Might this be...

[Unregistered]

an answer.
What if there was created a college conference, possibly with regional focus, that catered specifically to the top flight soccer players in the country. They would offer the best coaching and development with national team intent or professional possibility a focus, much like the basketball and football powerhouses, which are not much more than pathways, but still offer education to those interested.
Say 15-20 schools, for example. Duke, Louisville, USC, Alabama and others, including a range of academic standard. Instead of diffusing the talent throughout the country on differing levels of play, the elite player would choose or be chosen (recruited) to play at one of these institutions, with summer training for nat'l team opportunity and truly professional coaching.
Try to run them like the football and basketball programs that make no excuses for being anything other than minor league professional systems.

Maybe leave Pitino out of it, though...

[Unregistered]

an answer.
What if there was created a college conference, possibly with regional focus, that catered specifically to the top flight soccer players in the country. They would offer the best coaching and development with national team intent or professional possibility a focus, much like the basketball and football powerhouses, which are not much more than pathways, but still offer education to those interested.
Say 15-20 schools, for example. Duke, Louisville, USC, Alabama and others, including a range of academic standard. Instead of diffusing the talent throughout the country on differing levels of play, the elite player would choose or be chosen (recruited) to play at one of these institutions, with summer training for nat'l team opportunity and truly professional coaching.
Try to run them like the football and basketball programs that make no excuses for being anything other than minor league professional systems.

Maybe leave Pitino out of it, though...

I like it better than the idea of suspending scholarships for players who try to go pro.
That was floated on another thread.

[Unregistered]

an answer.
What if there was created a college conference, possibly with regional focus, that catered specifically to the top flight soccer players in the country. They would offer the best coaching and development with national team intent or professional possibility a focus, much like the basketball and football powerhouses, which are not much more than pathways, but still offer education to those interested.
Say 15-20 schools, for example. Duke, Louisville, USC, Alabama and others, including a range of academic standard. Instead of diffusing the talent throughout the country on differing levels of play, the elite player would choose or be chosen (recruited) to play at one of these institutions, with summer training for nat'l team opportunity and truly professional coaching.
Try to run them like the football and basketball programs that make no excuses for being anything other than minor league professional systems.

Maybe leave Pitino out of it, though...

Why would colleges do this? No money in it for them. Football and basketball bring in huge TV money, ticket sales and apparel revenue. College soccer? Nil, nil and nil

[Unregistered]

The answer is to extend the academy program through U23.

[Unregistered]

Why would colleges do this? No money in it for them. Football and basketball bring in huge TV money, ticket sales and apparel revenue. College soccer? Nil, nil and nil

Neither schools nor the NCAA would go for it. They couldn't give two sh**s about pro players or the NT, even less so for sports that don't generate tons of cash for them

[Unregistered]

an answer.
What if there was created a college conference, possibly with regional focus, that catered specifically to the top flight soccer players in the country. They would offer the best coaching and development with national team intent or professional possibility a focus, much like the basketball and football powerhouses, which are not much more than pathways, but still offer education to those interested.
Say 15-20 schools, for example. Duke, Louisville, USC, Alabama and others, including a range of academic standard. Instead of diffusing the talent throughout the country on differing levels of play, the elite player would choose or be chosen (recruited) to play at one of these institutions, with summer training for nat'l team opportunity and truly professional coaching.
Try to run them like the football and basketball programs that make no excuses for being anything other than minor league professional systems.

Maybe leave Pitino out of it, though...

College soccer is not about development it is about winning college soccer games. College soccer does not prepare players the way a pro club can.

College soccer is to development as High School Soccer is to development.

[Unregistered]

The answer is to extend the academy program through U23.

No it isn't - that's just a platform and not even a good one. The answer isn't DA but playing professionally. The reality is kids are justifiable hesitant to walk away from good college scholarships for low rookie pay and an uncertain future. They'd be even less likely to give it up to play DA. I agree players should be playing 18-22 under a better-than-college-environment but DA isn't the answer.

[Unregistered]

No it isn't - that's just a platform and not even a good one. The answer isn't DA but playing professionally. The reality is kids are justifiable hesitant to walk away from good college scholarships for low rookie pay and an uncertain future. They'd be even less likely to give it up to play DA. I agree players should be playing 18-22 under a better-than-college-environment but DA isn't the answer.

What happens to athletes that attend sport specific high schools like Shattuck-St Marys?
Do they drop off the map when going to college?
The answer is in the college programs. Soccer makes no money now, so changing the formula would not affect a thing. Kids go to Louisville or Kentucky to play hoops and go pro.
Why can't a few schools offer the same for soccer?

[Unregistered]

What happens to athletes that attend sport specific high schools like Shattuck-St Marys?
Do they drop off the map when going to college?
The answer is in the college programs. Soccer makes no money now, so changing the formula would not affect a thing. Kids go to Louisville or Kentucky to play hoops and go pro.
Why can't a few schools offer the same for soccer?

For a few reasons:
1. The season is to short
2. College does not even follow the same FIFA sub rules
3. For the most part football and basketball players are not competing against the world for players so college is a viable pathway. The NFL is not a global sport in the way that soccer is. While basketball does have more international appeal in regards to player development it is still a very small percentage of foreign born and trained players that make it to the NBA.

Soccer on the other-hand? Please, there is no way that a college program can even come close to developing a player in the prime years of 18-22 the way foreign pro clubs do. In fact our kids lose playing time to foreign players who are not good enough to play pro in their own country. But college is the answer.

[Unregistered]

For a few reasons:
1. The season is to short
2. College does not even follow the same FIFA sub rules
3. For the most part football and basketball players are not competing against the world for players so college is a viable pathway. The NFL is not a global sport in the way that soccer is. While basketball does have more international appeal in regards to player development it is still a very small percentage of foreign born and trained players that make it to the NBA.

Soccer on the other-hand? Please, there is no way that a college program can even come close to developing a player in the prime years of 18-22 the way foreign pro clubs do. In fact our kids lose playing time to foreign players who are not good enough to play pro in their own country. But college is the answer.

Agreed the path is to play professionally, definitely not more DA or college. Even if you could corral enough players into a few top colleges, who do they play? There wouldn't be enough top teams for them to play and make it meaningful. The NCAA wouldn't allow full year play because then other sports would demand it too. Schools wouldn't pay for it unless they started making real bank from it(it's soccer, not hoops). Besides, as crazy as it seems, players should be limited to a set of schools. At some point academics and fit matter too.

So given that, how do we insure talented 18-22 years olds get the training they need to become (hopefully) world class players? The MLS? lol lol lol lol

[Unregistered]

Agreed the path is to play professionally, definitely not more DA or college. Even if you could corral enough players into a few top colleges, who do they play? There wouldn't be enough top teams for them to play and make it meaningful. The NCAA wouldn't allow full year play because then other sports would demand it too. Schools wouldn't pay for it unless they started making real bank from it(it's soccer, not hoops). Besides, as crazy as it seems, players should be limited to a set of schools. At some point academics and fit matter too.

So given that, how do we insure talented 18-22 years olds get the training they need to become (hopefully) world class players? The MLS? lol lol lol lol

A few big picture changes could help at the lower levels.

1. MLS promotion relegation.
2. Allow transfer fees for players. Get rid of the MLS draft. Develop and buy your talent.
3. Reimburse clubs that have developed players allowing the club to roll that money into scholarships to reduce the pay to play.

[Unregistered]

For a few reasons:
1. The season is to short
2. College does not even follow the same FIFA sub rules
3. For the most part football and basketball players are not competing against the world for players so college is a viable pathway. The NFL is not a global sport in the way that soccer is. While basketball does have more international appeal in regards to player development it is still a very small percentage of foreign born and trained players that make it to the NBA.

Soccer on the other-hand? Please, there is no way that a college program can even come close to developing a player in the prime years of 18-22 the way foreign pro clubs do. In fact our kids lose playing time to foreign players who are not good enough to play pro in their own country. But college is the answer.

Let's stop coming up with why it won't work.

College could be used as an academy program:maybe they sell players to offset costs?
If lobbied hard enough by the proper parties, year round soccer could be sold as a no-brainer to the NCAA

[Unregistered]

Let's stop coming up with why it won't work.

College could be used as an academy program:maybe they sell players to offset costs?
If lobbied hard enough by the proper parties, year round soccer could be sold as a no-brainer to the NCAA

Or, if a player goes pro from your school, part of the signing dollars includes tuition payment to school.
Make it worth their while.
And the athlete still is getting an education.

[Unregistered]

Or, if a player goes pro from your school, part of the signing dollars includes tuition payment to school.
Make it worth their while.
And the athlete still is getting an education.

You are still asking a 18-22 year old kid to be a full time student and a part-time soccer player in comparison to the full-time soccer player across the ocean.

College sports has a near monopoly on Pro football and basketball players but soccer is not that way.

Baseball and Hockey are the closest thing to a professional development model to world soccer as we've got. College football and basketball only "work" because that is where 99% of the players are.

[Unregistered]

You are still asking a 18-22 year old kid to be a full time student and a part-time soccer player in comparison to the full-time soccer player across the ocean.

College sports has a near monopoly on Pro football and basketball players but soccer is not that way.

Baseball and Hockey are the closest thing to a professional development model to world soccer as we've got. College football and basketball only "work" because that is where 99% of the players are.

I agree with others that it's unlikely the NCAA would allow full year. And really, if it's full year with the current coaching and often times lousy competition what good is it doing top players? College is high school amplified 100 times. Until college can be like it is for the NFL or NBA (will it ever be?) they should be either in the MLS or abroad if good enough,