Upstate New York’s Elite Youth League: Thruway Soccer League

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Doherty Soccer

What is the best option for aspiring and talented young players in Western New York? Take a look at Upstate New York’s Thruway Soccer League.

The Thruway Soccer League has at least one division for both boys and girls from the u11 to the u18/19 level. Teams from throughout Upstate in each division play an 8 game schedule mostly on the weekends of the summer months.

For me the cornerstones of the Thruway League are the three separate Empire United teams playing in the u18/19 division. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy League is made up of 80 elite youth clubs from around the country. One of these clubs, Revolution Empire (formerly Empire United), was formed from independent organizations from Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Each city has their own local teams from age 9 to 18 and the standouts from these teams form the Development Academy squads for the u15/16 and u17/18 divisions. The Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse teams play in the Thruway League alongside other strong and stable youth clubs.

Clubs in the Thruway League range geographically from Buffalo to the Capital region. Games are played throughout upstate, including the following cities and town: Albany, Schenectady, Liverpool, Oneonta, Spencerport, Brighton, Henrietta, Buffalo, Clarence, Elmira, Endicott, West Seneca, Hilton, Corning, Utica, Binghamton, Batavia, Webster, Akron, Rochester, Lansing, Lockport, Big Flats, North Tonawanda, Guilderland, Sarasota Springs, Getzville, Orchard Park, Watertown, Cicero, Fairport, Lancaster, Tonawanda.

Some of the other teams in the lower age groups are from: Loudonville, Apalachin, Glenmount, Troy, Caledonia, Chittenango, Clifton Park, Cohocton, Depew, Elma, Williamsville, Fredonia, Pittsford, Herkimer, Owego, Homer, Youngstown, New Hartford, Lewiston, Hamburg, Wampsville, Yorkshire, Mattydale, Schuylerville, Solvay, Stillwater, Lagrangeville, Dryden, Grand Island, Victor, Kenmore, Westmoreland.

The league is relatively young, having been formed in this framework in 2011. The Thruway Soccer League appears financially solvent and added a number of teams for the 2012 season.

Is this league the cream of the crop in the state? I think so.

The Thruway Soccer League affords young players the opportunity to compete at a higher level than the traditional regional leagues within Upstate New York; Rochester District Youth Soccer League, Central New York Junior Soccer League, Genesee Youth Soccer League, Broome County Soccer Association, Capital District Youth Soccer League, and the Buffalo and WNY Junior Soccer League. The Thruway league also offers a path to compete in both the Colonial League and Presidents Cup, competitions that feature youth teams from across US Youth Soccer’s Region 1 (Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine). In addition, exceptional players have a chance to impress coaches from Revolution Empire during league play and could earn an invite to the Development Academy squad, now an established pipeline to youth national teams.

For more information, visit the Thruway Soccer League’s website: http://thruway.demosphere.com

Young Players Benefit from No Relegation in MLS

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Doherty Soccer

Philadelphia Union’s young striker Jack McInerney saw a significant increase in playing time as the season wound down. While this could also be attributable to head coach John Hackworth putting more faith in the youngster or injuries to his teammates above him in the pecking order, I see his playing time as a result of not having promotion or relegation in MLS.

In the 12 games since Philadelphia lost 2-0 to Montreal on August 4, Jack McInerney has been one of the most influential players for the Union. With that loss in Montreal, Philadelphia’s playoff probability never rose to 5% according to Sports Club Stats. Head coach John Hackworth knew the team had little more than pride to play for, and opted to bleed in young talent. Jack Mack starter 10 of 12 games and played a total of 906 minutes from 1080 possible. The young striker repaid his manager’s faith by scoring 4 goals and an assist in a four game stretch that included two man of the match performances.

When the New England Revolution lost to Sporting Kansas City 1-0 on August 1, their playoff chances never rose above 2%. Since September, when the Revolution’s playoff hopes hung on a negligible decimal place, Diego Fagundez played 520 out of 720 possible minutes on the final 8 games of the season. Prior to that, the young Uruguayan youth international had only clocked 350 minutes in the league out of the 12 matches he featured in the first 6 months of the season.

17 year old Homegrown Player signing, Marco Delgado made his debut for Chivas USA during a 4-0 loss to Vancouver after the team had already been eliminated from playoff contention. You could argue that Delgado simply came on in a game that was a lost cause, but there were other games earlier in the season (namely 6 other times the team was losing by at least 3 goals after Delgado signed) in which they could have played the youngster and didn’t. It was only after the team had their postseason hopes dashed that the U.S. u18 midfielder suited up for his club.

When the Impact’s mathematical chances of making the playoffs were barely above 1%, Jesse Marsch decided to play Karl Ouimette. The young Homegrown signing played 64 minutes against Houston and featured late in a win against San Jose. The first appearance, coming in a 3-0 loss, was facilitated by the fact that Montreal’s playoff hopes were far-fetched at best.

Only after the Timbers were all but eliminated from the postseason, Interim Head Coach Gavin Wilkinson elected to start Homegrown signing Brent Richards for two matches against Chivas USA and against FC Dallas.

All of these young players saw more time in first team matches towards the end of the 2012 MLS season. While many factors could have contributed to the coaches’ decisions to play their youngsters, such as the athlete’s personal development or injuries to the first choice options, coaches are more likely to give minutes to young players because of lame duck games in MLS. At the end of seasons in other leagues, teams have to perform in order to avoid relegation. Because there is no relegation in MLS, coaches are more willing to aid the development of their young players by giving them chances with the first team in late season league matches.

2013 Wishlist for Lower Division Soccer

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Doherty Soccer

In the spirit of other 2013 wishlists (see here for Liga MX, here for U.S. Soccer, and here for Canada), I’ve decided to compile a little list of my own for lower division soccer. Let me know what you think about my list and what you would include in your own list in the comments.

1) Strong showings off the field from the USL expansion teams
More important than grinding out tough away results in my opinion, is the ability of the two USL-Pro expansion cities to establish themselves at home. This isn’t just getting wins against weaker teams, but doing the marketing and community work to draw in big crowds. Phoenix FC has already been doing some of this legwork and feel confident about their prospects for success off the field.

According to an article on Our Sports Central, more than 500 season ticket deposits have been collected for Phoenix FC’s first season. AZ Kicks It reported that the club, “expects to sell out every game but [club president Tim Thomas] said 3,500+ per game would be great”

A turnout of 3,500 would squarely situate the Phoenix franchise in the top half of attendance in the league. Based on my numbers for the 2012 campaign, that attendance would rank the Phoenix FC Wolves around fifth in the USL-Pro in terms of attendance.

VSI Tampa Bay faces a different set of challenges. They have a network of youth teams and leagues in the community, but may struggle for turnout. The team plans to play at the JC Handly Sports Complex in Brandon, Florida, but could find themselves competing for fans in the heart of Tampa with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of NASL located in nearby St Petersburg.

Both of these teams need to perform well off the field to show the viability of the USL-Pro business model. If these teams bounce games around venues like LA Blues, Dayton Dutch Lions, and Charlotte Eagles did in 2012 or if they replicate those teams’ attendance numbers (well under 1000 each) professional soccer in Phoenix or east Tampa might be fleeting.

2) New York Cosmos and Puerto Rico Islanders join NASL for their fall season
When NASL released the announcement in early September that the 2013 season would be split into two short tournaments, similar to much of Latin America, there was one question resounding from lower division soccer fans around the country: why?

“Our Scheduling Sub-Committee arrived at this recommendation after an exhaustive review of a number of alternatives,” said NASL Commissioner David Downs, “and the new format takes into consideration a variety of factors including fan and player comfort in our many warm-weather cities.” “But the bottom line,” Downs added, “is that we believe this new competitive format will bring more excitement and meaning to each of our regular season matches for all of our teams throughout the year.”

Apparently the interests of the many warm-weather cities beat out the cold weather teams like Minnesota, Vancouver and 2014′s Ottawa. Perhaps this announcement was also made with the knowledge (or hunch) that the Cosmos would not be ready for the spring kick-off. Brian Quarstad of IMSoccer reported December 2 that the Cosmos will skip the spring tournament as well as the U.S. Open Cup.

Due to potential changes in Puerto Rico’s government policy, funding of the Islanders is uncertain for 2013 and onward. Neil Morris of IndyWeek reported December 21 that the Islanders will miss the spring tournament but that the league expects the team to participate in the fall tournament in 2013. This leaves only 7 teams in the spring and either 8 or 9 teams in the fall.

Though in different realms, both of these franchises have a rich soccer history. With the NASL trying to establish a legitimacy above USL, two teams stuttering off the field (one before they had even started) could challenge the league’s hopes. On the other hand, taking a half-season off could provide the stability necessary for long-term success for both the individual teams and the league as a whole.

3. Continued positive performances in the U.S. Open Cup
The 2012 edition of the Cup saw three USL-Pro clubs reach the quarterfinals. Lower division teams beat MLS clubs in 9 matches, 4 by USL-Pro teams and 3 by NASL teams. While the format for this year’s tournament is not yet set in stone, it should be similar to last year’s with all the professional teams in the county participating. However, there are two more domestic based USL-Pro clubs to incorporate into the cup this year so things could be a little different.

Regardless of whether all USL-Pro clubs take part in the U.S. Open Cup, upsets make the competition more interesting. The cup draws attention to the lower leagues of soccer in the U.S. and amateur side Cal FC’s Cinderella run to the Fourth Round brought an appearance on Fox Soccer Channel. If the 2013 Cup brings more interest in USL-Pro and NASL among MLS fans or more televised cup matches, it would be a good year for American soccer.

These may seem like tame requests for a wishlist. After all I’m only asking that the new USL-Pro teams perform better off the field than the worst organizations in that league, that NASL not lose or postpone its teams, and that clubs from these two leagues kick off a cup fever for American soccer fans. My hopes would go far to provide stability and spark interest in leagues that need both. Even if these things aren’t in the cards for 2013, there will still be a lot of news, excitement, and speculation in lower division soccer in this country.

Reconciling the Rivalry Between NASL and USL-Pro?

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

If you’re new to following soccer in the United States, you may not be aware of the mini soccer war waged in 2009 and 2010 between two camps of clubs from the United States Leagues. If you have been following minor league soccer in this country for a few years, you are probably all too familiar with this story. The institutional bickering between the new NASL and USL-Pro has also inspired widespread calls for a centrally led league structure (not just from naive kids like me).

Throughout the history of American soccer, there is a well documented pattern of failure of independently organized leagues. [If you fancy, you can read about the historical "Soccer War" from Slate.com by clicking this bad boy] In fact, the only relatively successful national league in American history is Major League Soccer, which is operated in close connection with the United States Soccer Federation and the United States National Team.

It may present as appalling to the American independent entrepreneurial spirit, or some other load of malarkey, but it is very much in the best interests of the soccer in America for one centralized body to operate what are now separate leagues throughout the country.

A Simple Anecdote for a Complex Situation
This past summer, my friends routinely asked me what league the Rochester Rhinos played in and what separated the Rhinos from MLS. When I spoke about USL-Pro and NASL they just didn’t get it. Without knowing any of the background information on the TOA owners’ split in 2009-2010, it was simple math for my friends. Take the 8 teams in NASL and add the 11 teams from USL-Pro and then an expansion team and there is a balanced 20 team league. Continue reading →

Surveying the Soccer Scene: The National Impact of US Club Soccer’s Pre-Academy Leagues

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

An important contributing factor to Mexico’s recent domination at seemingly every age level has been the implementation of a comprehensive youth development system. The centerpieces of that system are the national u-15 and u-18 leagues. Several organizations in the United States have taken steps in past few years to create a similarly comprehensive and productive development path in this country.

There are 80 professional affiliates and independent youth clubs that participate in the United States Soccer Federation Development Academy League. The DA has operated a u-15/16 age division and a u-17/18 age division since its founding in 2009. There is currently nothing available on a national scale above or below those age groups. While there remains no centrally organized u-20 league in the United States, there is a rapidly expanding youth system below the Development Academy. These leagues may provide the basis for the recently announced u-13/14 Development Academy age division starting in the fall of 2013. One of these programs, conveniently enough, is called the Pre-Academy Leagues.

Operating under the auspices of U.S. Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues directive, the Pre-Academy Leagues offer the same high level of competition and intelligent training schedule that incited the initial drive for the Development Academy, only for the u-11 though u-15 age groups. Across several geographic divisions, youth clubs (a large percentage of which are currently participating in the USDA) now have the chance to develop players in a competitive atmosphere at a younger age. This allows clubs with several age brackets the opportunity to groom their players from as early as 10 or 11 and keep these players on a well-thought out training regimen to best develop young talent.

There were three conferences in the Pre-Academy League for the 2011-12 season: Northeast, Southeast, and Texas.

The Northeast Pre-Academy League is split into two divisions, a majority of which currently participate in the USDA.
Liberty Division:
Albertson SC (NY)
Cosmos Academy East (NY)
FC Greater Boston (MA)
FC Westchester (NY)
Met Oval (NY)
Oakwood SC (CT)
PDA (NJ)
Seacoast United (NH)
South Central Premier (NY)

Mid-Atlantic Division:
Baltimore Bays Chelsea (MD)
D.C. United (DC)
FC DELCO (PA)
Match Fit (NJ)
McLean Youth Soccer (VA)
New York Red Bulls (NY)
NJSA 04 (NJ)
PA Classics (PA)
Potomac SA (MD)

The Southeast Pre-Academy League, is made up of 13 clubs which all field older teams in U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy:
CASL (NC)
Charlotte SA (NC)
Clearwater Chargers (FL)
Concorde Fire (GA)
Georgia United Soccer Alliance (GA)
IMG Soccer Academy (FL)
North Meck SC (NC)
Kendall SC (FL)
Richmond Kickers (VA)
Richmond Strikers (VA)
South Carolina United Battery (SC)
Virginia Rush (VA)
Weston FC (FL)

The nine clubs in the Texas Pre-Academy League, which all field teams in the Development Academy, include two MLS clubs and the world renowned Dallas Texans youth club:
Andromeda
Classics Elite
Dallas Texans
FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo
Lonestar SC
Solar
Texans SC
Texas Rush

USCS Beyond the Pre-Academy Leagues
These three Pre-Academy Leagues are the jewels in the crown of US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL). According to their website, “The NPL has been created to provide a unified, league-based national developmental platform with the highest level of competition in given geographic areas, and to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape based upon fundamental principles outlined in US Club Soccer’s 10-year vision.” NPL currently oversees 17 regional leagues focused on the development of young soccer players.

Starting in the fall of 2012, US Club Soccer will add the South Atlantic Premier League and the Mountain Developmental League to its list of regional youth structures. The South Atlantic Premier League will have six clubs running a u-13 and a u-14 division.
Atlanta Fire United (Ga.)
Augusta Arsenal (Ga.)
Charlotte United (N.C.)
FC Alliance (Tenn.)
Roanoke Stars (Va.)
Triangle United (N.C.)

The following quotes are taken from USCS’s press release. “FC Alliance is very excited to join the South Atlantic Premier League,” said FC Alliance Director of Coaching Josh Gray. “The league and the quality clubs that have entered it will enhance our club model for player development and provide our teams with great competition.”

“Triangle United is excited about the opportunity to participate in the South Atlantic Premier League,” said Triangle United Director of Soccer John Cirillo. “Each of the clubs involved in the league are well-recognized clubs with great leadership and great teams. Having these teams to compete against is only going to make our club stronger. We are looking forward to many great years of competition as the league develops.”

The Mountain Developmental League will consist of 12 clubs playing in age divisions ranging from u-13 to u-17. Two of the clubs, Real Colorado and Colorado Rush, currently participate in the USDA at the u-16 and u-18 levels.
Arsenal Colorado (Colo.)
Blackhawks (Ariz.)
Colorado Rush (Colo.)
Colorado Storm (Colo.)
FC Boulder (Colo.)
Gilbert SC (Ariz.)
New Mexico Rush (N.M.)
Pride Soccer Club (Colo.)
Real Colorado (Colo.)
Rio SC (N.M.)
SC Del Sol (Ariz.)
Sereno SC (Ariz.)

The following two quotes were published by USCS here. “Colorado Rush is extremely excited to be part of the Mountain Developmental League,” said Colorado Rush SC Director of Coaching Wes Hart. “The landscape of youth soccer has changed drastically over the past few years and we believe that the NPL is another positive step in helping our sport grow.”

“Rio Soccer Club is excited about the opportunity to participate in the Mountain Developmental League,” said Chris Cartlidge, Director of Coaching at Rio SC (formerly Rio Vista FC). “The participating clubs have a track record of developing quality teams and players. NPL affiliation will enhance the diversity and the quality of our competitive games and we are looking forward to this outstanding developmental opportunity for our membership.”

Why is it important nationally?
The expansion of US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues, especially the Pre-Academy Leagues, is crucial nationally because of the recent announcement that the Development Academy will hold a u-13/14 age division in the 2013-14 season. Because NPL regional leagues contain both current DA clubs and other independent youth clubs they will be an important resource for the newly announced national league. In accordance with the information hitherto released by the DA, the youngest age division will consist of some clubs already playing in the older divisions and some new clubs that aren’t not currently members of the Development Academy.

US Club Soccer has already laid down the framework to allow the Development Academy to grow. In many respects, USCS has done the dirty work on the ground level by establishing regional leagues for the most competitive youth clubs around the country. Participation in the youngest division may increase the likelihood that new clubs will strive to join the DA at the u-16 and u-18 levels, by adhering to a stringent set of regulations and operation guidelines. Because the Pre-Academy League allow clubs that participate in the Development Academy League the chance to play their younger players in a similarly formatted competition, with regard to the training to game time ratio, the transition to the new age division in the DA will be much smoother.

For more information..
The following overview and more information can be found on the National Premier Leagues website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUES:

US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues have been created to provide a national competitive developmental platform:

• focused on long-term player development;

• for the country’s top soccer clubs, allowing consistent, meaningful high-level games appropriately scheduled with higher training-to-game ratios;

• that allows players to be scouted and evaluated by U.S. Soccer National Staff and Technical Advisors;

• that is designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs;

• using international rules of competition;

• that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Champions Cup.

The NPL is an important component of US Club Soccer’s 10-year vision to refine the landscape for competitive youth soccer. This vision recognizes that:

• properly-structured youth soccer clubs are the vehicle through which player development does and must occur in the United States.

• clubs should play in leagues that provide meaningful games, allow establishment of the proper training-to-game ratio, and eliminate calendar congestion.

• National Premier Leagues, as well as the best clubs, should be integrated in US Club Soccer’s id2 National Identification and Development Program, include Player Development Programs (PDPs) in select local markets, and work closely with U.S. Soccer staff regarding player identification, and player and coach development.

The One Where I Watched an NASL Game

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

What conclusions can I draw from watching one full NASL match? Quite a few apparently…

On Sunday afternoon I took the time to watch the full 90 minutes between the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and FC Edmonton. After watching Tottenham Hotspur squeak out their first win at home this season in the morning and grabbing lunch off campus but before I started reading for my Monday classes, I was able to watch the whole NASL match. Previously this season I had only caught a few minutes here or there of NASL action in addition to seeing the weekly highlights show on YouTube. I was initially blown away by the product on the field.

During the USL-Pro season I attended all Rhinos’ home games and tried to watch every away game on U-Nation’s streaming service. I also watched all of the United States’ and Mexico’s international matches and the Euro Tournament. Now that fall is upon us, I watch college soccer (both my own school and nationally ranked division I colleges on television), Mexican league and cup games, and a fair share of European club soccer. During this whole time I’ve been watching every Red Bulls’ game and a number of other MLS matches of national significance. The point is I watch a good deal of soccer and NASL ranks pretty highly in that pantheon.

I’m not arguing that NASL is the end-all be-all for American soccer; that’d be silly. MLS clearly operates at a higher level on and off the field, but the style of play utilized by many teams in NASL is very promising. Watching this NASL game, between 5th placed Fort Lauderdale and 8th placed (out of 8 teams) Edmonton, I observed a more exciting brand of soccer than the average MLS match exhibits. Several MLS clubs boast world class players like Robbie Keane, Thierry Henry and Fredy Montero, but as a whole this NASL game had a much more attacking feel than an average MLS game. Continue reading →

Surveying the Soccer Scene: Some More Thoughts on College Aged Players

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

Instead of having to keep track of the alphabet soup of league names and sift through the overlapping league structures, wouldn’t it be easier if some central body (say, the U.S.S.F.) stepped in to regulate national leagues? This step would make it easier for fans, but also national scouts, to keep track of the best young talent in the country.

There is definitely the simple economic argument against this line of action, which says that if this centralized approach was viable then it would have already happened. I don’t buy that. I think it is in fact feasible but the will has not been present from those in charge

In a previous post about high school and college in the United States, I mentioned something that I think is relevant in this discussion. High school soccer persisted (and in most respects is still persisting) until a viable alternative was created and cultivated. The U.S.S.F. hopes the Development Academy League grows to fulfill that role. In the same respect, college soccer will be the path of choice for the majority of aspiring soccer players, even those from MLS club academies, until a national u-20 (or u-21, or u-22) league is established and has enough resources to adequately develop players the way the DA currently does.

In much the same way that Academies were originally designed to accommodate and complement high school soccer by working on a different schedule, current leagues like PDL and NPSL are only active in the summer months. The infrastructure that the USL umbrella currently has at its disposal cannot be ignored when considering how to bridge the gap from youth development to professional development. In addition to the u-12 through u-20 leagues, they also operate an extensive patchwork of mostly u-23 (mostly amateur) teams in the Premier Development League. On top of the PDL is the USL-Pro, which consists of 11 clubs, 10 in the United States. USL also operates a the women’s W-League and the Major Indoor Soccer League. The organization has specialized office staff for each endeavor and has provided a great deal of stability to soccer in America, despite poor retention rates in its leagues some years.

If a national-regional u-21 league was mapped out, it would be make a great deal of sense to utilize the existing structures. Taking advantage of Super Y-League clubs and Super-20 clubs, or in many cases the same clubs running teams in multiple age divisions, is a smarter way of tapping into potential player pools but also of utilizing the contacts and administrative infrastructure which is already established and primed for competition. Continue reading →

Surveying the Soccer Scene: the Future of Youth Soccer (u-20 and pre-15)

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

Going forward there is even more to be done to prevent wasted effort and allow for talented players to be identified earlier. USSF has already taken drastic steps into the realms of youth soccer by first creating the DA in 2007 and now mandating the 10-month schedule switch for the 2012-13 season. The next big step should be incorporating more clubs and adding other age divisions. This could come in the form of absorbing USL youth clubs that meet criteria or to provide other incentives to swell the ranks of untapped player pools in order to provide more regionalized competition while maintaining the high quality of play. This would also mean that the USSF would either create a u-13/14 league, or a u-20/u-21 league, or both.

The U.S. has dozens of professional affiliates and independent youth clubs that participate in the U.S.S.F. Development Academy League. For the 2011-2012 season, the DA has a u-15/16 age division and a u-17/18 age division. There is currently nothing available nationally above or below those age groups. While there remains no centrally organized u-20 league in the United States, there is a rapidly expanding youth system below the Development Academy.

The older division would be a stepping stone for players between the now established u-18 DA League and NPSL/PDL clubs. Currently there is not one unified path for 19 year old DA standouts to reach the professional leagues. From fall to winter NCAA programs train players, and from May to August there are the Super 20, NPSL, and USL PDL.

View Larger Map

The pink dots are Super-20 clubs, green are NPSL clubs, and blue is PDL. The preceding map shows that it may be beneficial to the operating costs of involved clubs congregate the teams clubs from the three leagues under one umbrella. Continue reading →

Surveying the Soccer Scene: American Youth Soccer

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

The strides that the United States Soccer Federation’s Development Academy has made since its inception has produced much hullabaloo recently. Just last month, both the u15/16 and u17/18 age divisions wrapped up their national playoffs with the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas claiming the respective trophies. This season’s playoffs saw more exciting American youth prospects than prior years. The Development Academy (DA) has become the preeminent choice of age eligible soccer players in the United States. But what about after high school?

If players are good enough, can find a national amateur team near their hometown or college’s town, and are willing to put in the time without an immediate tangible gain… they can play in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League or in the National Premier Soccer League during the summers of their college career.

What can players do if they don’t live near clubs in these leagues? Or if a young player and his parents decide to pursue soccer before age 15? What if players are competitive at a u18 level but can’t yet make the cut in the PDL or NPSL? These are the questions I’m trying to probe in this exercise on the multiple structures of youth soccer in the United States.

During college, there are currently several paths for players to get from “youth” leagues to the “professional” leagues. Most of these paths include college soccer during the NCAA season, as even promising prospects from MLS academies still play college ball, but in the summer athletes have a number of options. Considered the most professional of the various summer leagues for college-aged players, United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League (PDL) offers a high level of competition with established clubs that are often scouted by Major League Soccer teams.

The second most well regarded national amateur league, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), is growing in its number of teams and nation-wide profile. NPSL allows new clubs to join for smaller expansion fees and operate a lower-cost business model while claiming to provide the same level of play on the field as the PDL. United Soccer Leagues’ Super-20 League is a u-20 league that was designed as a stepping stone between youth leagues (Super Y-League) and the PDL. There are many S-20 clubs in areas without PDL teams and several S-20 teams that also operate youth development structures. Continue reading →

The College Soccer Season is Kicking Off

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Doherty Soccer

NCAA Division 1 has 203 nationally ranked teams, 13 of which are in Upstate New York in 7 different athletic conferences. Teams are ranked according to the Rankings Percentage Index (RPI) was released today, a system in based on a school’s record and the strength of their schedule.

The 13 Upstate Division 1 Men’s Soccer programs from a variety of conferences finished the 2011 season with varying degrees of success. SUNY Binghamton (154) and SUNY Albany (156) play in America East. Syracuse (179) plays in the Big East. Niagara (105), Siena (173), Marist (122), and Canisius (197) play in Metro Atlantic. Hartwick (108) and Universtity at Buffalo (146) play in Mid-American. Colgate (90) and Army (177) play in Patriot. Cornell (64) plays in Ivy. St Bonaventure (198) plays in Atlantic 10.

In the full list of rankings for the 2011 season can be found here. The best represented conference is the Atlantic Coast, which has 3 teams in the top 10. Sadly my college (Hamilton) does not have a Division 1 athletic program, but I will be following these 13 teams throughout the season and living vicariously through their relative successes. Somehow the NCAA secured a TV deal with Fox Soccer Channel to broadcast a couple games a week for the duration of the college soccer season. Unfortunately none of the Upstate schools will be broadcast this year.

Every year after the MLS Draft, dozens of promising college soccer talents are signed by the MLS club while several others are waived. Some of these players wind up in the lower divisions of American soccer like Rhinos break out star J.C. Banks. Others still opt to ply their trade in Europe with Scandinavia still a popular destination. Continue reading →

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