texanincali
SILVER ELITE
continued...
Part of this issue is exacerbated by some of the stupid rules USSF has applied to the DA. Part of this issue is down to coaches not being able to look past today when identifying talent. Part of this issue is down to players and parents (mostly parents) that are impatient and don't want to hear the player they have spent tens of thousands of dollars on, may not turn out to be the greatest player in the world.
In short, our clubs and coaches are a huge issue when it comes to this, way more so than a combined U16/17 age group.
I am fine with the fact that I may hold a minority opinion here and I think its perfectly fine that there is disagreement on this topic. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong here and each players situation may be different. It is incumbent on coaches and clubs getting better at identifying unique qualities in players and it is incumbent on parents being more realistic as to where their son or daughter really fits in the talent spectrum.
I've been all over the place with this post, but will leave with a story around a conversation I had with a top European Academy Director a number of years ago. He said to me, the longer we take to choose which player(s) we are going to pour our resources in to try and get to the first team, the farther we get behind in that process. He mentioned that they miss on players way more often than they hit on players. However, it that world, all it takes is to hit on one player and it could result in a $50M-$100M windfall. When that occurs, the blow is softened on the players that were mis-identified. This philosophy is quite possibly lost on American parents, especially those that are unfamiliar with the inter-workings of the global game. To give you a better understanding, the latest discussion in Europe is clubs questioning the need for a U19 age group. The thought is if a kid isn't identified as a potential professional after their U17 year and doesn't have the ability to yet play in the Reserve team, is the added expense of that U19 team worth it.
From a personal standpoint, I think there is a place for any kid that wants to play youth soccer in the US. That isn't always the case in Europe where the playing population is drastically reduced as you climb the age ladder. College soccer will always be here and it will always be a great way for good players to get their education while playing the sport they love. There are clubs that should use this as their primary goal and not worry about competing with MLS clubs.
Finally, what would I do? Or what would I like to see? I want to see an environment beginning at the U16 level that has increased pressure on individual performance. I would like to see our Fed invest some of the millions they have into analytical concepts in which every player knows their key stats in every game. Running distance, pass completion %, turnover %, shots, shots on goal, forward passes, duels, heat maps, etc. Maybe they can only afford to do this with MLS clubs, but it could be added data combined with the eye test that we aren't that great at yet. How do we expect to identify elite talent at 14, 15, 16, 17 years old when 99.9% of coaches in the US have NEVER seen what elite 14, 15, 16, 17 year old talent looks like. I would like to see freedom of movement allowed by the Federation and clubs with some financial incentive involved. If a small kid at U16 can't get into the U16/17 team at LAFC, why do we restrict San Jose coming in for that kid and saying, hey we will take you and put you in school and board you? Why couldn't Seattle, who is in need of CM players at U17 offer to pay Portland $25k to take a player that is 3rd or 4th in line because they happen to be stacked at CM players in that age? There are so many options, none of which I have ever heard anyone talking about seriously.
In the end, I want elite talent developed in the US. I want to compete for World Cup titles and I want to see 5 US born players on the field in a Champions League final. In order to get individual players to that point, choices have to be made, feelings will be hurt, lessons will be learned and US Soccer will be better off for it. Could it be at the expense of some kids at U16 that got shafted, I guess so, and that is the part of it that sucks.
Apologies for the lengthy response, but believe it or not, I still don't feel like I have properly conveyed my stance the exact way I would like to.
Part of this issue is exacerbated by some of the stupid rules USSF has applied to the DA. Part of this issue is down to coaches not being able to look past today when identifying talent. Part of this issue is down to players and parents (mostly parents) that are impatient and don't want to hear the player they have spent tens of thousands of dollars on, may not turn out to be the greatest player in the world.
In short, our clubs and coaches are a huge issue when it comes to this, way more so than a combined U16/17 age group.
I am fine with the fact that I may hold a minority opinion here and I think its perfectly fine that there is disagreement on this topic. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong here and each players situation may be different. It is incumbent on coaches and clubs getting better at identifying unique qualities in players and it is incumbent on parents being more realistic as to where their son or daughter really fits in the talent spectrum.
I've been all over the place with this post, but will leave with a story around a conversation I had with a top European Academy Director a number of years ago. He said to me, the longer we take to choose which player(s) we are going to pour our resources in to try and get to the first team, the farther we get behind in that process. He mentioned that they miss on players way more often than they hit on players. However, it that world, all it takes is to hit on one player and it could result in a $50M-$100M windfall. When that occurs, the blow is softened on the players that were mis-identified. This philosophy is quite possibly lost on American parents, especially those that are unfamiliar with the inter-workings of the global game. To give you a better understanding, the latest discussion in Europe is clubs questioning the need for a U19 age group. The thought is if a kid isn't identified as a potential professional after their U17 year and doesn't have the ability to yet play in the Reserve team, is the added expense of that U19 team worth it.
From a personal standpoint, I think there is a place for any kid that wants to play youth soccer in the US. That isn't always the case in Europe where the playing population is drastically reduced as you climb the age ladder. College soccer will always be here and it will always be a great way for good players to get their education while playing the sport they love. There are clubs that should use this as their primary goal and not worry about competing with MLS clubs.
Finally, what would I do? Or what would I like to see? I want to see an environment beginning at the U16 level that has increased pressure on individual performance. I would like to see our Fed invest some of the millions they have into analytical concepts in which every player knows their key stats in every game. Running distance, pass completion %, turnover %, shots, shots on goal, forward passes, duels, heat maps, etc. Maybe they can only afford to do this with MLS clubs, but it could be added data combined with the eye test that we aren't that great at yet. How do we expect to identify elite talent at 14, 15, 16, 17 years old when 99.9% of coaches in the US have NEVER seen what elite 14, 15, 16, 17 year old talent looks like. I would like to see freedom of movement allowed by the Federation and clubs with some financial incentive involved. If a small kid at U16 can't get into the U16/17 team at LAFC, why do we restrict San Jose coming in for that kid and saying, hey we will take you and put you in school and board you? Why couldn't Seattle, who is in need of CM players at U17 offer to pay Portland $25k to take a player that is 3rd or 4th in line because they happen to be stacked at CM players in that age? There are so many options, none of which I have ever heard anyone talking about seriously.
In the end, I want elite talent developed in the US. I want to compete for World Cup titles and I want to see 5 US born players on the field in a Champions League final. In order to get individual players to that point, choices have to be made, feelings will be hurt, lessons will be learned and US Soccer will be better off for it. Could it be at the expense of some kids at U16 that got shafted, I guess so, and that is the part of it that sucks.
Apologies for the lengthy response, but believe it or not, I still don't feel like I have properly conveyed my stance the exact way I would like to.
