just watching the UConn-usf match on espn. kids playing on a modified college football field with no one in the stands. game is vertical. little in the way of short passing, possession football. so my question to those w older kids: is this the end game for young players? is this where these kids w their dreams, passions and hours of training...this is where it ends? modified tackle football field games w no one watching?? there appears to be more passion in u11 games in south fl than in a typical college soccer game. sad that we cannt offer better to the tens of thousands of talented, passionate kids that dream about playing soccer at the highest level. there's no heart in the college game. soccer without heart is not the same.
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Sadly, I'd have to agree.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
I was watching the Big East conference championship game between Providence and Marquette and while the quality of the soccer was slightly better than the game you described, there was only a handful of people watching the game. I can recall many big games that my son was involved in that had more spectators. -
maybe you should rethink your kids sport
My son just competed in the A Sun Tourney finals. ETSU & UNF. UNF had a repecatble showing but they are only 6 hours from the filed. ETSU is a lot further.Originally posted by Dissident View Post
in the Semi Finals the FGCU, the # 1 seed, filled the staduim. The stadium it is not very large probably 2,500 to 3,000.
BUT, the players DO NOT PLAY for the Audience, they Play for the LOVE of the GAME.Comment
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UConn may play on a field striped for American football but USF has a beautiful (and relatively new) soccer-specific stadium fo which seasonal home matches (for men - don't attend the women's matches) draw respectable crowds.
Trouble with USF is its roster is increasingly filled with foreign-borne players. At USF fewer and fewer opportunities for American young men.Comment
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better said this way, If American young men were better soccer players they would find more opportunities at USF and elsewhere. You are incorrectly placing the blame on the Colleges and Universities which is a typical response in this country.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
This is nothing new. I played at NC State in late 90s and we never had much of a crowd. The only time they came was when it was the ACC Tournament or Regionals. Even the Final Four is NOT as big as it should be. Remember, we play at the same time the Football teams play, so everyone would rather watch them. Even though our football team stinks today!!!Comment
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WRONG!!! Take a look at the rosters of the top DI schools:Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
#1) UCLA- 30 on roster (4) are foreign
#2) Washington- 28 on roster (0) are foreign
#3) Notre Dame- 29 on roster (0) are foreign
The DII schools are ALL foreign because it makes the school look good because they can say we have a very diverse student body. They can claim to be a school with ties to the world.Comment
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So when all the experts have their theories on what's wrong w soccer in this country, it's appears to me it's not much of a mystery. Unless a player is one of a very select few that has telent or connections to get into an ODP type program, our players stop playing at 17 or 18. The game ends at that age. Our country does not create venues for players in the 18-22 year old range to show their stuff.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Sure they do, it's called college intramurals on local Adult Leagues. If you are good enough, you move on to the next level. This is the same in all Sports….Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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I would hardly call playing in front of empty stadiums moving on to the next level. It is sad, very sad that college soccer receives no support. Ask any kid that plays well why they play and it is for love of the game or for glory. No kid says so that I can eventually receive a partial scholarship at uconn. How much glory is their in an empty stadium that looks like they took over a football field after the game ended and added two goals on either end? I just think it is sad. We should be supporting our college soccer players and no one, I mean no one, attends college soccer games.Comment
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It's no different than many of the other college sports except Football and Men's Basketball.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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I disagree... my kid is going to play in college. They have a dedicated soccer field. most of the Universities we considered had a soccer venue.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
Granted, crowds are thin- but I think it's a lot better than 20 years ago, and ten years ago. So we consider ourselves part of the continuum of progress in US Soccer. 10 years from now it will be better, and so on. I don't think most sports enjoy an overnight change from no crowds to 5,000 attending.Comment
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Players play for love of the game. Some are paid a partial scholarship to compete in college. Some get to compete in front of big crowds. No different than other sports.Comment
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Except that unlike gymnastics, swimming, baseball, volleyball, and most other sports, soccer is a sport that has a huge component for passion, heart. There is no other sport in my opinion in which heart counts as much as in soccer. You take away the glory and the heart and it is not the same sport. Many will disagree with this and I respect the response. But, look at Maradona's 1986 second goal against England. What if that would have been in a college soccer venue? You just say, "nice run" and wonder if alabama beat lsu?Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Not sure I follow your point. do you think NCAA soccer is good or bad?Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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