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I've watched a lot of youth soccer, both girls and boys, in the northeast and midwest (Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, northern Kentucky) over the last year or two, mainly age groups U13-U16. There is a huge falloff from the level of play of several years ago. It is really easy to see. A few things are driving this:
1. The bankruptcy of US Soccer (due to the pandemic) took them out of subsidizing the youth game, so top youth clubs have less support now.
2. Huge demographic plunge in this age group, especially on the younger side around U13-U15s as they were born after the 2008 economic meltdown.
3. Clubs are losing coaches as they struggle to maintain revenues, and the urge to raise tuition prices has bitten them in the butt even more as you can see a lot more talent remaining at the travel club level these days than years ago.
I'm watching HS soccer games this fall and I see some truly athletically gifted kids who are playing travel ball, and really they have very little nuance to their game. Back when US Soccer was subsidizing the clubs, kids like these would get spots on the elite clubs and they'd be trained by coaches with A licenses, college coaches, and even UEFA Pro coaches. Saw a girls HS team full of ECNL players get shut down by a bunch of punters who were as athletic (or even more) but all they did was kick balls away. Game ended in a 0-0 tie. Woeful soccer. Several years ago an ECNL loaded HS team would easily find the right strategy to take advantage of rec. league stuff. These ECNL girls tried the same attack over and over and over with little variation. They didn't seem schooled at all on what to do in that situation. And many of them were club teammates as they went to this private school just to stay together in the fall.
On the boys side, the numbers are just dwindling in my neck of the woods (Western NY) and I expected to see our teams get blown out, but instead they are holding their own against the MLS league youth clubs.
I truly think we are about to see a plunge in 10 years when it comes to men's and women's soccer.
Maybe the national teams will still do well since they cater to the unicorns, but overall, soccer in this country is less healthy than it was several years ago.
Is anyone else seeing this?
1. The bankruptcy of US Soccer (due to the pandemic) took them out of subsidizing the youth game, so top youth clubs have less support now.
2. Huge demographic plunge in this age group, especially on the younger side around U13-U15s as they were born after the 2008 economic meltdown.
3. Clubs are losing coaches as they struggle to maintain revenues, and the urge to raise tuition prices has bitten them in the butt even more as you can see a lot more talent remaining at the travel club level these days than years ago.
I'm watching HS soccer games this fall and I see some truly athletically gifted kids who are playing travel ball, and really they have very little nuance to their game. Back when US Soccer was subsidizing the clubs, kids like these would get spots on the elite clubs and they'd be trained by coaches with A licenses, college coaches, and even UEFA Pro coaches. Saw a girls HS team full of ECNL players get shut down by a bunch of punters who were as athletic (or even more) but all they did was kick balls away. Game ended in a 0-0 tie. Woeful soccer. Several years ago an ECNL loaded HS team would easily find the right strategy to take advantage of rec. league stuff. These ECNL girls tried the same attack over and over and over with little variation. They didn't seem schooled at all on what to do in that situation. And many of them were club teammates as they went to this private school just to stay together in the fall.
On the boys side, the numbers are just dwindling in my neck of the woods (Western NY) and I expected to see our teams get blown out, but instead they are holding their own against the MLS league youth clubs.
I truly think we are about to see a plunge in 10 years when it comes to men's and women's soccer.
Maybe the national teams will still do well since they cater to the unicorns, but overall, soccer in this country is less healthy than it was several years ago.
Is anyone else seeing this?