NWSL Scandal - Impact on youth soccer?

[Emma]

No I don't, and that was not what I said. What I said is that ECNL clubs offer scholarships so it is available to players in need. There are opportunities for everyone if they choose to seek the right fit out for them. Others chimed in that those players' parents want to be able to travel, too. Too bad. You can't afford everything you want in life. Parents can stay home.

Your idea of creating HS soccer as the primary recruiting pool is ridiculous. The talent is too spread out so the development would not be there.

If you've ever seen a kid shine in a discovery league game, you'd see that

No I don't, and that was not what I said. What I said is that ECNL clubs offer scholarships so it is available to players in need. There are opportunities for everyone if they choose to seek the right fit out for them. Others chimed in that those players' parents want to be able to travel, too. Too bad. You can't afford everything you want in life. Parents can stay home.

Your idea of creating HS soccer as the primary recruiting pool is ridiculous. The talent is too spread out so the development would not be there.

If that's not what you meant to say, I apologize for reading into it that way but it's how I understood your statements. I'm not advocating for elimination of club soccer or ECNL, I'm advocating an additional method, a local and cheaper way to recruit players for the benefit of all families and to grow high school soccer like football nights.

Scouting on a varsity high school soccer team (via video) and bringing the best players in for ID camps doesn't seem ridiculous. The best coaches, which I assume college scouts will be, are able to recognize skills, speed and intelligence, even when the opponents aren't that great. Through the years, many of us parents have recognized and recruited players from 1, 2 or 3 levels lower based on their own personal skills on the field, not the team's performance and we've been successful at it. ECNL coaches have looked at players from lower levels because of this.

 

[Grace T.]

Scouting on a varsity high school soccer team (via video) and bringing the best players in for ID camps doesn't seem ridiculous. The best coaches, which I assume college scouts will be, are able to recognize skills, speed and intelligence, even when the opponents aren't that great. Through the years, many of us parents have recognized and recruited players from 1, 2 or 3 levels lower based on their own personal skills on the field, not the team's performance and we've been successful at it. ECNL coaches have looked at players from lower levels because of this.

The stars would really have to align to have a recruitable soccer player out of the varsity high school team that isn't already playing at a high club level. First, they would have to go to one of the soccer powered schools that has decent coaching and decent opposition. Second, the high school soccer season as it exists now is really very short (a handful weeks of practice together and they are already off playing games) which is one of the reasons the play in high school soccer (and college for that matter), is such a mess. Third, this person would have to make the varsity team early in order to get the recruitment look (since senior year could be way too late), despite that many schools favor playing seniors on the varsity team. Fourth, soccer as a sport doesn't really operate that way....it's not enough to be just athletic, you need to develop your touch which means constantly working at it with other higher level players....it's hard to see how someone in high school soccer that isn't already playing high level club soccer is going to keep up those skills in comparison with kids who are working at it year round.

It means that pretty much the only kids this would benefit are kids (who because of the grades or other time commitments) don't have the time to commit to the practice schedule and drives of the higher level teams, and so decided to take a step back and now play silver level or flight 1/2 club and aren't part of large clubs (because they are that good and could use them) that borrow them from lower level teams for high visibility tournaments. That's a lot of work for a college recruiter to find a rare diamond in the rough from someone who (whatever the reason) hasn't chosen to prioritize college soccer (whether because of grades, band, debate, art, charities or whatever).

Not opining whether or not this is a good or not good idea. Just trying to explain why it probably hasn't happened.

 

[espola]

Baseball is the same way. If you're not playing minor league by 19-20 they dont really care how good you are. The focus is to identify talent as young a possible and favor those players.

If/When colleges start playing players things will likely change a little. At least for the top Schools willing to pay big $$$ for talent.

Half or more of the players picked in this year's MLB June draft were college players.

2021 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac

The 2021 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac.

www.baseball-almanac.com

 

[Carlsbad7]

Half or more of the players picked in this year's MLB June draft were college players.

2021 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac

The 2021 Baseball Draft by Baseball Almanac.

www.baseball-almanac.com

Interesting, I've heard otherwise. I wonder how many of the college players were drafted before graduating.

 

[Carlsbad7]

Interesting, I've heard otherwise. I wonder how many of the college players were drafted before graduating.

Looks like drafts listed as college can be graduated or not. Also production between HS and College grads is nearly equal...

"By 1978, a majority of draftees had played college baseball, and by 2002, the number rose above sixty percent.[19] While the number of high school players drafted has dropped, those picked have been more successful than their predecessors. In a study of drafts from 1984 to 1999, Baseball Prospectus writer Rany Jazayerli concluded that, by the 1990s, the gap in production between the two groups had nearly disappeared."

This has nothing to do with soccer.

 

[espola]

Interesting, I've heard otherwise. I wonder how many of the college players were drafted before graduating.

The pro baseball players my kids knew from high school averaged 3 years or so in college before entering the draft and turning pro. A couple of them (Alex Dickerson and Connor Joe) are still playing - the rest bounced around in the minors for a few years before leaving the pro ranks.

The guy in my high school class (Littleton NH '65) who was drafted got no signing bonus and barely made it only to the second week of spring training. The last I knew of him he was driving a cab, but he had no college plans anyway.

 

[watfly]

From what I understand about MLS Next is a funnel for professional teams not college.

Really? I can tell you that the college scouts were out in force at the MLS Next Fest at Silverlakes. This list is legit unless dudes in college branded tracksuits with notebooks were just pretending. I spoke to a couple including one from Stanford and they were very impressed with the showcase.

 

[whatithink]

The stars would really have to align to have a recruitable soccer player out of the varsity high school team that isn't already playing at a high club level. First, they would have to go to one of the soccer powered schools that has decent coaching and decent opposition. Second, the high school soccer season as it exists now is really very short (a handful weeks of practice together and they are already off playing games) which is one of the reasons the play in high school soccer (and college for that matter), is such a mess. Third, this person would have to make the varsity team early in order to get the recruitment look (since senior year could be way too late), despite that many schools favor playing seniors on the varsity team. Fourth, soccer as a sport doesn't really operate that way....it's not enough to be just athletic, you need to develop your touch which means constantly working at it with other higher level players....it's hard to see how someone in high school soccer that isn't already playing high level club soccer is going to keep up those skills in comparison with kids who are working at it year round.

It means that pretty much the only kids this would benefit are kids (who because of the grades or other time commitments) don't have the time to commit to the practice schedule and drives of the higher level teams, and so decided to take a step back and now play silver level or flight 1/2 club and aren't part of large clubs (because they are that good and could use them) that borrow them from lower level teams for high visibility tournaments. That's a lot of work for a college recruiter to find a rare diamond in the rough from someone who (whatever the reason) hasn't chosen to prioritize college soccer (whether because of grades, band, debate, art, charities or whatever).

Not opining whether or not this is a good or not good idea. Just trying to explain why it probably hasn't happened.

One thing I've noticed here in AZ is that the MLS Next tends to be free and that has changed the demographics of the players on the top teams. Most of those kids played for dad coaches. The girls side is very much a money / disposable income based league.

 

[tjinaz]

One thing I've noticed here in AZ is that the MLS Next tends to be free and that has changed the demographics of the players on the top teams. Most of those kids played for dad coaches. The girls side is very much a money / disposable income based league.

This is the change American soccer needs. Get the best kids in the MLS academies or MLS Next teams at low or no cost so the club can develop them to sell to either other MLS teams or Europe. It is the sale of players that funds the European systems. The sooner we become a selling league the faster we get rid of pay to play. (for boys... for girls its still college)

 

[whatithink]

This is the change American soccer needs. Get the best kids in the MLS academies or MLS Next teams at low or no cost so the club can develop them to sell to either other MLS teams or Europe. It is the sale of players that funds the European systems. The sooner we become a selling league the faster we get rid of pay to play. (for boys... for girls its still college)

MLS is a very different business model to the European systems.

Unpacking the Major League Soccer Business Model | by Isaac Krasny | Medium

Youth soccer teams getting part of the transfer fees under FIFA rules would go a lot further to eliminating pay to play.

 

[tjinaz]

MLS is a very different business model to the European systems.

Unpacking the Major League Soccer Business Model | by Isaac Krasny | Medium

Youth soccer teams getting part of the transfer fees under FIFA rules would go a lot further to eliminating pay to play.

But they do get compensation for development costs of players sold overseas.

MLS adopting training compensation: What does it mean?

With MLS clubs now able to collect training compensation and solidarity payments, Jeff Carlisle details the implications on North American soccer.

www.espn.com

In the case of Christian Pulisic's $73.1 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea, one of his youth clubs, PA Classics, stood to make, at minimum $548,000. For a youth club, that is a considerable windfall, although PA Classics told ESPN FC last year that it wouldn't seek any solidarity payments related to Pulisic's transfer. Obviously, not every fee is that large, but solidarity payments can easily exceed $100,000.

 

[Brav520]

These MLS franchises cost what 300-400 million

TV money isn’t there , it’s hard for these owners to make a significant investment into youth system, especially when I’m not sure many of these owners really “love the sport”. Plus don’t they only get 66% of the actual transfer, rest is split between all other teams

FC Dallas is arguably the best in the MLS at producing young talent that can be sold. Now you could certainly make an argument that that has more to do with location , as Dallas has always been a premier hotbed of talent .If your a FC Dallas fan , who is almost never a real contender, do you continue to hang your hat on the fact you sell the most players , I mean no one seems to go to their games

until there is serious TV money in the sport in this country, I don’t see the investment in youth being there . And whose to say even if the money does flow to the owners that they will actually re-invest it in youth development