01, so lots of movement or stand pat after season?

jimulon6 wrote:This is a bad idea, but it will flourish due to the delusions of so many North Texas parents.

At least the kids will get burnt out a few years earlier and will have time to pick up another sport. Maybe

BTMason wrote:

Madcap wrote:My understanding is that it was just announced this week to the four clubs so I doubt you will see anything posted to the website just yet. U11 and U12 are added for the upcoming Fall and tryouts can start now. I would think someone within a club can confirm this. It will be fairly obvious in the next few weeks when they start having tryouts. I guess we will wait and see.

As much as it upsets me to have to do so.... I can absolutely confirm that US Youth Club Soccer DOES plan to open the Pre-Academy program up to the U11 and U12 age groups. So obviously 8 more pre-academy teams will be formed each year than in years past here in the DFW metro area. I hope that it is a good experience for the younger groups. I myself and I know many others are fearful it will be to large a push on winning at to early an age.

Don't get me wrong, I have spoken with Wade Breaux on more than one occasion about the Texas Pre-Academy League, and believe it is a good tool at some of the older ages. However, Wade has made it very clear to me that it is performance based and if a club is not performing at a high enough standard as a whole they could easily be subject to removal and replacement. Therefore, I fear that some coaches will pass this pressure back down to the players, and make what could be a strong and rewarding experience something much less positive. Still, today in our conversation he did confirm their intention to open the league to U11s and U12s in the upcoming season.

Thanks,

B.T. Mason MSFC

BTMason wrote: I have spoken with Wade Breaux on more than one occasion about the Texas Pre-Academy League, and believe it is a good tool at some of the older ages. However, Wade has made it very clear to me that it is performance based and if a club is not performing at a high enough standard as a whole they could easily be subject to removal and replacement.

soccergrinder wrote:

BTMason wrote: I have spoken with Wade Breaux on more than one occasion about the Texas Pre-Academy League, and believe it is a good tool at some of the older ages. However, Wade has made it very clear to me that it is performance based and if a club is not performing at a high enough standard as a whole they could easily be subject to removal and replacement.

Not sure who Wade Breaux is but he is wrong in some respects. I do not deny that performance is mandatory. However, the flaw in his logic lies in the idea that US Youth Club Soccer has any control at all in what clubs and therefore what teams will be in the Pre-Academy League. The determination of which clubs participate is based solely on what the USSF DA Academy does. If a club is accepted by the DA Academy, which may be based on performance of the DA teams, will determine the clubs playing in the Pre-Academy League. Not the performance of the Pre-Academy teams themselves.

BTMason wrote:

soccergrinder wrote:

BTMason wrote: I have spoken with Wade Breaux on more than one occasion about the Texas Pre-Academy League, and believe it is a good tool at some of the older ages. However, Wade has made it very clear to me that it is performance based and if a club is not performing at a high enough standard as a whole they could easily be subject to removal and replacement.

Not sure who Wade Breaux is but he is wrong in some respects. I do not deny that performance is mandatory. However, the flaw in his logic lies in the idea that US Youth Club Soccer has any control at all in what clubs and therefore what teams will be in the Pre-Academy League. The determination of which clubs participate is based solely on what the USSF DA Academy does. If a club is accepted by the DA Academy, which may be based on performance of the DA teams, will determine the clubs playing in the Pre-Academy League. Not the performance of the Pre-Academy teams themselves.

Wade Breaux is the US Club Soccer Member Rep for the Pre-Academy League in our Region. US Club soccer runs the NPL. The US Soccer Federation runs the USSDA. Where I think your confusion has occurred is in the fact that… yes, US Club soccer uses US Soccer Federation Development Academy Clubs for the member base of the Texas Pre-Academy League. The TPA is part of the NPL (National Premier Leagues) and NOT the same as the USSDA (US Soccer Development Academy).

You are right that US Club Soccer has nothing to do with the requirements set by the USSF for clubs to become part of the USSDA and, again, you are right if you are assuming that US Club Soccer has used the Clubs that qualify for the USSDA to form the membership of the NPL (http://nationalpremierleagues.com/). However, US Club Soccer does have control over the requirements to stay and compete in their league... and performance, at least according to their member services rep as of March 30th, 2012 at 4:22pm CST, is reviewable by them solely for the NPL.

Furthermore, the NPLs growth will not be limited by the USSF. In this same conversation Mr. Breaux made it perfectly clear that US Club Soccer plans, in the coming years, to expand the NPL to more than one division, allowing other clubs that are not currently part of the USSDA the ability to come and showcase their talent in a separate division. We did not discuss if they planned to have a promotion/relegation system.

BTMason wrote:Where I think your confusion has occurred is in the fact that… yes, US Club soccer uses US Soccer Federation Development Academy Clubs for the member base of the Texas Pre-Academy League. The TPA is part of the NPL (National Premier Leagues) and NOT the same as the USSDA (US Soccer Development Academy).

WRG wrote:

BTMason wrote:

soccergrinder wrote:

BTMason wrote: I have spoken with Wade Breaux on more than one occasion about the Texas Pre-Academy League, and believe it is a good tool at some of the older ages. However, Wade has made it very clear to me that it is performance based and if a club is not performing at a high enough standard as a whole they could easily be subject to removal and replacement.

Not sure who Wade Breaux is but he is wrong in some respects. I do not deny that performance is mandatory. However, the flaw in his logic lies in the idea that US Youth Club Soccer has any control at all in what clubs and therefore what teams will be in the Pre-Academy League. The determination of which clubs participate is based solely on what the USSF DA Academy does. If a club is accepted by the DA Academy, which may be based on performance of the DA teams, will determine the clubs playing in the Pre-Academy League. Not the performance of the Pre-Academy teams themselves.

Wade Breaux is the US Club Soccer Member Rep for the Pre-Academy League in our Region. US Club soccer runs the NPL. The US Soccer Federation runs the USSDA. Where I think your confusion has occurred is in the fact that… yes, US Club soccer uses US Soccer Federation Development Academy Clubs for the member base of the Texas Pre-Academy League. The TPA is part of the NPL (National Premier Leagues) and NOT the same as the USSDA (US Soccer Development Academy).

You are right that US Club Soccer has nothing to do with the requirements set by the USSF for clubs to become part of the USSDA and, again, you are right if you are assuming that US Club Soccer has used the Clubs that qualify for the USSDA to form the membership of the NPL (http://nationalpremierleagues.com/). However, US Club Soccer does have control over the requirements to stay and compete in their league... and performance, at least according to their member services rep as of March 30th, 2012 at 4:22pm CST, is reviewable by them solely for the NPL.

Furthermore, the NPLs growth will not be limited by the USSF. In this same conversation Mr. Breaux made it perfectly clear that US Club Soccer plans, in the coming years, to expand the NPL to more than one division, allowing other clubs that are not currently part of the USSDA the ability to come and showcase their talent in a separate division. We did not discuss if they planned to have a promotion/relegation system.

Your last paragraph seems like a terrible idea to me. They are basically trying to kill Classic league and start their own league.

mrclean wrote:As a high school coach, I can't help but notice how many very strong players we have in the area that are from Mexico. Where did these Mexican kids fly that allowed them to develop so well technically. Is there any way we could get itineraries and play the same schedule as these kids that are from Monterrey, Mexico City, etc. I'm also curious if they have to attend the same school and how many thousands of dollars it takes for them to play so well. Are there uniform kits, Adidas or Nike?

Yes, I sometimes have problems with sarcasm.
If present trends continue, the academy teams better stay out of the parks. They just might lose to a team wearing t-shirts that can't afford to play in the Rec Leagues.

mrclean wrote:I have no idea and maybe the US Soccer Development Academy is taking the right approach. There is just something in my gut that says it doesn't feel right. This top down approach seems to be pulling the rug out from under the feet of local leagues that have grown and promoted soccer for decades. it is pulling the rug from under the feet of high school programs that really did have world class training facilities along with more and more quality coaches being attracted to high school programs.

In some ways, I still prefer ODP. It worked along side existing leagues and clubs and even allowed players from recreational teams to participate. As surprising as this sounds there are still some very good players out there who have parents that can't (or won't) afford to pay for competitive soccer and can't (or won't) travel 30 to 100+ miles for practices.

If we are trying to identify the best players and develop their talents, those kids need to be brought into the picture.

Maybe the Development Academy could find a kid outside the metroplex, say from Nacogdoches, and train him in a way that would allow him to be so good that he could actually play in the English Premier League. Hmm...

BTMason wrote:

mrclean wrote:I have no idea and maybe the US Soccer Development Academy is taking the right approach. There is just something in my gut that says it doesn't feel right. This top down approach seems to be pulling the rug out from under the feet of local leagues that have grown and promoted soccer for decades. it is pulling the rug from under the feet of high school programs that really did have world class training facilities along with more and more quality coaches being attracted to high school programs.

In some ways, I still prefer ODP. It worked along side existing leagues and clubs and even allowed players from recreational teams to participate. As surprising as this sounds there are still some very good players out there who have parents that can't (or won't) afford to pay for competitive soccer and can't (or won't) travel 30 to 100+ miles for practices.

If we are trying to identify the best players and develop their talents, those kids need to be brought into the picture.

Maybe the Development Academy could find a kid outside the metroplex, say from Nacogdoches, and train him in a way that would allow him to be so good that he could actually play in the English Premier League. Hmm...

We need to find a way to make the entire process at the highest level COMPLETELY FREE, no travel costs, no uniform costs, no anything costs! The USSF and USYCS both proclaim that they are following European models for their leagues. However, until it is completely free we are going to miss near 70-75 percent of what would be our TOP TALENT>

I know some of you are warming your fingers for rebuttal right now, but hear me out before you respond. How many of our top athletes in the BIG 3 (Football, Basketball, Baseball) come from completely rural areas? I am completely guessing here, but I think conservatively we could say 70/30 with 30 percent of our TOP athletes in the BIG 3 coming from rural America. Therefore, once you begin to factor in potential players that have transportation issues, and/or financial issues I don’t think I am being overly skeptical when I estimate the loss of TOP PLAYER potential to be 70-75%.

My position has been and will remain that instead of making soccer more elitist, we need to make it more cultural with a strong grass-roots push just like the BIG 3, and until the “Powers that Be” embrace it we will never truly maximize the talent we are producing here in the US.

As always… just my opinion