It seems with teams coming from smaller clubs getting snubbed from the top leagues and tournaments that soccer may be headed down the wrong path over the long run. The Region 1 league is no longer for Elite teams but rather Elite Clubs and the same can be said for top tournaments and of course you have the ECNL, which spells out in the league name what it's all about. So it makes you wonder how deep does politics and club name go into soccer. Are the players touted on the websites of the big clubs truly the best of the best or does the club and its' inside connections play a major role in their recognition? How about ODP,DAP, or a national team? Are they the best players or are they the best players who could afford to play for the big clubs and travel all over the place to be recognized. From my own experiences I can tell you that politics plays a major role at some of the highest levels and it's truly a shame because the end result is not the best it could be. It's widely known and accepted in soccer that when the kids reach a certain age the good players all seem to flock to one or two teams and thus leave everyone else unable to compete with them. Is that the way it should be? It's okay as long as your kid makes the team, but what happens when they don't? The Western U-14 team is only the most recent example of a team who earned their way to compete at the highest levels only to be snubbed for a Elite club team that did not. In this forum alone, there was very little outrage even though many if not everyone knows what took place. The reason is because everyone has accepted the fact that in the end the elite clubs will get all of the top players and nobody cares as long as they're in. That attitude is why the state of soccer just may push out the players who could've been, not because they lacked talent but rather the connections to make it happen. I don't know about everyone else, but as a coach and a fan of the game I'd like to see more of the could've beens' who earned their right and less elite club teams who come through the back door.
Not all hope is lost on the (second tier) teams you are talking about. Not all talent is flocking to the big names. Here's where loyalty is part of the problem. Start recruiting and drop some of those players you've had since they were 7 and talent will not look somewhere else to play good soccer.
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