2014 Boys Soccer Verbal Commitments

[ForzaAzzurri]

//Yes I know we can point to Diego F and Will P, but lets get real the best Mass athletes (and US athletes) don't gravitate towards soccer, but rather football and basketball (and in Mass hockey as well) and until they do you wont be producing Messi's or Ronaldo's. //

I agree with most of what you said, but MA does a poor job of producing top football/basketball players as well. In fact there was a recent article to that effect outlining how pitifully few top NBA players MA has ever produced.

This is why I point to the educational phenomenon as an explanatory factor of why MASSACHUSETTS does not get well represented in the higher levels of team sports (other than hockey, which can be explained by how concentrated geographically it is across the country). I did not intend it to be isolated to soccer only. My point boils down to, when push comes to shove, our student-athletes "choose" academics over sports. (I guess some further evidence is even before college, in how many kids in the state attend private schools, and how many of the more noted athletes attend those private schools).

I also agree to a large extent with the poster you responded to, as I have likewise always maintained that our country does not possess the requisite soccer culture, and that partly/largely explains the lack of world-class players at the highest levels (I do disagree vehemently, however, that it is because our so-called best athletes pursue other sports, but that is another matter).

To recap, in my opinion, education explains the comparative gap between Mass and the rest of the U.S. and culture (broadly defined, so that it includes, for example, coaching philosophies, fan interest, player commitment, etc) explains the comparative gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world. My two bitcoins.

[Unregistered]

Traditionally the reason why MA did not turn out a lot of high level b-ball players had to do with the restrictive contact rules the MIAA placed on the situation because of football. Even now most other states allow a lot more coach/player contact and have longer pre-seasons. Now that AAU has risen importance and coaching contact isn't so much of an issue you can clearly see the negative impact over organizing and poor coaching at the beginning youth levels is having. I suspect these are probably the same reasons soccer isn't having the success it maybe should be having.

[Unregistered]

This is why I point to the educational phenomenon as an explanatory factor of why MASSACHUSETTS does not get well represented in the higher levels of team sports (other than hockey, which can be explained by how concentrated geographically it is across the country). I did not intend it to be isolated to soccer only. My point boils down to, when push comes to shove, our student-athletes "choose" academics over sports. (I guess some further evidence is even before college, in how many kids in the state attend private schools, and how many of the more noted athletes attend those private schools).

I also agree to a large extent with the poster you responded to, as I have likewise always maintained that our country does not possess the requisite soccer culture, and that partly/largely explains the lack of world-class players at the highest levels (I do disagree vehemently, however, that it is because our so-called best athletes pursue other sports, but that is another matter).

To recap, in my opinion, education explains the comparative gap between Mass and the rest of the U.S. and culture (broadly defined, so that it includes, for example, coaching philosophies, fan interest, player commitment, etc) explains the comparative gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world. My two bitcoins.

Dutch skating coach offering his opinion on why Americans are uncompetitive in another sport. Some bearing on this discussion.

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/st...utility-022214

[Unregistered]

Funny how none of this seems to apply to the top football recruits.


1. Johnathan Thomas RB 80 Penn State
2. Connor Strachan ILB 80 Boston College
3. Isaac Yiadom WR 77 Boston College
4. Lubern Figaro S 76 Wisconsin
5. James Hendren OT 75 Boston College
6. Jon Baker OG 74 Boston College
7. D'Andre Drummond-Mayrie S 69 New Hampshire
8. Kevin Bletzer OLB 68 Boston College
9. Cody Williams QB/PP 68 Monmouth
10. Kevin Cohee ILB 68 Boston College

[Unregistered]

//Yes I know we can point to Diego F and Will P, but lets get real the best Mass athletes (and US athletes) don't gravitate towards soccer, but rather football and basketball (and in Mass hockey as well) and until they do you wont be producing Messi's or Ronaldo's. //

I agree with most of what you said, but MA does a poor job of producing top football/basketball players as well. In fact there was a recent article to that effect outlining how pitifully few top NBA players MA has ever produced.

Mass is not a highly populated state compared to Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania...ect...ect, thus we shouldn't be producing ATHLETES in the same number as these other states, nor anywhere close to these other state numbers. Couple that with bad weather and highly educated lower minority populace and only one major urban city (Boston and its not really that big of a city) and you get the results Mass gets regarding ATHLETES, especially soccer. It's not the coaching or training.

[Unregistered]

Mass is not a highly populated state compared to Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania...ect...ect, thus we shouldn't be producing ATHLETES in the same number as these other states, nor anywhere close to these other state numbers. Couple that with bad weather and highly educated lower minority populace and only one major urban city (Boston and its not really that big of a city) and you get the results Mass gets regarding ATHLETES, especially soccer. It's not the coaching or training.

Agreed

[Unregistered]

Mass is not a highly populated state compared to Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania...ect...ect, thus we shouldn't be producing ATHLETES in the same number as these other states, nor anywhere close to these other state numbers. Couple that with bad weather and highly educated lower minority populace and only one major urban city (Boston and its not really that big of a city) and you get the results Mass gets regarding ATHLETES, especially soccer. It's not the coaching or training.

Not highly populated?? Not enough dumb minorities? Are you for real?

[Unregistered]

I would definitely consider Mass in the top 10 for producing athletes, and I believe, only getting better. This is for sports in general. I mean, you have CM as a hockey powerhouse, nationally known, B-R baseball is actually ranked 50th in the country. One of the best AAU teams for basketball. Soccer has ludlow to an extent. For our size and population I think we do better than most people would suspect.

[Unregistered]

Same poster as above.

To build off that, Some of the top basketball teams in the country for college have 2 or 3 Massachusetts players. Kid in the NBA, from Massachusetts.

[Unregistered]

Same poster as above.

To build off that, Some of the top basketball teams in the country for college have 2 or 3 Massachusetts players. Kid in the NBA, from Massachusetts.

Oh please, my kid is one of the best BBall players out of MA in the past 5 years, BUT:

http://www.telegram.com/article/2014...302089776/1009

How about some facts. The recent discussions are about top pro players. A couple of kids and ND and Kansas, etc. is still pretty light.

[Unregistered]

Mass is not a highly populated state compared to Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania...ect...ect, thus we shouldn't be producing ATHLETES in the same number as these other states, nor anywhere close to these other state numbers. Couple that with bad weather and highly educated lower minority populace and only one major urban city (Boston and its not really that big of a city) and you get the results Mass gets regarding ATHLETES, especially soccer. It's not the coaching or training.

Not so sure I buy the minority argument but yes hockey and don't forget lacrosse help dilute the talent pool in a smaller state. How many are playing lacrosse in the Midwest? Still I'd rather have our state full of better educated athletes vs what the school systems in those states crank out.

[Unregistered]

Not so sure I buy the minority argument but yes hockey and don't forget lacrosse help dilute the talent pool in a smaller state. How many are playing lacrosse in the Midwest? Still I'd rather have our state full of better educated athletes vs what the school systems in those states crank out.

Precisely why we have a problem. If you can't beat em, quit and talk about academics.

[Unregistered]

Precisely why we have a problem. If you can't beat em, quit and talk about academics.

Individually the kids should all try their best, but collectively we should stop poking at the process and admit we are where we belong. Yeah, I agree that MA would be better with only one DAP team, but in a practical sense, the Revs and Bolts attract kids that are different demographically, and I think if we dropped to just the Revs, we a would lose a little there. But on the whole, club soccer is as well organized as any sport in MA (leaving hockey out). Basketball and AAU is a mess really, comparatively, and lacrosse is picking up steam but still has a way to go. And sports like baseball are frankly falling apart.

[Unregistered]

Precisely why we have a problem. If you can't beat em, quit and talk about academics.

Not the op but in the long run we all know that academics is far more important than sports. All except you maybe.

[Unregistered]

Not the op but in the long run we all know that academics is far more important than sports. All except you maybe.

OP here. I agree there is no problem here as described. If there is a problem around here, it's we're too obsessed with sports.