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Bethany Balcer and US Soccer’s Development Process

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    Bethany Balcer and US Soccer’s Development Process

    For those of you who haven’t seen her play, Reign rookie Bethany Balcer is almost certain to win rookie of the year. (The Reign have one more home game on Sat v Portland, but Balcer may not play as she was injured after scoring the winning goal). Anyone who hasn’t seen her really missed out and should take the opportunity to get your kid there to do so next year, regardless of whether you otherwise like to spend your time bashing one club or another on this board.

    Balcer’s unconventional background raises some interesting questions about talent ID and talent development in the country. She played college at the NAIA level (scoring tons of goals for a national championship team), was a multi-sport athlete who played on hs teams through hs (basketball), and apparently didn’t play ECNL (was pre-DA) and wasn’t picked out for any ynt (until a month ago when she was called up for the u23’s). She ended up on the Reign after they signed her as an undrafted free agent after lighting it up with Sounders Women.

    A number young players who have recently broken through to elite levels, like Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle, were never picked for YNT’s until college (and played high school soccer). (Mallory Pugh, on the other hand, was on YNT’s from early on, but as a general matter US Soccer’s track record of identifying the best talent early on and developing it isn’t very good).

    Has US Soccer changed something in terms of personnel or process to suggest that they will now be able to identify players like this earlier, that doing so will make them better than they otherwise would be, and that the DA is the best way to facilitate doing that? Or are the same people who have been in charge of US Soccer’s youth side all along just kinda winging it and asking everyone to trust them? Do they have some model from another country that suggests what they are doing will work better than what had worked here thus far? I think there’s a significant likelihood that the way US Soccer is going about things with DA will make it even less likely that whatever future Bethany Balcer’s who are out there will break through, and that the USWNT will ultimately be the worse for it. I suspect that the rush to early specialization and aggregation of talent onto so-called “elite” teams leads to similar issues with less elite talents on the college and even high school levels.

    #2
    The process for identifying talent pre-U16 is ridiculous due to the politics of ID selection. It is much harder for an elite athlete to get the exposure they need if they aren't playing in one of the big national leagues. Further more, the talent that is identified pre U-14 through ODP or the Training centers are a joke. How many of those players, especially female, are elite by the the time they hit 18 years old? If anything, unless you are a true super stud, most of the early identified players play about the same level as their non-identified peers.

    Bethany Balcer choosing to play NAIA was probably the best decision for her. She played in a league and conference she could shine in and get noticed. Had she played for a top 50 D1 program, she may not have seen as much playing time or received the same type of recognition she is getting now. Her pathway should be how most players should aspire to be on. Play multi-sports, play high school ball, play for a college you can be an impact player for, and work your tail off to make it to the next level. Glad she made the NT. She earned it and deserves it, and not because of a patch on her sleeve of the accolades of D1 soccer.

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      #3
      The ODP process is not perfect but does identify top tier players. Agree with the idea that it is tough to identify u-14, u-15 top players. The players chosen need a little luck and a lot of talent to be selected.

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        #4
        none

        Another example: Hassani Dotson, MLS rookie playing for Minnesota United. Federal Way kid, played for WPFC and Crossfire Academy, then Oregon State -- and now in running for MLS Rookie of the Year. And this year was called into first national camp (U-23).

        Both he and Balcer are good examples (other include Lloyd, Morgan, Krieger, Press - don't believe any of them got a call up before U20/U23...?) examples for youth players who may feel they are not getting "recognized." Keep working. Ignore the noise, especially the USYNT noise. Soccer seems like the one sport where that noise is way too present at an early age, especially among parents, and we all know the process is extremely politicized at the youth level. US Soccer is not all knowing on talent evaluation, not even close.

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