To each their own. If IHSA thinks that the academies are taking away from HS soccer, they do not have to play their games at the Fire's stadium. A HS or small college setting is better suited for the event anyway. Kids and parents are free to make their own choices regarding their playing careers. I hope the goal of the academies (producing a better national team pool) becomes a reality. Based upon what I see these clubs producing: powerful, robotic, safe soccer, I doubt it. Good luck to the boys in the academies, do not let them take your identities.

Last comment by "anonymous" - totally wrong . Do you think the high schools are producing a higher standard of soccer ??? I doubt it . The IHSA knows NOTHING about the sport of soccer . Why would you play the State finals on a football field of artificial turf when you have a soccer made stadium in town ?? It treats soccer just like all the other sports and fails to realise its growth curve in the US . The high school kids PREFER to play with their schools in the fall provided the coaching is up to scratch , which for many schools I'm afraid to say , it's not , but the IHSA will screw this up for sure . When all these top players go back to their clubs for the fall season , where will the college scouts go to recruit - high school games ?? Nope Mark my words , high school soccer will be a park district recreational sport within 5 years unless the IHSA gets its head out of its ...

I do not agree or disagree with IHSA at this point.

There is a bigger issue here is, what is soccer becoming. These will be high school kids playing semi-professional soccer, YES no matter what you call it, no matter how you frame it, it IS semi-professional soccer. The players as I understand it will pay for nothing, the club pays for everything, this is beyond high school soccer AND beyond club soccer.

Is our society built around sports or education.

Heck lets do the same thing with Basketball and Football and Baseball, lets start farm clubs at the high school level, why stop here with Soccer. Basketball has started drafting kids from high school, why not let them start a farm club for basketball and baseball as well. Where does it stop?

Facts:
.07% (decimal is ot in the wrong place) of high school soccer players will ever play professionally.
The life span of an average professional player is about 5 years.
Average salary of a soccer player is what $40,000 a year. Not everyone is a Donovan or a Becker.

We seem to be forgetting these are teen-agers that really do not totally understand life yet, they are in the "ME" stage of their life. Parents, how many of your teenagers really understand the importance of education and would rather be playing soccer. Even if they make it at soccer, What happens when they burn out at 22 or 23 years of age, or blow their knee out at 20 ears old, what do they do now with no education because they picked soccer over education.

I GUESS I SAY NO to the super clubs. Kids are KIDS, let them be KIDS and let them get an EDUCATION, they grow up to fast now why push them any harder. So back to the number one question whats more important soccer or education.

For these super clubs the answer is SOCCER, for the parents, I HOPE it's education. So who is fighting for education, is anyone? IHSA, I believe, really does not understand soccer, but at least they are willing to stand up and say "What is going on here, does this super club thing really make sense?", I think the tact is wrong to punish high school soccer, the real fight should be for educcation and the semi-professional nature of what these kids are being asked to do.

As far as IHSA and Soccer, All high school coaches for all high school sports are teachers FIRST. So until there is a sport specific coaching certification program for all high school sports that is based on professional standards, the coaching at high school as well as player development will continue to suffer and never be what it could be. Let clubs sponsor and run the high school soccer program, club coaches HAVE TO BE LICENSED, that is a better answer then any I have seen so far.

Lets vote for education and the kids future and not a superclub for 15, 16, 17 and 18 year olds.

Help me out.... So these kids will no longer be allowed to play
for their high school teams ( I am assuming there are no grade
schoolers here)? I suppose it will be great if it improves
the general quality of soccer in America. But is there a false
dream that is being bought by (parents) and kids?
Perhaps we are one of the few countries with a main tie-in between
sports and academics, maybe it does inhibit sports development.
So what?

Steve, I respect your views and I understand the concern regarding the education side of the issue . The problem is that soccer is not like football,basketball etc . The high school version of soccer is not the pinnacle of the sport at that age level . In fact , in many high schools , the level of coaching is far below what it is at the club level . IHSA rules prevent my son from having any contact with his club coach until the high school season is over . If he goes to a club practice session , he is banned for the season . All we are asking as parents , is that our kids have the best coaching that is available in order to further their athletic careers , and yes , be eligible for top scholarships , just like football , basketball and baseball parents .

As far as education is concerned , this has nothing to do with that . My son is a straight A student and I fail to understand how this academy situation affects that at all.

The academy is not semi-pro because the majority of these kids go to college as soccer players . A small minority do go on to the pro ranks , but that is very few , but no more than would go if this league did not exist . This is about advancing the players abilities and growing the sport.

Your comment about high school coaches being teachers first does not speak the whole truth . Many high school coaches ( the good ones , I might add ) are primarily ex-college players who came back to coach and took a teaching job to do that . Hence, many coaches become gym teachers,drivers ed teachers , etc . I do not mean that in a disrespectful way either . I think that is fine . College soccer players typically do not do that because of the lower standard of the sport at the high school level so generally high school soccer coaches are teachers FIRST , who then take on soccer , and quite honestly are not up to par . Now ,don't get me wrong , many high schools have excellent soccer coaches , but in some high school districts , you don't have to be a teacher to be a coach.

Finally , and I mean this with the utmost respect . I am so tired of people who know nothing about the sport of soccer making crucial decisions that affect young players progress . All I ask is that if you are responsible for a high school sport , then know all you need to know about it .

PS What has Boris Becker to do with all this ..............????

jw7451,

Be honest the US National team is not good. It is barely average. It beats well-known local opponents and that's it. Our superclubs have fed a majority of the players to this elitist, political, and over-rated fraternity. It's time to call it what it is:

The Academy is a great idea because of the philosophy that socio-economic status will not deter players for playing or making a team (at least with the Fire it won't). They will take the best or those with the best potential. I hope it can break the mold of having suburban middle to upper class kids being classified as the best and feeding our NT. They are not. They never have been. They just have had the money, exposure, and support that truly good soccer players have been denied. In these clubs, they learn how to be a cog in a machine. Tactical training when they are 8, 9, 10...? Ha! Ask boys in Brasil, France, Argentina, Italy about that. Have you seen the number #1 boys club in the nation play? It's "robotic, powerful, and safe" as stated in the first comment. It's all true. My son played for them. Creativity, directionless possession, etc. are discouraged or at least not present. These kids have been misled. Their game is about not losing. Instead they should be learning how to play a game in a way that may one day result winning a World Cup. Division I scholarships, HA! College Soccer is predominantly atrocious. The idea that you give former college players the respect you do is laughable. I played in college and realized that I knew little more than what I described above. It's a joke. It took me a while to reprogram myself, watch how good soccer was played to understand that our (the US's) situation is bad. Our facilities? Our money? Our organization? There is no excuse.

I agree with Steve that HS soccer will not ruin a player. In fact High School soccer should be promoted by the clubs. Go play for your school, play with "lesser" players, play on crappy, small fields, play for yelling fans other than your parents, put a team on your back, take risks, find your individuality. Then jw, we will see who really is good. It is easy to be surrounded by the "best" and be "good".

What are you guys talking about. The club pays for everything?
Obviously this guy never had a child in a club before.
Is the IHSA really trying to grab the glory?
Listen:
Schools do very little to contribute to the overall developement of the soccer talent in this country.
Parents, and their willingness to watch their children play soccer, pay handsomely to have Europeans and South Americans train their children to play soccer. If they didn't high school soccer would be as popular as it used to be.
(ODP tries to pretend that all the talent comes out of their programs too but we all know that the top talent has to go to them for lack of anywhere else to go. Soccer,let"s work together.

Club Coach-Former Player

I agree with a lot of what you say . The US National team could be better but that is the fault of the weak MLS . The only reason the MNT has improved over the last 5-10 years is because of the European based players . I also agree that the style of soccer played by some of the top youth clubs leaves one to think something is missing . They are robotic , and lacking in creation , but they win...........and that is why we play this game , I thought .

I was not born and raised in the US and so soccer (football) is something that is in my blood . The game has changed immensely since I stopped playing and the players have changed with it . It is no longer sufficient to just gather your players and send them out to play . You actually have to KNOW the game, and that is my complaint . There are too many coaches who don't TEACH the sport and continue to survive in their own mediocrity . I will say that not all college players are top class , but you must agree that most top quality coaches in the US come from college soccer. I think that the USL is a league which is starting to produce some talent and it remains to be seen if some of those teams get integrated into the MLS.

I agree with your comment about the "suburban" kids not being the best players necessarily . In my home country , it is the poorer kids who become top players from the less advantaged neighborhoods , and you have to give the Pepsi Showdown its fair dues , it has brought some of the city teams together with the "elite" schools and they have performed very well. In fact , some of the highest quality soccer played in the area is in the Hispanic leagues in Chicago.

My son plays for a small club who compete regularly with "your #1 club" and yes , we get our asses beat , but our coaches (college players) are teaching these kids to play the RIGHT way , with flair , creativity , and invention . These guys have played together since they were 8 years old and have learnt how to win and lose - heck we lost every game the first two years , but now they are older , they have learnt to love the game and thats' important. I hope your son was a top player for that club , because if he wasnt , he got lost in the volume of players and was probably unhappy. That is a shame.

Don't get me wrong , I am not against high school soccer . Given a choice , my son prefers playing on his high school team because he has forged some lasting friendships with his fellow players . My point is that I want to see BETTER coaching at the high school level so that kids can continue to develop their skills , and be able to progress further . What I hate to see is talented players being forced to play "dump and run" , "long ball" soccer because a high school coach hasnt taken the time to develop his skills along with the changes in the game.

Our kids deserve better

Clubs definitely provide better training and play time for their players. High School coaches frequently play players in a different position from where players are comfortable and successful...they perform less than than stellar and then are benched. I've seen poor players moved up to the varsity level after horrendous games by high school coaches who apparently have no clue how they performed. It almost appears that some HS coaches are watching a different game... I've seen a group of players come off the bench , put five goals on the board in the second half (five times the starters) and then get benched the next game. Talent needs experience, and who wants to spend three months watching others when you can show and work on your own skills with a better coach with a club

I think on certain levels we all agree.

Stephen, there is nothing wrong with playing in different positions especially if the HS team tactics differ from the club. For instance, if I want to build out of the back and have my outside backs become a part of the attack. I believe I need midfield types to accomplish that. Also, because the overall "talent" level may drop on a HS team in comparison to a club team, a player may need to move to a uncomfortable position. It's funny when players come to you for the first time and say "I play...." It shows how little they know. Tactically every team is potentially different. The kids have been pigeoned holed and once again misled. True players can play all over. In their established clubs that are concerned ultimately with winning and not necessarily developing they safely play one position. Don't fault the high school coach for having different needs and ideas. HS coaches are getting a bad rap here. In some places deserved, but be honest, how many of these club coaches are free from the same criticism? Sounds like you have had a bad experience with HS or your kid playing in it. Don't get me wrong some clubs are good...it's better than what existed when I was a kid. But what is the next level? I think some of our number #1 clubs have reached their potential. The player is well served by all the experiences and challeneges.

I have watched hundreds of youth games (club, grade school, and hs) and contrary to popular belief I have not seen the next __________. I see flashes. I understand that with development more can be achieved. I just realize that the way we are going about it is missing a magical ingredient. What is it? I know what it isn't: limiting players and avoiding types of soccer. It's less mathematical than that. Viva El Deporte!

Again , let me say that I have nothing against HS coaches . They certainly appear more focused towards the "development" of the high school player as a whole than the club coach usually is , in terms of behaviour , personality , and of course , education . My contention is that high school coaches love to "tinker" with the line up. Ordinarily , I have no problem with this , provided he knows what he is doing and it's based on competent observations , but a lot of those decisions seem to be based on WAG . I see it all the time and it kills me because it hinders the performance of the player . Players SHOULD be able to play in all positions as part of his development , but to hang a kid out there all year in a spot that he's unfamiliar with and clearly under-performing in , just because a coach wants to re-invent the wheel , to me , is just not good enough.

I want to see better coaching at the high school level . When I see talented players, who have played since they were very young , considering opting out of high school soccer because the coach has sucked all the enthusiasm and energy out of them with his methods , then something is badly wrong .

I ask all high school coaches . Talk to your players - they will be your judge, and listen to their opinions. If you're good at your job , you have nothing to worry about

After all , this is about the kids , I thought.