This week I'd like to take on our current youth system and see if it's anything remotely close to what it's purported to be. Around A-League circles many people point to PDL and Y-League squads as a show of just how much work is being done in the arena of youth player development. While the work that has been done is admirable and deserves credit it must also be recognized that it is not enough. In looking at the Y-League it's easy to see that to the few clubs that are represented in the competition it is a vivid picture of this country's soccer haves and have-nots. Hardly anyone right now expects to see "Inner City FC" playing against the long time powerhouses like SCYSO and their current rivals in the Y-League but we have to ask ourselves why?
A lot of people like to think that the current youth system throughout the U.S. provides an equal opportunity for players all across the country to participate in the sport. Unfortunately most of the people who would like us to believe that all athletes regardless of their monetary situation are given the same chances are lying. It is slowly but surely becoming a known fact that there is no level playing surface as it regards current amateur youth training. Do people out there truly expect us to believe that if the Beasley family had been unable to come up with the fees for "Classics" or some other form of "elite" league that Jamar and DaMarcus would have become as successful as they have? How about Landon Donovan, the current flavor of the month in the "next big thing" sweepstakes, would he have been snapped up by Leverkusen had it not been for his family's ability to absorb the financial hit of earlier youth leagues? Either way I think a lot of us know that the current system has its flaws but now the major question is how do we go about righting the ship, so to speak?
The biggest thing right now that seems to be wrong with the system isn't necessarily of a monetary nature. It has more to do with the legitimate identification of talent across the board. With soccer here in the U.S. there doesn't appear to be an organized (or, for that matter, coherent) system for scouting. I think establishing a system for the guys who are going to get in the stands and find the next Wynalda, Pope, Moore, McBride, or whoever is essential. We need to have scouts who go into the parks in the cities like L.A. and New York, as well as just about everywhere else in the country, and find these kids who have that raw talent for the game. They need to be supported, if not by the League, then at least by individual clubs. After all Fernando Valenzuela didn't just show up on the Dodgers door step if you know what I mean. Finding and identifying the talent is the first step, finding them somewhere to play is the second.
Finding these talented players a place to showcase and develop their skills is the next step. A big problem right now with soccer at the youth level is the lack of encouragement that kids get to keep playing soccer. In many communities kids who are outstanding athletes may enjoy soccer more than baseball, American football, and basketball but often times they get some not so gentle nudging in the direction of "the big three". We need the A-League clubs and scouts to get involved when they find one of these outstanding young players. "How do you expect us to do that?!" I hear A-League execs and coaches screaming. It's simple. Clinics, open door tryouts, and a gosh golly gee willikers honest to God reserve squad to compete in both the PDL and Y-League. The "reserves" who are under 16 play in the Y and the ones 16 and up play in the PDL. With so many clubs across the country in the A-League this would provide many opportunities for not only the individual clubs but also for the USL and U.S. Soccer.
What kind of advantages would this kind of system hold for these entities? For one thing many of these young kids would get to remain, for the most part, in an area somewhat nearby their hometown which means that they also get to remain in school. Another thing that could help is to steal a page from P-40 and give players in the reserve programs money for college after their "playing careers" are over. While this doesn't necessarily mean signing kids to pro contracts before their 13th birthday it does mean establishing a training program for kids that will lead up to a pro contract some day. Establishing the precedents will be the hardest part; yet, in the end the rewards seem to be far greater than the risks. Creating a link between club and community ultimately establishes a link to a possible pipeline of talent. These kinds of relationships are already being formed between the D3, PDL, and Y-League with clubs like Westchester, Northern Virginia, Carolina, and Charlotte having clubs competing in the youth competition. At the moment only two A-League clubs have squads competing in the Y-League, Toronto and Rochester, and while it is a start the rest of the league needs to follow suit. For existing teams they could become affiliate "feeder" clubs for the A-League like possibly the Brooklyn Knights forming a partnership with Long Island or the Atlanta Fire becoming aligned with the Silverbacks. This sets up the proper environment for these kids to prove themselves but what about those kids that can't quite cut it and obviously won't become pros?
For the kids who slip through the cracks they'll have a safety net by being close to where they attend high school and after that hopefully the training that they will have received will help them along towards earning a scholarship for college. Either way with kids who do make it and those who don't at least all of those who make it into the program, regardless of their background, are given an opportunity at making it as a professional player. These opportunities should be the heart of the matter and given the right environment with the right elements the people's game of the rest of the world will become our game as well whether or not you come from affluence or poverty. The right combination of facilities, willingness on the part of coaches and players, scouting, and the ability to accept change can make these things happen. After all, I think we'll find that we aren't as far from the future as some like to think. The Y-League proves that but it's only the first step on a long journey.
Cheers and Jeers
Not that much in the jeer department this week but I must boo myself on just how horrid those predictions were… but like I said if I was betting on your team (unless you're Minnesota, who somehow escaped my mojo) then they were likely to go out. The only other jeer for this week is a continued Bronx Cheer™ for the Indiana Blast organization who it seems are still on some sort of hell bent mission to destroy what was a good club. I definitely have to give my sympathy and support to all the Blast fans out there that are sticking by this team.
Now to the cheers, first of all big ups to the Men's Olympic squad for breaking through to the quarterfinals for the first time in a very, very, very long time. Can't mention the men without talking about the women either so big cheers to Mia and company down in Sydney. Next I'd like to give a big pat on the back to the Charleston Battery, Seattle Sounders, Richmond Kickers, and last but definitely not least the Vancouver 86ers along with all of those clubs' fans for having terrific seasons. I also have to give kudos to my man J.P. Altieri and his rants. Congratulations to Milwaukee, Rochester, Toronto, and Minnesota and all of their fans as they head into the Conference Finals this weekend. This week's MVP goes to about 5,000+ people this week as I give it up for the fans who showed up in Vancouver to cheer on their club to an emphatic win over the Thunder in the first leg of their playoff series unfortunately it didn't hold up as Minnesota "flashed their get out of jail free" card and took the second leg 4-0.
A Little Help Here!?
All right guys it's your turn to help me out. First of all I'm an avid club scarf collector problem is they're a bit hard to find around the league so any help in obtaining them would be great. Now for the hard part. In the coming weeks in this spot I'd like to start profiling a player of your choice so all you guys have to do is nominate your player of choice and I'll put his name in lights for that week's column. Sound fun? I think so and it'll give us all a great opportunity to get to know the players throughout the league. I look forward to hearing from all of you guys. It looks like I've run out of space for this week so as always that's the view from here, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next week.
Care to comment on this article ?
