treated a bunch of elite level youth players over the years (physio) and there's so many different views on whether the youth guys should play with the BC program, or with the Whitecaps or with a PCSL team or with their TSS team etc. I think their needs to be an understanding as to where the best players should play (is there?!), so they play there with the end-goal being selection to our national team programs.

But then again, what do I know?! I'm just going on what I hear/occasionally read....

 

[trece verde]

The problem, as TS has mentioned, originates with the CSA. Since their aim low approach has resulted in nothing but mass frustration, we now have all these parallel systems operating in isolation from each other, and as a result, talent is getting ignored or even worse, leaving for perceived better opportunities overseas.

The real solution is to have a coherent national program that does away with feudal fiefdoms like the provincial bodies. Players going into the national program will still need to be able to play games against a variety of opponents to keep themselves sharp; doing nothing but practicing just results in stagnation.

The selection process is what really needs to be refined. There has to be an objective, even methodology for picking the best players on their merits, and not by their political connections or the contents of their parent's wallets. There is no room for egos or politics in this process; just identify and gather the best players. Tie them to club teams if you must, or let them train in regional or even provincial concentrations, but don't do it in isolation.

Along with this, develop coaching properly. There is absolutely no reason why we can't make sure that all our kids' teams past the age of 6 have properly accredited coaches. Parent volunteers are nice, and necessary, but at least give our kids a chance by making sure that their coaches know what they're talking about. Make sure that the older kids are doing stuff relevant to their level of play, and give them a chance to learn the tactical part of the game that seems so woefully lacking in most of Canadian play.

There are some very good soccer minds in this country, even including some who spend too much time on here. That the CSA has not taken advantage of them to improve the system we have is shameful, and quite telling.

rant over (for now...),

Trece

 

[djones]

Trece,

I'm not sure if the scenerio below is the National Program that your implying but this idea of a 'national program' - like an Olympic program is the one most think will work. It doesn't.

Having a 'national program' where you take the top 30 or so players from an age group, house them, school them, train them and base all our hopes on them is expensive, fruitless and is a method the Americans have been doing for the last 5 years or so (ODP) and have now in the process of scrapping for this USSDA. England did the same (produced a few good players like Michael Owen) and it too has scrapped it.

There's too many flaws in the sytem. Players that show so much promise at 15 rarely meet that potential at 20 or 21. We can all recall a player like that from our playing days. Too many players fail to develop to justify money that the CSA would spend that they doesn't have. The turn over rate would and is too high.

I still feel that the way the Americans are doing it is the logical way of going about it where you are creating a very competitive environment, a LARGE base of players that is being developed (like junior hockey), coaches and referees are also being developed while being scouted by college/university, pro teams and national programs like the U17's and U20's. The cost and responsibility of development would fall to elite 'super' clubs (charter clubs - not what we think as in house league clubs) who would have to hire the best coaches and those coaches, or potentail coaches, would have to keep up with the developmental process or they'll find themselves out of a job.

That's one of the problems with youth soccer these days, some coaches aren't given that 'push' to change their tactical approach (if they even have one) and/or updating their approach to the game. Why should they? Why go get higher coaching levels (doesn't always mean a better coach!!) when there's nothing REALLY to strive for? Provincial title? Okay. Then what? They are realitively successful as is (big part of the problem).

It would be great to have something to strive for so that more learning and understanding can take place. France uses Clairefontaine (like a Centre of Excellence) but the boys go there for short amount of time and then go back to their clubs. This, plus a Canadian Soccer Developmental Academy System, would be excellent for both players and coaches. You're invited there, partake in sessions/tutorials/lectures etc..., and then go back to your teams/clubs and put them into your training sessions and team set up.

 

[trece verde]

DJ:

Agreed with your idea of the critical mass required being much larger than a traditional national program - there should be at least a hundred (if not more) players involved just from this one province. My thought in labelling it as such was really just to emphasize that the CSA HAS to buy into the idea to improve - make it nationwide; hence no capital letter as per "National." It really doesn't matter who runs it as long as it works; I just think that if there's a single system in place it's a lot easier to identify potential than the mess we have now.

Agreed on the plateauing players, but that's when you can make them smarter by better coaching. So you have a kid who peaks physically at 15? Teach him to be better tactically and make him a smarter player. The program still wins because you'e just started training the next generation of better coach or referee who can take that specialization to the next level. Otherwise you can send him to play in the FVSL.

 

[sixfyv]

feudal fiefdoms

woefully lacking

Fantastic use of the English language. Bravo!

10 bonus points

~ Dude

 

[trece verde]

Dude:

What are you doing on sixfyv's computer? Again?

 

[djones]

Something happening in Ontario coming from the OSA... 'what we are doing is not working so let's look at changing it'...

Elite Youth Developmental League

 

[Dude]

Dude:

What are you doing on sixfyv's computer? Again?

I had to come up for air at some point.

 

[sixfyv]

Words cannot express how offside this is.

Funny, but offside, nonetheless.

Bastage!

 

[Dude]

Words cannot express how offside this is.

Funny, but offside, nonetheless.

Bastage!

...