Washington Post article on College Soccer

Interesting read.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/20/AR2010072003679.html

Intriguing article that sheds light on the relationship between college and professional soccer. True that soccer players can develop sooner and turn pro earlier than other popular sports. That's a problem for universities who depend on sports to generate revenue for the system (ie, Bowl games, NCAA Basketball). The point of the editorial is that soccer may not be conducive for college. Only 4 of the 23 players on the US WC roster played college ball.

this would mirror some of thought process presented in that awesome article on the Dutch development system and Ajax Academy.. where they basically said college was not even a consideration for the elite players they were developing.. In their minds it was simply a developmental "bottleneck", where elite players would be surrounded by good players, thus dragging their game down...

I think some of the problem is not the college but the experience and pace at what the rest of the world goes at. Soccer is a global game and cannot be dictated by the US. The simple fact is that even if you have a great collegiate experience and growth as a player, you come on to the market as a 22 or 23 yr old. You come out the same age as Messi and much older than Neymar (18, highley persued brazillian player) but lack the experience of either.

Slake, see if there is a link to that article on Ajax. It's a great point that elite soccer players can make the big time at 18, 19 or 20 years old and 24 is considered the middle part of your career. Still, the game is very complex and not all players mature at the same rate. College ball is still a viable path to the pros, but unlike other sports, it's not the golden path.

On the flip side of the coin, wouldn't soccer benefit if we had a marketable collegiate soccer playoff system, like an "American Cup" college championship? Our current playoffs get very little television coverage.

Here is the link to the article I mentioned. I'm pretty sure it was here ( boy's forum) that somebody posted this in another thread. Fascinating read.

How a Soccer Star is Made
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html

Slakemoth wrote:Here is the link to the article I mentioned. I'm pretty sure it was here ( boy's forum) that somebody posted this in another thread. Fascinating read.

How a Soccer Star is Made
[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html[/quote[/url]]
I like how the article explains how the European system works. Parents don't pay for training - the club pays all expenses for fields, coaching, training, school even, games, leagues, etc. As far as the big clubs are concerned, it seems that if they don't think you have pro-potential, you are cut - no point in wasting resources on someone who won't make it. They will reevaluate you (let you try out again the next year), but since the only way they make money is by selling their rights to players - they don't waste time training a kid that does not (in their mind) have the potential to turn pro.
Different from here where if you have the money to pay for a club team - even if your child is just average or below - you can find a coach willing to take your money and train your child at even the large local clubs.
Seems that system can miss a few players though. Some kids are late bloomers. But thats how their systems work.
At least, thats what I got out of the article.

True, Its a no-nosense system, but also we have to remember this is only a glimpse into the development Academy for Ajax. Some of the other clubs may operate a bit differently. ( doesn't the head of another Dutch club Academy reflect a slightly different philosophy at one point?), and of course there are other leagues and club play systems going on in the Netherlands as well (I assume)... However, one thing is perfectly clear.. the system described in the article is almost a 180 degree shift in mentality from how the U.S. operates. Not saying its better or worse, but its definitely a different philosophy.

Would love to see an article like this on the development system for all the big soccer nations, would be a great glimpse into the "big piture"... My first choice would be Barcelona.

Slake, cheers to you! Thanks for sharing. A must read for all of us and the best article ever posted on this forum. The author uses Ajax as an example to illustrate his theory of why the US doesn't develop international quality players.

I wish I could claim credit for finding the article... but that honor goes to Gababa... here is the link to the original thread on this forum where this article was posted and discussed.. Good discussion, and I have loved passing this article along to friends. It added another dimension to watching the Dutch in the World Cup.. especially guys like Sniejder.

http://www.txsoccer.info/general-soccer-discussion-f2/fantastic-article-about-youth-soccer-selection-t1438.htm

Slakemoth wrote:I wish I could claim credit for finding the article... but that honor goes to Gababa... here is the link to the original thread on this forum where this article was posted and discussed.. Good discussion, and I have loved passing this article along to friends. It added another dimension to watching the Dutch in the World Cup.. especially guys like Sniejder.

[url=http://www.txsoccer.info/general-soccer-discussion-f2/fantastic-article-about-youth-soccer-selection-t1438.htm

http://www.txsoccer.info/general-soccer-discussion-f2/fantastic-article-about-youth-soccer-selection-t1438.htm[/quote[/url]]

Thanks, Gabs!

Ye it was a great post by gabs. However as our local NTX soccer French representative he is directly held responsible for Henry going to NY and not FCD. Saw Zidane play in a charity match not too long ago, not bad at all. Put the call in Gabs.