Calgary Boomer Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 quote:Originally posted by G-Man The youth academy isn't an elite program. It's a glorified soccer camp. As pointed out before, if you have a grand, you can walk in with or without skill and get 35 sessions and a pair of Whitecaps shorts with a nice t-shirt. I doubt they'll produce anyone from that pool. I'm sure the MLS Metrostars aren't skaing in their player development pants. Sorry, but, in order to make a Y league team you need some skill. Why would parents of a kid with no skill drop a grand to travel all over the North West, train every week at SFU to not play? You call it a "Glorified Soccer Camp" I call it a start, which I'll take over the alternative...nothing. If you don't think they'll produce anyone from the pool, you might want to actually go out and watch a match or two and see if you still feel that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Man Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer Sorry, but, in order to make a Y league team you need some skill. Why would parents of a kid with no skill drop a grand to travel all over the North West, train every week at SFU to not play? You call it a "Glorified Soccer Camp" I call it a start, which I'll take over the alternative...nothing. If you don't think they'll produce anyone from the pool, you might want to actually go out and watch a match or two and see if you still feel that way. From the Whitecap website, the academy has nothing to do with the SYL teams. And it is a soccer camp. A 1100 dollar soccer camp. Lets leave it at that. Lets not call it a great leap forward for player development. Soccer camps have been run for decades in this country. It's nothing new. And I don't think anyone should be applauded for making a buck off 9 year olds. This may belong in a different thread...but you asked... The reason parents drive and fork out that kind of money isdue to a fear in our society that kids can't play without an adult around or something bad will happen to them. In the past those kids would go down to the local park and simply play. They would develop great balls skills. The passionate ones would be the ones there at the crack of dawn and there late into the night. Now we have kids, who, if mom took them to a poker night, they wouldn't miss playing the game. They'd be poker players instead. We over coach and over protect our our kids from the get go. That's why you don't see the creative players coming out of Europe. Systems don't allow for simply being different. That's why a non-league team can tie Manchester United. Over coaching kills. But it does pay someones bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgary Boomer Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 When we talk development, you have to include the gamut, camps, super Y etc. I know for a fact that many of the players who went to the camps were identified and selected for Super Y teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 And for the Whitecaps Prospects program which is subsidised by the club and where the real development for higher level play begins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer I totally disagree. The Impact have "identified" local players but that doesn't mean "developed". They don't have a youth program, the Whitecaps do. The Whitecaps never had the means to run an academy like they do now, and it blows away anything in the USL or MLS. If you're judging success of the youth program by who gets sold to Europe, you're going to have to wait 5 years at least. The Lynx "identified" Paul Stalteri and Adrian Serioux, selling them to Europe...does that make them a great development club? I don't think so. The original post states that the Whitecaps may have righted the situation and it will take a while to see results. However, it can't be denied whatever the reason that in the recent past very few Whitecaps players have made it to Europe and had success unlike players from the Lynx and Impact. Regarding the other issue. I would have preferred that the open market for the USL be delayed one year until the MLS also has an open market. It is usually a mistake to open up your lower level league to a larger nation when their higher level league is not open to you. It is always hard to predict what will happen in such situations but there is the danger that a larger nation can flood your teams with mediocre, cheaper players while your most talented players don't have the opportunity to develop in a better setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Grizzly...i think you are wrong on the possible impact of opening up your Tier Two league rather than your Tier One league. As Canadians do not have access to the MLS presently other than as imports, there are quite a few who would likely play in that league rather than the USL 1 if they were not imports. That squeezes other Canadians out of positions in the USL 1 which likely means they could play for other sides in that league. Of course, many will point to the Lynx as the worst team in the league but after watching a couple of their matches I believe their problems have more to do with their organisation (ie. poor coaching; lack of core group of players who are familiar with each other) than a lack of talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I may be and hope to be wrong as noone can really predict what exactly will happen. However, my point is the US has 10 times our population, a climate more suited to soccer and a college sports system which does produce some good players. The USL is a 3 tiered league in the world scheme of things, i.e. fairly mediocre. What we currently lack is higher level teams for our players to play in such as the MLS which is a 2nd tier league. While 3 USL teams is not a lot it probably does satisfy our need for mediocre level player development. Our top and most talented players are pretty much forced to go to foreign countries to develop and if they don't want to or can't manage all the red tape they are screwed. I think the US has a very large number of mediocre players, far more than needed for 9 USL teams. Sure the best players are siphoned off to the MLS but there are more who are USL level than they have teams to accomodate. I am worried that these mediocre US players who nevertheless are solid USLers will flood our market without us having access to the higher level MLS clubs which is what we are really lacking. Do we really have so many players in Canada who would be solid USLers but can't find a spot on our 3 teams? On the other hand it is probably not such a big deal because in one more year we should have access to the MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I think we have plenty of players in Canada who are easily up to the standard required to play in the USLD1 but who have chosen to pursue other more lucrative, stable and longer term careers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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