As I write this, hundreds of thousands of Europeans (and followers of European clubs) are going mad with transfer window rage. We really missed that in the recent transfer window — rumors did flit about wildly at times, but there wasn’t any of the same emotional drive surrounding the whole of it. No matter, though, because it’s a bit annoying (and, before you ask, I do support a European club, though I will purposefully keep my allegiances, aside from that to Real Salt Lake, off the table) and is actually not what I am going to write about today.
So with that non sequitur of an introduction out of the way, let’s move on to something more topically exciting than something that doesn’t affect Real Salt Lake in a meaningful way. I’ve been wondering for many years whether the collegiate system is appropriate for the world of soccer — and if it’s hindering the growth of the sport in the United States.
Let’s consider some of the positive factors — and don’t get me wrong, there are many. The biggest one, to my mind, is that it provides an opportunity for young athletes to get a proper education. Many players will never make it past the collegiate level, and if they are to be dumped back into the world at 23, it can’t be so bad for them to have a degree from an accredited college or university. This sort of thing applies wholesale to collegiate sports, and I do think it has a positive social impact.
Additionally, collegiate systems provide opportunities for players develop at slower paces — not everyone will be a top player between 18 and 23, by any means — and become a full professional while still having an opportunity for playing time. In a sense, colleges almost serve as a feeder system for American soccer leagues, for better or worse.
But let us move on to some of the more negative factors, and I think these are rather damning. The college system encourages a setup that is entirely insular from the professional world, and the NCAA goes so far as to bar players who have been on any sort of full-time paid contract, regardless of the pay grade or level of play.
Further, let us consider the very talented youth players that may be swallowed up by the insistence of leagues to recruit from college pools. Imagine, if you will, if Lionel Messi — arguably the most talented young player the world has seen in decades — were to have come to the US at 13 and signed on at a college at 18 rather than making a move to Barcelona. (Please ignore the rampant abuse of facts here, as I’m aiming only to illustrate.) He is a player that illustrates well the benefit of training full-time a club from a young age, and it is intrinsically linked to his success on the pitch.
Systems of that sort cannot properly develop in collegiate systems because of stringent regulations at the NCAA level — including restrictions on off-season training and the like. The collegiate age range is when it is most vital for players to actually play and train on a regular basis; development is otherwise stunted.
It’s really a toss-up for me. I don’t think we’ll see constant creation of American stars until proper academy setups are sorted and the best prospects aren’t shipped off to schools where they cannot train with a squad on a year-round basis. But there is certainly something very good about tempered growth, and if American leagues can further their academy systems — and we’re well on the way, with the Real Salt Lake Arizona Academy being a shining beacon in the MLS — we may well see improvement on a large scale.
Still, it’s only one of many problems facing American soccer, and I’m confident that most of those will iron out in time if they are given proper attention.
Right, I’ll begin my match preview antics tomorrow it seems, and then we’ll go from there. We take on the Union on Saturday — it’s been too long since we had a home match. I’m itching to get back.
‘Til tomorrow.
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